I am a bit of a loner and don’t like crowds. So I went to Safranbolu with some trepidation. After all, this is the ultimate “must see” in the more Eastern provinces. I have been requested to go and see several times on this site, and as a matter of fact had spent a day here years ago (In 2018 I added the pictures from that visit in its sub-gallery). At that time things were not too bad, but with increased tourism I expected crowds in every street.

I should not have worried. At the time of my arrival there were hardly any visitors and during the five hours I roamed the streets of this town I ran into a group of tourists only once. Luckily they were carted in some contraption that prevented them from running into the kind of sweat that was dripping from my head and torso, and they were gone within a minute. I suppose they were on the “See Safranbolu in half an hour” trip and had other sites to explore soon, because I never saw them again. Still, the town is heavily geared to tourism with rustic shops selling rubbish and I was glad to stay in nearby Karabük, a real town. However, I can imagine that staying in one of the well restored houses turned into a hotel and then hitting the street in the evening, when the crowds have gone, can be a treat. Light will be better too: the light was very harsh that day. We were in the middle of a heat wave (the day after a record of 78 years standing was broken in Istanbul) and it shows. I may decide to return when atmospheric conditions are more photogenic.

I show the fruits of my roaming here. In some cases I have edited out some signs that I found offensive. Why spend oozles of money on restoring a mosque to its former glory and then allow a child-size WC-sign to be put against its wall, couldn’t that have been downsized somewhat. Whenever I saw my chance the dishes for tv-reception have been clone-stamped with nearby shrubbery or such. I wish I could have done the same with the many cars that ruin many a fine view. I suggest the town council creates some underground garages on several spots and installs a “kablo” television system. On some pictures you may see spots in the air: not dust on my sensor, but some of the many swallows hovering overhead.