Culinary, cultural rewards await those touring Mexico like a Mexican

 

Taxco's cobbled streets double as sidewalks

While many American travelers to Mexico favor beach areas such as Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, my husband and I drift towards the country's colonial cities. 

Mexico City always tops the charts, so we carve out time for a short visit there before heading in new directions. With cities such as Oaxaca, Puebla, Guanajuato, Guadalajara and San Cristobal ticked off our list, sometimes more than once, we've focused our last few trips on Mexico's "Pueblos Magicos," small towns recognized by the government for their natural beauty and rich history. 

Our "beaches" are museums, markets, walking tours, even dinners in people's homes through the website eatwith.com. We ride the buses, put in 6-7 miles a day exploring on foot, then settle in for a nice dinner, often at an upscale restaurant where we are often surrounded by tourists - not European or American - but Mexican. 

In 2022, we went by bus from Mexico City to Orizaba and Xalapa in the state of Veracruz, the jumping off point for Coatepec (Hill of Snakes) and Xico, two Pueblo Magico towns in a premier coffee-producing region.

Winding mountain roads lead to Taxco

This year we headed to Taxco, a former silver mining town about three hours by bus from Mexico City, and Tepoztlan, a highland  town with a rich Aztec heritage and a 700-year-old mountaintop pyramid dedicated to Tepoztecatl, a god of fertility and pulque, a drink made from the fermented sap of the agave plant.

Being an American in a tourist destination favored by middle-class Mexicans translates into a choice of affordable hotels and Airbnbs, authentic restaurants, and the chance for cultural connections with local travelers. The downside is that not much English is spoken. It helps to know a bit of Spanish or get comfortable using Google Translate.

Our Taxco Airbnb

After a few exchanges with Tito, our Airbnb host in Taxco, I began to realize that is what he was using the translator to read my messages and respond back. He spoke no English, as it turned out, but we managed, sometimes amused by awkward phrasing such as "I look forward to yourselves, OK?"

Taxco is at an elevation of 6,000. We had been warned about the twisting roads the buses took to get there. Dramamine worked until the last hour of the ride when the driver lurched back and forth over bumps in the road, then picked up speed to avoid arriving late after being delayed by a motorcycle rally.

I managed to avoid getting sick on the bus but my arms were tingling when we got off. My husband felt dizzy. While we sat on a bench to steady ourselves, the first of many people who would make us feel welcome in town was a woman who offered us chewing gum to settle our stomachs. 

When the Spanish conquered the new world, Taxco became Spain’s primary source of silver and precious metals that were shipped back to the crown.

Mining stopped 17 years ago due to depletion of reserves and labor problems, but Taxco remains a hub for silversmithing with dozens of shops lining its steep, narrow streets, once donkey paths, now paved with rough, raised cobblestones. 

Walking Taxco's hills

Visitors can visit a small museum dedicated to American William Spratling, who moved to the town in the 1920s, creating silver design workshops and exported items, mostly to the United States. 

Silver mine open for tours

Open to the public is Mina Prehispanica de Taxco, an old silver mine excavated and restored by a Mexican family who discovered it in 2014 after purchasing the Posada de la Mision. We donned hart harts for a guided tour in English that began with a long climb down a ladder to reach a network of tunnels streaked with veins of silver and gold. 

The narrow streets mean that using local transportation usually involves a ride in a Volkswagan taxi, an ATV or a mini-bus that charges 50 cents per ride.

Getting around by ATV

VW taxis navigate narrow streets

All rides begin and end at the Zocolo or Plaza Borda, part pedestrianized town square and part transportation hub. Towering above is the Santa Prisca Cathedral, the Spanish Baroque-style church built in 1751 by silver baron José de la Borda. 

Rooftop view of Taxco at sunset 

The bells in its two twin towers are rung by hand on feast day celebrations honoring patron saints Saint Prisca and Saint Sebastian, Best views are at sunset from atop one of the rooftop restaurants serving Rosa Mole, Taxco's special mole tinted pink with beets.

