Stage 73: From Cavuslu to Trabzon

For the next morning, I had made an appointment with Serhat. Of course, he had already prepared breakfast and waved me over happily. We talked a bit about the further journey and the situation in Ukraine before he came around the corner with a big bag full of fruit. Before saying goodbye, I showed him my equipment and my bike in detail and cooked us a coffee with the gasoline stove. Thank you very much, Serhat, for your hospitality!

At around 11 o'clock we continued towards Trabzon, again it was only a cozy 70 kilometers today. After 10 kilometers, we already took the first break to get rid of the heavy food supplies, my bike felt overloaded because of the fruit. After that, we went straight to Trabzon without any detours. As usual for big cities, the traffic became a bit hectic, and I had to go through a short tunnel as well. When I arrived at the hotel, I made some progress with English again, the owner is Belgian and was able to help me more often during my stay. Before exploring the city briefly, I wanted to do laundry one last time before Tbilisi. The city was very lively even during the week, in the evening there was a small event on the main square with dancing. Withdrawing cash was difficult here again, but it seemed to be the same for the Turks.

For the next day, I planned a little bus trip to Uzungol ('long lake'). Only a newlywed couple from Egypt was with me. For €12, I went to a popular region in the mountains that would have been difficult to reach by bike. The journey took about an hour, and then I was able to go on a short hike and enjoy the landscape in great weather. At a viewpoint, I met a couple from Germany with Turkish roots who told me that there weren't so many hotels here a few years ago. But in February, there were hardly any tourists and most hotels were closed, so it didn't bother me. The Egyptian couple wanted to take thousands of photos, but they were also on their honeymoon. On the way back, we were treated to loud Egyptian folk music, and we were back in Trabzon around 5 pm. In the evening, I lost interest in sightseeing due to the developments in Ukraine, it was more important to follow the news.

Since bad weather was forecasted and my butt was sore, I wanted to have another rest day in Trabzon. Actually, the weather was better than expected, so I still had time for some sightseeing in Trabzon. The old town is full of life and almost too crowded for me. The museum was unfortunately closed for renovations, but it was worth the climb up to the castle and later to the hill of Boztepe. Since my bike stayed at the hotel today, the way to Hagia Sophia and Ataturk's House was too far. I would have also liked to visit the famous Sumela Monastery, which is located 50 kilometers south of Trabzon in the mountains. But it is currently closed due to corona or snow, so there are probably no buses going there. Well, you can't see everything, and maybe there will be another opportunity someday! In the evening, I planned the further journey, in two days I want to arrive in Georgia.