Sanfranbolu

We arrived in Sanfranbolu spent from the rigors of our backcountry expedition.  As we rounded the bend in the highway, Sanfranbolu unfolded.  A cluster of  18th century homes jockeyed for position in a maze of small alleys and cobblestone roads that snaked up from the valley floor coiling up the sides of the mountain.  Red clay tile roof tops tumbled into one another, as the sun dipped lower in the sky.  We had arrived!

But of course, there was the still the challenge of finding our hotel.  I had a print out from   the internet with the address clearly printed on it, but "clearly" is a misnomer. The address seemed like a jumble of letters and words that blurred into one another.  Worse yet, they didn't mesh with any of the roads listed in the Tom-Tom, nor did the name of the hotel.  Apparently certain Turkish words and phrasing are optional or have several iterations, so the idea of simply trying to match the name of something written in one place with the same name written somewhere else is an anxiety producing exercise.  We maneuvered through the narrow streets, asking directions, fumbling with the computer and the print-out and the map (newly acquired), until finally we stopped at a small hotel unsure but hopeful that we had found our home for the night.  Despite the fact that the first word of the hotel name was missing from the sign, we had arrived.  We were both elated and wary; happy to have a place to shower and rest, concerned about the quality of our choice of accommodations.  Correction:  MY choice!  (Need I elaborate on the verbal exchange that ensued as we waited for the desk clerk to find our reservation?)

Standing in the small lobby and surveying the front terrace pocked with small pebbles and worn wrought iron patio tables, my heart sank.  We asked to see the room, and found ourselves standing in a restored Ottoman period bedroom, with a carved wood ceiling , stone fireplace and a room length window seat upholstered in Turkish carpets.  The beds ( there were two!) were clean, fitted with quality bedding and sported the most comfortable mattresses I've slept on since arriving in Turkey.  Yeah! Score one for me!  We loved this little hotel, which was managed by a young and eager staff of twenty-something's who spoke reasonably good English and couldn't do enough to please us.

After a quick wash, we headed out by foot, glad to be released from the confines of the car,  to explore Sanfranbolu, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.  The village was once a thriving commercial center on the silk trading route, and we stepped back a few centuries as we meandered through the cobblestone streets past alleys and small doorways.  Within minutes we were lost again, this time in a labyrinth that we had to navigate on foot without a computer.  With our blood sugar falling and our patience failing we took a seat at a small table in an alleyway,where the the owner stood grilling lamb kebabs on a wood-fired grill outside the entrance to his shop.  The table was covered with an old plastic tablecloth (it might have once been a shower curtain) and the silver and glassware were vintage Woolworths.  Stray cats circled our legs looking for table scraps and old men sat at the table  next to us reveling in the breaking of their daily Ramadan fast.  We laughed, realizing that we had forgone any pretensions or expectations. In our  other life a little hole in the wall dining spot like this one would never have  made the cut.  But here we were, sitting under the stars, eager to chow down with the locals.  The food was great, and we wolfed it down, and sat for a while watching the parade of international tourists and locals stream by.  Tired and full, we decided to head back to the hotel, trying to make sense of the tangle of streets.  We turned a corner and came upon a group of musicians wedged between a stone wall and the entrance to a coffee shop.  As we watched them 
tuning  their instruments we decided to take a seat, ordered Turkish coffee and pastry and sat under a canopy of grape leaves and stars listening to their impromptu concert.   
  
When we finally mustered the energy to get back on our feet, we headed straight for the hotel and fell into bed.  I lay there overwhelmed with gratitude; fully satiated and in awe that one day could hold so many memorable moments and emotional ups and downs. From Ankara to Amasra through the mountains and onto Safranbolu.....life lived well and fully.  Stay tuned