It‘s hard to believe the highland mountain town of Tepoztlan is just 45 miles from busy Mexico City. Vendors celebrate their Aztec heritage with colorful dishes made with seeds, fruits and flowers. Young men wear masks with pointy beards at pre-Lent celebrations to ridicule their Spanish conquerors. The drink to order is pulque made from the fermented sap of the agave plant, honoring Tepoztecati, the god of fertility.

Just north of town stands Tepozteco, the pyramid built on a mountaintop by the Aztecs about 700 years ago to honor Tepoztecati.

Road leading to the Tepozteco trailhead

Hiking a steep trail leading to the temple is the reason most people come here, but not the only one. At an altitude of 5,380 feet, the town lies two thousand feet lower than the nearby capital, and its location in the region gives the town warm spring-like temperatures most days of the year

Tepoztlan, in the state of Morelos, has been populated for 1,500 years before Christ, first by indigenous groups and later by the Spaniards. It's long had reputation as a center for mysticism and spirituality. The streets are full of small crystal shops and massage wellness centers.

As in Taxco, little English was spoken around town, so we uncovered the stories behind some of the things we saw by reading. 

Beautiful hand-made earrings made of colorful feathers for a sale in all the shops, for instance, honored Quetzalcóatl, the feather serpent god whose statue stands at the entrance to the city. It is said that a woman saw a feather drop softly on the floor. Without thinking, she put it in her womb. Little did she know that it did not come from a bird but from a Mexica deity, who magically created a child in her womb.

Chenelo masks for sale

The masks for sale at shops and murals around town featuring the faces of men with exaggerated beards, mustaches and blue eyes, are part of a  tradition dating to 1870 when the Spanish would organize elegant dances preceding Lent (Mardi Gras), but only for people born on the Iberian Peninsula.

Mural depicting a traditional Chenelo dance

Native-born young men (called Chinelos, meaning "disguised" in the Nahuatl Aztec language) dressed themselves in old clothes, covered their faces, and skipped through the streets mocking the Spanish. Chinelo dancers perform all around the state of Morelos today, especially at Carnival time 

Traditional street food stalls at the Mercado Municipal surround the downtown Zocolo which leads to an artisan market and the Ex Convento Dominico de la Natividad church and museum. 

Something seemed a little off on the day we visited the market. Perhaps, we thought, it was because it was a quiet weekday. The big market days are Saturday and Sundays when people come from everywhere to sample food and buy local products.

Relaxing at the Nuevo Mercado

As it turned out, many of the vendors moved to a new market, the Nuevo Mercado, a shiny Singapore-style food court with modern hygiene standards and spectacular views of copper-toned mountain cliffs.

Veggie patties on display

We had gone in search of Tlaltequeadas, a vegetarian, Pre-Hispanic fritter typically made with greens, fruit, seeds and flowers. At a colorful stall called El Cuatecomate, we choose two patties, one colored red with beets, and the other made with squash blossoms and spinach. Each was topped with either mole or a tomato sauce. From there, it was onto Vacas Verdes for pulque served in clay mugs and a view of the mountains from its rooftop. 

Pulque with a view

Later in the afternoon, we made it as far as the end of the road leading to the uphill walk to the temple. But it was late in the day and there was not much daylight left for attempting a two-hour climb to the top. It was worth the walk, however, to discover Axitla, an elegant restaurant hidden in the woods with only a small sign leading us down a long path.

Grilled shrimp for sale along the road leading to the Tepozteco pyramid

 

Tables were strewn on small terraces surrounded by trees and plants. Although it was slightly out of season, we were surprised to find our favorite Mexican dish on the menu. 

Chiles en nogada are made from roasted and peeled poblano peppers that are stuffed with a fruit and ground meat, and then covered in a walnut-cream sauce known as nogada, and garnished with pomegranate seeds and parsley.

The dish is traditionally served to celebrate Mexican Independence Day in September because it holds the colors of the Mexican flag: red, white and green.

Our day started with sweet cups of Cafe de Olla, a Mexican spiced coffee with cinnamon and dark brown sugar. Now it was ending with a dish we first discovered in Guadalajara on one of our first trips to Mexico.

Pure magic.

