The surf just outside our door (Inebolu to Amasra)
The surf just outside our door lulled us all night and the morning was clear, although thunderstorms were forecast. The storms never found us as we continued the scenic coast road, which delivered on its promises today. The views were equal to any we’ve seen along California’s Pacific Coast Highway, the Albanian Riviera, the Amalfi Coast, and other memorable rides. The driving was strenuous; both Jim and Dora worked extra hard.
After breakfast we went back to Inebolu to look for more Ottoman houses and to investigate some textiles I had seen the night before. I took some photos and bought three tablecloths, and we were on our way at 8:55.
Summer is often the time for road work and so far we’ve found most Turkish roads well-maintained, so our first encounter of the day was with a layer of fresh oil applied over the road surface. Dora slithered along, oil and gravel flying from her tires. By the end of the several kilometer stretch, poor Dora was covered in sticky black oil. After our tea break at Cide, we found a car wash and two excellent men to help us clean off the oil—we used two cans of solvent, a half-bushel of rags, and two rounds of soap and water!
We had lunch on a little cove at Gideros, where Leila and her husband run a waterside pansiyon/restaurant. While they peeled potatoes for frying; rolled tiny fresh-caught fish in cornmeal, to be sautéed in a sunburst pattern; and prepared a vari-colored salad of greens, carrot, purple cabbage, hot peppers, and two kinds of tomato; we waded at the shore, watching a pair of gulls glide and dive, and a family of ducks out for a swim.
At Kurucasile we stretched our legs and visited some boat builders, then drove the last few twisting kilometers to Amasra. Dinner was more fresh fish (grilled this time) on a terrace overlooking the smaller of Amasra’s two harbors. The sunset was especially colorful– pink clouds tinged with gold, fading to twilight as the call to prayer swelled and rolled through the cooling night air.
