Amasya

In  Akcakoca a few days earlier we met up with a Turkish lady and her husband an English man who are tag along tour guides for motorhome groups. We told them the direction we wanted to travel and they suggested that we visit Amasya. It was half way between Sinop and Cappadocia and we could stay overnight next to the river in a tourist parking area and pay only 10 turkish lira [$6 aust].

After a pleasant drive we arrived in the town and found the tourist parking area, yes it was next to the river but it was also on a main town road and next to the mosque. We had paid our money and we hoped that at night the traffic would die down.Jenny was tired and had a lie down while I went for a stroll with Clyde and Anna through the town.

We walked alongside the river and then to some back streets  where we saw the Pontic kings tombs carved into the hillside. On the way back we went through the main shopping area where I bought an extension cord for the camper [exciting shopping]. When we returned Jenny had risen after a good sleep.

The day was very warm and it seemed that every second person was eating icecream, It did not take Jenny a lot of convincing and we were on our way to the local icecream vendor. Two scoops in a cone for the equivalent of 80 aust cents [ bargain]. Jenny cooked dinner in the tagine while I went to have a look at the Turkish Baths that were around the corner. The gentleman sitting outside invited me in to have a look around. Today it was mens day and the next day for the women. The baths were constructed in 1430’s and were a series of room with different degrees of temperature. It was a magnificent building made of stone with marble seats , benches and massage tables.

After dinner Jenny and I had a pleasant stroll along the promenade and ended up at the local cake shop where a purchase was made of course. Even with the traffic still passing within meters we slept through the night with the aid of earplugs. At 5 in the morning the call to prayer from the mosque was so loud that we were all woken. Luckily we did manage to get back to sleep for another couple of hours. Our next port of call is Cappadocia famous for the rock pillars called fairy chimneys, a must see sight.