 

As hotel prices soar, Airbnb done right is a win-win for customers, hosts

 

Casa Santa Monica Airbnb in Taxco, Mexico

Airbnb seems to be getting a bad rap lately. 

Rome is imposing new rules that will make checking in less convenient for customers and hosts.

New York City passed a law last year that all but eliminated short-term rentals.

Even budget travel expert and author Rick Steves tends to discourage Airbnbs in favor of the small hotels listed in his guidebooks.

I've been booking Airbnbs around the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico and Asia since 2012, four years after the service began as a San Francisco start-up in 2008. The platform connects travelers with individuals who rent private rooms, homes, cabins and apartments for short-term stays. 

With four reservations already on the books for 2025 (three in Mexico and one near Mount Rainier National Park in Washington),  I remain a fan.

Mount Rainier Airbnb

The common objections don't carry much weight with me, in that they seem not to come from customers, but rather from hotel lobbyists, renters seeking long-term leases and neighborhood residents who dislike tourists coming and going. 

There are examples that prove the naysayers right, but for the most part Airbnb still seems like a win-win for both hosts and travelers looking for an option to overpriced hotels. 

One complaint is that investors are buying up units that might otherwise be available to long-term renters. They hire an agency to rent them out by-the-night as Airbnbs.The traveler never has contact with the owner. Tenants, not tourists, is the rallying cry in neighborhoods where this is happening.

Turning Airbnb into a commercial enterprise does run counter to original idea of connecting travelers and locals for stays in homes or apartments owned or occupied by the owners. A look at listings in almost any city will bring up both, and for those seeking a more personal experience, there are plenty of options.

The Airbnb I booked in Paris last year was with family who converted three rooms in their townhouse for guests. They prepared breakfast each morning, and were always around to answer questions. The price was $130 per night, less than I would have paid for decent hotel in a similar location had I been able to find one outside the expensive tourist areas. This Airbnb was in a residential area called the Butte Aux Cailles, away from the center but with convenient bus and metro connections.

Paris Airbnb in Butte Aux Cailles

The spacious, two-bedroom home my husband and I rented for a short stay in Taxco, Mexico this year is run by the owner, Tito, who offered me early check-in when I inquired about our arrival time. The cost is around $80 per night. The bonus is a quiet neighborhood, near the center of town, but away from the tourist hotels.

In the U.S., we often want to stay in an area convenient for biking or hiking, but short on hotels. Our Airbnb ($86) in a mother-in-law apartment next to a couple's main house in Boring, Washington, was ideal for exploring the area around Mount Hood. The owner thoughtfully left half-and-half and snacks in the fridge, and made helpful suggestions for breakfast. 

Rick Steves makes a case for supporting smaller, family-run hotels when traveling in Europe. I use them as well when it makes sense as it did in Bucharest, Romania last year and in Trabzon, Turkey. I wasn't satisfied with the Airbnb choices in either destination. Not knowing much about the neighborhoods, it made more sense to pick a small hotel in the historical center rather than an Airbnb in an unknown part of town.

The hotels and guesthouses I choose were all reasonably priced and good value. Perhaps if there were more options like these in the U.S., Airbnb might not be as popular as it is.

All one has to do is look at what has happened to hotel rates in New York City one year after more than 90 percent of Airbnb’s local listings were removed to comply with new regulations limiting the number of guests to two and requiring the property owner to reside in the unit. 

With accommodations in short supply, hotels charged an average of $417 per night in September, the highest monthly rate ever for the city. City officials are now considering revising the rules to permit a permanent occupant to host a short-term rental for a maximum of four guests along with their children.

Like with everything to do with travel, there are caveats to keep in mind when booking an Airbnb.

*If you'd rather book an owner-occupied Airbnb rather than one managed by a service, check the listing to make sure this is the case. Avoid listings where the same person turns up more than twice, indicating they are managing the units for a company. 

*After plugging in your dates, check the bottom line price against the dollar figure that appears in bold print on the listing. The final price will include the Airbnb fee, a cleaning fee if the owner charges one (not all do) and any taxes.

