Our final stop in Turkey was the historic town of Safranbolu, which derives its name from the saffron spice used to flavour the local Turkish delight and is on UNESCO's World Heritage List due to its large number of well-preserved Ottoman houses. We visited a few of these beautiful old mansions (mostly built in the 18th and 19th centuries and generally with 10+ rooms!), including one that had a large indoor pool which was used to cool the room in summer! We also visited Cinci Han - a caravanserai (roadside inn which historically provided food and lodging for long-distance travellers and their camels along the main trade routes) dating back to 1645.
We spent the rest of our time in this gorgeous town wandering the cobblestone lanes, checking out the tiny gift shops and markets, and sampling the local Turkish delight which seemed to be on offer from nearly every other shop! This was also where we finally tried a traditional hamam (Turkish bath) - an interesting experience that involved being roughly washed, scrubbed, and massaged while lying on a marble table!
We spent the rest of our time in this gorgeous town wandering the cobblestone lanes, checking out the tiny gift shops and markets, and sampling the local Turkish delight which seemed to be on offer from nearly every other shop! This was also where we finally tried a traditional hamam (Turkish bath) - an interesting experience that involved being roughly washed, scrubbed, and massaged while lying on a marble table!
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