Day 4 – 30 Days of Travel: Misty Mountains at Sumela Monastery, Turkey.
Sumela Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery located in a fold of Melá Mountain near Trabzon, Turkey. Built into a cliff overlooking the sweeping Altindere Valley. Founded in AD 386, it became famous for an icon of the Virgin Mary called the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, which is thought to have been painted by the Apostle Luke. In 1923, when the Greeks were forced to leave the region, they buried the famous icon under St. Barbara’s chapel. Then in 1930, a monk secretly returned and retrieved the icon, bringing it to Greece. Today Sumela is a historic site.
Travel Tip: The Monastery is closed until sometime in 2018 due to rockfall safety concerns. The views though of the hike up to Sumela Monastery are stunning and still worth the journey. Visit early or late to avoid the crowds. The easiest way to reach the hike to the monastery is with a car. If you don’t have a car, catch the dolmuses to Macka which leave from the minibus line on Comlekci Caddessi, At Macka, occasional dolmuses drive the remaining 16km to the riverside carpark. For the return trip, you may be able to catch a taxi. When the monastery again reopens, the Ali Osman Ulusoy and Metro bus companies will run buses to and from the monastery car park. Currently though, the easiest and most reliable way to reach Sumela Monastery is by hiring a car.
[Throughout the month of January we will be sharing 30 Days of Travel on our blog, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Instagram. Join us there and let’s inspire each other to fill 2018 with travel plans, inspiration, dreams, visiting travel wish list destinations, and exploring this big, beautiful planet we all share. For 30 days of January (plus one bonus day) we will be sharing an inspiring travel nuggets every day – his may be a photo, video, article, or travel tip. Join us every day here in January for a new inspiring travel nugget and share with us what inspires your travel for 2018.]
Photo: Genevieve Hathaway Productions.