*Check cancellation policies. I always look for places that can be cancelled with a full refund within a short time (a week or a few days) of arrival.  

*Check if the bathroom is private or shared. Lack of a private bath is a deal-breaker for us.

*Read current reviews to see what others have to say about their stays. 

*Check the location, and message the host with any questions before booking.

Eatwith.com brings travelers and locals together for dinner and conversation

Parisian Eatwith host Thomas shows a map of France to a guest

When I look back on my travels in 2024, I think about the impromptu conversation I had with the owner of a Paris wine bar, the last-minute meet-up with a Turkish friend from Seattle now living in Ankara, and the dinners my husband, Tom, and I had in the homes of total strangers.

People matter more than places to us these days, which is why I'm a fan of Eatwith.com the Airbnb of dining where locals sign up to host travelers in their homes for lunch or dinner.

It takes time to search the listings to find the right combination of a suitable menu  price, timing, location and host, but when everything matches up, an Eatwith dinner is a unique experience that can be replicated almost anytime you travel.

Begun as a San Francisco start-up, Eatwith was bought a few years ago by French-based VizEat. Since then, it has grown into a global meal-sharing platform with more than 25,000 hosts in 130 countries.

Hosts set their own prices, and guests pay with a credit card at the time of booking. With the fee arranged in advance, you feel more like friends invited over for the evening rather than paying guests.

I was hooked after my first experience a few years ago in Paris when a friend and I booked a dinner hosted by French news reporter and amateur chef Thomas Obrador.

From the menu he posted online - appetizers, a seasonal soup, ratatouille with chicken or fish, a cheese course and crème brûée, - I knew we were in for extended evening. What I didn't expect was that we would spend 5.5 hours laughing, talking, drinking and eating with Thomas and seven strangers until 1 a.m.

At $49 each at the time, the dinner, which included wine with each course, was a bargain, but I quickly realized Eatwith dinners are about more than just the food. Besides meeting others, part of the fun of meal-sharing in a foreign city is the opportunity to explore a new neighborhood, often a residential area where tourists rarely visit. 

Catherine serves wine and appetizers

During another visit to Paris last May, a friend and I booked a dinner with Catherine, a retired fashion industry exec whose father was a chef. She hosted the two of us and another German guest in her Right Bank apartment just across the bridge from the Île Saint-Louis.

Jazz and candles set the mood for a five-course feast, and of course good wine and conversation. We chatted over appetizers of homemade sardine pate and cucumbers with pesto and olives, then moved to the table for white asparagus soup and a fish dish with tomatoes, peas and garlic. Next came five different cheeses and a homemade strawberry tart.

The meal - prepared with all organic, in-season ingredients - was the best I had the whole trip. And at $57 each, it was a good value. 

Paris seems like a natural for dining experiences such as these. I wasn't sure I could find a similar opportunities in Mexico City or Hanoi, Vietnam, but persistence paid off.

A  40-minute Uber ride from Mexico City's historical center brought us to the home of Roberto and Cristina who welcomed us into a cozy living room filled with art, antiques and shelves lined with vinyl records, CDs and books. Both are devoted amateur cooks known to throw paella dinners for 50, and they stage pop-up dinners in Chicago when visiting their daughter.

Dinner with Roberto and Cristina in Mexico City 

Roberto mixed margaritas as we chatted with Cristina and their friend Luz, visiting from Cuernavaca. Dinner ($48 per person) began with a soup made from green tomatillos, followed by Chiles en Nogada, a classic Mexican dish featuring the national colors of green, white and red: a poblano pepper filled with minced pork and a mix of fruit and spices, covered with a creamy walnut sauce.

In her spare time, Cristina makes fruitcakes — 100 every year, which she sells around the holidays. We toasted our new friendship by sharing the first slices of the season.

On a trip to Vietnam last winter, I spotted a listing for  “Hanoi Farm Tour and Cooking Class with Local Family.” The host, English-speaking Mandy, 38, proposed a visit to a rural community 12 miles out of the city center where her husband’s family has farmed for generations. Guests are invited to collaborate with her on a menu, visit the local market and wander through the fields of her farm and other neighboring farms. Then it's  back to her house to help prepare a meal and have lunch, all included in the $35 per person price. 

