Popo and I woke early the next day, mostly owing to the return of my temporary insomnia, but also because during our trip through Turkey, we were expected to always be on the coach by 8AM. As for why my insomnia returned? Impossible to know although I chalk it up to me watching YouTube videos quite late on my phone and sneaking in a few songs on my Switch before bed. 

Hey! Even though I was travelling overseas, a girl’s got to treat herself, all right?

Regardless, we were up and getting our luggage stowed into the underbelly of the coach and eating a decent breakfast. By 8AM we were seated on the coach and ready for the long journey east to a small town in the Black Sea region of northern Turkey: Safranbolu. 

Along the way, we stopped for lunch and also enjoyed brief toilet breaks at petrol stations along the highway. At one particular stop, a Shell station, I purchased some hot chocolate that was middling at best. To be fair, it was still superior to whatever I had in North America but once you’ve had Australian coffee/ hot chocolate, there is simply no going back. Especially if you like milk froth.

It was about 2PM when we pulled into the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu. Of particular interest to tourists is the Old Town, which showcased hundreds upon hundreds of preserved red-roofed Ottoman houses on cobblestone streets. The only thing missing were horse drawn cabs. While I was wandering the streets and admiring it from above, the architecture of the houses somewhat reminded me of old Tudor-style houses although there werestill quite a few differences.

Unfortunately, leading Popo around the city centre meant that I missed out on many an explanation from the tour guide. Wikipedia, which is CLEARLY a reliable source that should be cited often, tells me that the name of the town derives from the spice, Saffron, and the Greek work ‘polis.’ 

And to be fair, the growing  of saffron or ‘safran’ by the locals is still very common practice in the city, what with all the saffron scented performed and flavoured Turkish delights that were on sale. 

Once we had viewed the the Old Town from above at a lookout, we headed to our hotel that was close by and modelled in the original Ottoman style. Afterwards, we headed to the centre to get in some ‘shopping. And shop I did! In fact, as I roamed the stores, I bought myself a handmade leather courier bag for only 700 Turkish lira! Others might have been able to haggle further this was not a skill I possessed.

Walking along with a few other members of the tour group, we stopped by a few stores to try out their free samples of Turkish samples. True, it was a ploy to get us to come in and actually buy their merchandise, but it also helped satiate my sweet tooth.  In fact, I even picked up some Turkish delights, courtesy of one fo the tour members hoping to bribe me back to their place and into the clutches of their diabolical mother who wanted to keep me as a prized pet. 

You might be asking anyone would do that. And for that well thought out question, I have no answer except maybe I had somehow imprinted on this mother. Or she thought me cute and adorable in spite of my actual age and temperament. 

After all, I can be quite playful and mischievous if I so wish. I was born in the Year of the Monkey! But, I’m also quite serious and very down-to-earth.

And if that sounds like an excuse, it is. 

In any case, our half-day in Safranbolu was quickly over and we retired to our hotel with its quaint little room that was supposed to sleep two.