The tiny fishing village of Gümüşlük has retained its charm by limiting development. My Turkish friends told me to visit in the afternoon to eat very reasonably priced fish at one of the restaurants up against the harbor. I took my family there when they came to visit one day during their cruise ship stop in Bodrum.
There’s no shortage of good restaurants in Bozcaada. Most of them are located in the Greek Quarter with colorful outdoor tables. If your first choices are full, you’ll easily find another one in a great setting. You can also find a few restaurants with tables around the harbor.
Bozcaada is a magical island in the northern Aegean Sea known for its natural beauty and its wine. The island, still commonly known by its Greek name, Tenedos (Τένεδος), was off limits to foreign tourists until the 1990s.
Samsun for me was a lot of wasted time. For a large city with such a long history, the sites were mostly uninteresting and uninspiring. I felt my full day there was too much, and a half day would have served it well enough.
The seaside in Sinop is a pleasant place to pass the time away. During my visit to the city, I enjoyed the south side of the peninsula around the harbor.
Often overlooked, Kastamonu is a small bustling city split in half by a river. It’s got a long history and has several historical monuments. The same Ottoman architecture that made Safranbolu famous is found in Kastamonu, although in a much more urban setting and with much less restoration.
For food lovers, Safranbolu is a treat. There are several very good restaurants in the old town as well as a unique local cuisine.
Bucharest doesn’t get enough respect. I was told to skip it because it’s boring, ugly, depressing, pointless, and many other negative things. All of the reasons are wrong.