Several WhatsApp messages later to confirm details and the location for a Grab (like Uber) taxi from our hotel in Hanoi, we met Mandy outside the local temple on a rainy morning in the village of Song Phuong. She gave us each one of the conical hats Vietnamese wear to protect themselves from sun and rain. As we began our walk through the market, it became apparent why Song Phuong is called “Vegetable Village” for its acres of fertile farm land and large wholesale market that supplies vendors and restaurants in Hanoi daily with fresh produce and meats. 

Walking through the fields with Mandy in Hanoi

Sitting at her kitchen table with knives and cutting boards later that morning, we chopped bunches of herbs, shredded carrots, green mangos, cucumbers and jicama for a salad; sliced mushrooms for a dish of pork and shiitakes in steamed cabbage leaves; learned to wrap spring rolls in rice paper; and helped prepared a pork meatball soup with rice noodles, shallots, tomatoes and taro stems.

Cooking in Mandy's kitchen

We sat talking and eating until early afternoon. While we waited for our taxi back to Hanoi, she showed us her garden. She and her husband are a long way from retiring, but  when they do, they hope to farm, not for survival but for the pure joy of growing what they eat.

Eatwith's website includes  experiences other than dinners, such as cooking classes or food tours, so it helps to know what you want and what your strike price is while searching. I usually look for something in the $50-$60 per person range, which usually includes beer or wine. Check the reviews to see if they are current. Some hosts never resumed their dinners after the Covid pandemic although their listings remain on the website.

Lorena and Vlad in Bucharest

Our last Eatwith dinner of 2004 ($51 per person) was in Bucharest, Romania with Lorena Duicu and her husband, Vlad. She was a former Airbnb host. They are now both involved in real estate development, and love cook, ski and travel.

After Ubering to their house a few miles from the historical center, we got acquainted over glasses of their homemade plum brandy, then moved in their dining room for grilled eggplant salad, smoked fish, a delicious pork stew simmered in a clay pot, polenta and a homemade plum crumble pie

It was an evening filled with good conversation about American politics, the war in Ukraine and our mutual love of travel. 

Delta chief hopes Trump will jettison those pesky consumer protections

 

Customers of U.S-based airlines have far less protection against cancellations, delays, lost baggage and other problems than those whose flights originate in Europe, but even the baby steps taken by the Department of Transportation under the Biden Administration are considered "overreach" by the head of Delta Airlines.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he calls government “overreach” under President Joe Biden.

He made comments as he and fellow Delta executives prepared to host Wall Street analysts at a recent investor day in Atlanta. 

Let's take a look at his definition of "overreach" setting aside for a moment the fact that Delta is facing a federal investigation into its slow recovery from a global technology outage this summer.

Last April, the DOT enacted rules that make it simple and straightforward for passengers to get money they are owned when flights are cancelled or delayed more than three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international, provided passengers don't  want to rebook.

 Airlines and ticket agents must promptly issue refunds in cash or the original form of payment as opposed to vouchers for future credit which some airlines tried to foist on customers during Covid.

Secondly, DOT now requires airlines and ticket agents to tell consumers upfront what fees they charge for checked bags, a carry-on bag, for changing a reservation, or cancelling a reservation. 

Overreach? Let's compare this with the policies that have been effect in the European Union for years.

Most airlines would rather you not find out too easily about EC Regulation 261, commonly referred to as EU 261, granting passengers the right to seek compensation when they have experienced delays (two to four hours or more), cancelled, or overbooked flights.

The policy applies to all airlines flying out of or within the EU and many non-EU countries, even U.S. based airlines. 

I had the chance to test this out last year when our flight from Reykjavik to Rome was delayed seven hours.

Less than a month after I submitted a claim, I received an email from Iceland Air saying my claim had been approved. As per EU rules, the compensation totaled 600 euros ($648) each for my husband and me. We provided our bank account info as requested, and the cash was deposited the next day.

