Carrie's Post: Amasra

We ride each day hugging the Black Sea. There is basically only one road to take eastward, and much of it is being widened as we speak. When inland, the grade is gradual - an hour of climbing to 5 minutes of descent. When the road leads to the coast, you cross the cliffs down to the beach towns, with intense switchbacks at times too steep to ride.

Yesterday we left Bartin, a vibrant town with a university feel, and headed toward Amasra. For the last two weeks when anyone asked "where are you going?" and we mentioned Amasra as one of our destinations, the person made a response identical to the last - squinted eyes, lips pursed into a smile, and a one-handed gesture with fingers touching thumb, like an Italian raving of his grandmother's marinara. It seemed that this town was the pride and joy of the Black Sea people. We were skeptical, since all the towns are paradisal to us, and we could not imagine what would be different about this one. So when Noel discovered we could save some steep terrain by bypassing it, we opted for that choice. Hours of climbing later along the bypass with no food or water stops, when another chance to head into Amasra appeared we decided to accept some fierce hills in order to have lunch.

The town was built right into the side of the mountain, and we were laughing as we descended pulling the brakes as hard as they would be go - we would be coming back on the same road in an hour. The town was a Turkish tourist destination - markets, sea side restaurants, and beaches. The water has been turquoise for the past few days along the coast. We ate Balik Ekmek (fish on sour dough rolls), salata with pickled veggies, and gelato. The town was probably not worth all the climbing for us, but it was worth having lunch!

In my opinion climbing with a full tank is better than descending with an empty one (and yes, that is a metaphor for life too).  At the top was the turn off to get back on the highway, and there we saw generations of women selling their wares. Hazelnuts, sour green plums, cherries still in pairs, prunes, cucumbers, tomatoes, spice mixes and jars of jams and spreads. We are a spectacle pretty much everywhere we go - quite obviously not Turkish, and a bit crazy looking with all our gear. Noel always emerges up the hill first. Despite carrying twice as much as I am, after 4 months of this and perhaps the male gene, he is quite the machine. As I am coming from behind I watch the faces of passers by as they stare at him and his bike. Sometimes jaws drop, they exclaim to each other, and there are almost always ear-to-ear smiles and waves when we say "Merhaba!" - Hello.  When I appear they are even more surprised.  I can see pride in the women's faces as we pass.

At this particular market we were feeling joyous to have climbed back out of the seeming hole into which we jumped, so we were happy to hop off the bikes and buy treats. The women were delighted and kind.  All eight of them jumped to our assistance, giving us things to taste and asking questions. In Turkiye beauty is intense.  The young women are at once porcelain and dark, shrouded in silks, untouched by the sun that shines so strongly every day. They have the gorgeous contrast of a black and white photo. Next to them I am a negative, tanned and sun bleached from day after day on the bike. These women did not have the fancy silks of city women, but cotton ones of working women. The elders are shorter, rounder, their faces and teeth worn. The physical beauty of youth is fleeting where life is hard, but these women give over their own vanity so freely and instead dote on the young. One elder stroked my hair and said "bayan" - woman. I felt her love, her pride, and felt safe in her embrace. In this country one sees mostly men on the streets. They gather to drink çay (tea) and play dominos at cafes in the afternoons.  At night there are beach side barbecues and plenty of Raki(anise alcohol). The women have their own culture- separate, different, and hidden to outsiders. I was happy to have this small glimpse into their world.