Samsun

Our morning followed the same routine as yesterday … relaxing and chitchatting with Kerim and Nalan … playing with Bulut [meaning cloud in Turkish], their Persian cat … setting out for a bit of sightseeing — and food — around 12:30p.

Samsun is considered the starting point — or more accurately, the first step — that began the Turkish War of Independence against foreign entities that invaded the country following WWI. It was here that Atatürk arrived on 19 May 1919 on a boat called Bandırma. The boat, which was originally built in Scotland in 1878 as a cargo vessel, was serving as a mail boat at the time. It was taken out of service and dismantled in 1925 … a surprising move on the part of such a patriotic country when it comes to anything associated with Atatürk.

The Bandırma we visited today is a true replica of the original. It was constructed on the orders of the Governor of Samsun and opened to the public as a museum. Onboard, we found wax figures of Atatürk and some of his comrades in one of the cabins. Another was set up as the stateroom where he slept during the voyage to Samsun. Belowdecks, we found an exhibit featuring historic photos and info panels, and a couple of memorabilia, including two of Atatürk’s outfits

After wandering around the park where the Bandırma is docked and checking out the bronze panels depicting historic scenes, we left to drive to İlk Adım … aka Kurtuluş Yolu [the former translates as First Step; the rest as the Road to Independence].

Located at the old Tütüncü İskelesi, where vessels carrying tobacco used to offload their cargo, this is the actual spot where Atatürk stepped foot in Samsun. The memorial here consists of a background cutout that resembles the Bandırma … with a series of statues showing Atatürk and his comrades walking down the pier to be greeted by a welcoming committee.

It was already after 3:00p by the time we strolled back to the car via a pedestrian way along the waterfront. Next, we drove to Niyazi Kesim, a restaurant in Batıpark. Our late lunch consisted of a local specialty — kapalı pide. What makes this pide different from what’s found elsewhere around Turkey is that the paper-thin dough is wrapped around the topping, which is pre-cooked. We ordered two savory versions … one with ground beef and the other with cheese. And, since Kerim does not like this kind of pide, he ordered the open-faced version to share … with a topping of small chunks of beef. All of this was preceded by a an order of kuymak … also to share. This is a boiling hot dip made with butter, a cheese called kolot, and cornmeal. It differs from mıhlama, which is cheese-forward whereas this one is cornmeal-forward.

From the restaurant, we walked over to the Amazon Village. Tradition has it that the warrior tribe of women known as the Amazon, lived in this area and the village is supposed to depict their lives. I thought it was more a tourist trap than anything else. Luckily, admission was only ₺5 … or less than .50¢. We then strolled along the pond to the far end of the park where there is an oversized statue of an Amazon flanked by giant lions. Again, a little cheesy, but we enjoyed the stroll nonetheless.

By this time, angry clouds had replaced the partly cloudy skies and the temp had dropped dramatically. So, we returned to the car for a short drive along Samsun’s waterfront.

Since none of us were really hungry following our late lunch, we decided to wrap up our outing with dessert at Aşiyan Künefecisi. Künefe is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with spun pastry called kadayıf, soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup, and layered with cheese. It is cooked by constantly turning the tray. We ordered the half-and-half option, which consisted of the classic version of the pastry on one side of the tray and the version called hasır on the other side. (Hasır is filled with clotted cream.) The entire thing was garnished with crushed pistachios. Künefe is typically served warm … and so was this one. However, I think hasır would be less cloying served lukewarm.

It was just after 7:00p when we got back to the condo. We enjoyed a couple of hours of conversation on the balcony before calling an early night since we have an 8:30a flight tomorrow to return to İzmir.Read more