Bottom line: Changes under Trump that might seem as a "breath of fresh air" for airlines, would stifle what few protections U.S. carriers are required to provide to customers, who clearly are not Delta's No. 1 priority.

 In the meantime, we will have another chance to see how well Delta is working with its code share partner, Aeromexico.

Our experience was a disaster in April of 2023, beginning when we went to check in online for our flight from Seattle to Mexico City, and neither Delta (which sold us the ticket) nor Aeromexico would let us check in using their apps.

We arrived at the airport early to find a gate agent. Delta sent us to Aeromexico where an agent found glitch on our return connection from Veracruz into Mexico City. Someone had transposed the month and day of our return so that the return was booked for April 3 (4/3/2023) instead of May 4 (3/4/2023).

The error, supposedly fixed but not, complicated our return, requiring us to spend a few hours on the phone and then be rebooked on a connecting flight through Los Angele.

Instead of taking responsibility for an error that almost left us stranded in Veracruz, Mexico, Delta passed the buck, insisting that "Aeromexico will have to handle the claim." No offer to help. No offer to work it out on the customer's behalf. Aeromexico, of course, referred us back to Delta.

For 2025, I have booked a Seattle-Mexico City non-stop on Delta, operated by Aeromexico. The only seats available for booking on Delta's website were in the back. Numerous front-of-the-cabin seats, including those that would be normally available to Delta silver elite members, were X'd out. That's because Aeromexico sells those seats for an extra fee to its customers, putting them off limits to partner airlines.

A phone call to check on this with Aeromexico ended in frustration after I was asked a long list of "security questions" and was informed that I had "failed the test," and therefore no one there could help me with my reservation.

If I had a partner like this, I think I'd get a divorce.

Trabzon: Little Istanbul on the Black Sea Coast of Turkey

 

Trabzon’s Meydan or central square

For tourists from Iran and Iraq, it’s a road trip. For visitors from Saudi Arabia or Dubai, it’s a weekend get-away via a non-stop flight on a discount airline. For us, a visit to the Black Sea coastal city of Trabzon, is a chance to immerse ourselves in a part of Turkey well-known to Middle-Eastern travelers but off -the -radar for most European and Americans whose itineraries rarely take them this far east, almost to the border with Georgia.  

Walking through the bazaar quarter our first morning, passing shops selling fresh bread, handmade brooms, socks and cooper pots, we stop to buy a simit, one of the sesame-covered dough rings sold on every corner. A woman gives me the thumbs up, and asks where we are from. “America,” I tell her. “America!” she repeats, then touches my arm. “Welcome.”

Dress is conservative, but fashionable 

Morning bakery stop

For anyone who has heard the stories about locals in Barcelona, Venice or Amsterdam shunning tourists, it’s a great feeling to go to a corner of the world not used to seeing Western visitors. Little English is spoken, but everyone goes out of their way to communicate, often with hand signals, a calculator, a smile or a warm gesture. Trabzon is an ancient city, historically important due to its location along the Silk Road, the trading route between Europe and Asia. Cruise ships call at a port that serves as a gateway to Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The main tourist draw is the Sumela Monastery, built into a mountain cliff 4,000 feet above sea level by Greek monks in the 4th century. I'll get to that later, but for now, we're enjoying the walkable and mostly-pedestrianized city center with its tea gardens, parks and inexpensive restaurants and cafes.   

Hand-made brooms for sale in the bazaar

Local life centers around the Meyden, a large square lined with benches, lights and trees where people gather all day and night. The centerpiece is a statue of Mustafa Ataturk who founded Turkey as a democratic republic in 1923, and is credited with modernizing it as a secular nation after Ottoman rule. 

Surrounding the square are restaurants and cafes in historical buildings. The one below, built almost entirely out of stone, houses a Viennese coffee shop where you can order a latte, smoke a water pipe, or sip a tiny glass of locally-grown black tea. We found one pub on the square that serves alcohol, but most places don‘t. Trabzon was originally Christian and Greek Orthodox until it was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1461. Today's it is mostly Muslim. While Turkish women wear either colorful head scarves or choose not to cover at all, here it's common to see Saudi and Iranian visitors walking the streets in white sneakers hidden under full-length black chadors.

Trabzon was a major copper mining center during the Ottoman era, and the craft still flourishes. The bazaar quarter is lined with shops selling copper pans and kitchen ware, although from what we saw in shop windows, it seems like more modern materials such as Teflon and Aluminum are catching on with today’s cooks. 

Copper kitchenware for sale

Other specialties include hefty rounds of sourdough bread baked in stone ovens and rice pudding made with cows milk from the mountain villages in the high-plateau area of  Hamiskoy.

Vakfukebir for sale in the bazaar

The cows feed on wild flowers that impart a unique flavor to the milk which is then boiled for three hours. The pudding is sold everywhere in pottery crocks for about $3. We had our first of many helpings at a shop called Ugar Usta Hamiskoy Sutlaci Ayasofa, which served it either plain or with honey or ice cream. 

Our first of many servings of Hamiskoy sutlaci

The milk for Trabzon’s rice pudding comes from the highland mountain villages of Hamiskoy, a farming area above Trabzon

Trabzon residents are very proud of their city's reputation as a cultural capital of the Black Sea coast. It seems like every other shop is a pastry shop specializing in desserts made with pistachio nuts. This dessert resembles a pie-shaped piece of baklava filled with pistachio. 

Tom enjoying Kuymak

Kuymak is a Turkish breakfast dish that looks like a Swiss cheese fondue. It's made with cheese and corn meal, and eaten with bread and a wooden spoon. 

Aya Sofia

Trabzon doesn’t have many historic sites, but one is the Aya Sofia, built as a Greek Orthodox Church in 1238, and converted into a mosque following the conquest of Trabzon by the Ottomans in the 1400s. 

Sumela Monastery

Cruise ships call in Trabzon mainly so passengers can take a day trip into the mountains to tour the Sumela Monastery. We went in a small van excursion booked through Get Your Guide. I took us about 45 minutes to climb on the winding roads into the mountains where two Greek priests built a cave church in the 4th century to honor the Virgin Mary. The path into the monastery has been much improved with boardwalks and stone steps compared to a few years ago when visitors had to navigate root-strewn trails. Still, it was quite a climb. Our tour brochure said “not suitable or those over 95,” so we figured we qualified. 

This was the most important of many monasteries built during the Byzantine era and the best preserved, even after it was abandoned in 1923 when the Turkish Republic was created. It’s believed that 150 monks lived here over the years. Rooms were designated as the kitchen, dining area and library as well as various chapels, some containing 9th century frescos restored to erase scratches and traces of vandalism. 

Hidirnebi Yala

When Turks and visitors from hot climates want to escape the heat, they head for the yaylas,  mountain farming villages above the tree line. The closest yayla to Trabzon is Hidirnebi where Saudi, Iranians, Syrians and others have bought summer homes or vacation villas. Some live close enough to drive. Others fly. 

We visited here on another Get Your Guide day trip which also included a stop at Cal Cave, one of many accessible caves in the area. The scenery is beautiful, but often obscured by fog.  As our driver navigated steep hair pin turns, we could see almost nothing. We wondered what we would do here for the two hours time allotted. Then the fog cleared, and the afternoon unfolded. 

Cafe Çimen

Fall is a slower time there, and there were few people around. Summers are busier when families rent tents for the day, try zip-lining, ride horses and picnic in makeshift outdoor living rooms set up by the local restaurants. We shopped around for a place to have tea before settling on the Cafe Cimen where the owner positioned little tables on the hillside and pillows on the ground for picnics.

We ordered tea and rice pudding, then talked a while with Burcu, the cafe owner’s wife, an English teacher in the nearby high school. She said we were the first Americans she had ever seen in the village. She was as thrilled as we were to carry on a conversation in English. 

Burcu and her special gozleme.

She insisted we sample her special gozleme a Turkish flatbread stuffed with sweet peppers and white cheese.

Table with a view

"The world is so small," she said in a WhatsApp message after we exchanged pictures to share with her students. It's always impromptu encounters like this that produce the best travel memories.