If a person knew where to draw deep lines in his life; He would engrave his first visit there, the first time he met those cities, as an indelible image in his memory.
It was an autumn night when the stars were lined up in the sky like letters in poems.
After Bartın, it was as if we had ridden on the back of a snake and descended from the mountains.
The darkness did not show the face of the sea. Then I suddenly thought I saw a ship with all its lights on.
The town looked like a long ship waiting in the harbor. When the sound of waves woke me up the next morning, I thought I was a passenger on that ship.
I know that the princess Amastris, who gave her name to Amasra and followed the routes of maritime trade; Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who landed the ships to the Golden Horn with sledges and took Istanbul; Hüseyin Çoban, who recreated the Golden Hind, the ship of the once famous sailor Drake, in his production house in Çakraz; Nezahat teacher, who hides Amasra like a baby dolphin in her wavy hair; Necdet Sakaoğlu, who pulled the town's past from the deep waters of history like a mussel collector, also saw that ship.
They saw that Amasra became a passion for them too...
Amasra has become very famous since the day I first saw her. Travel magazines, tourism supplements of newspapers, movie stills and TV series became a must. Enthusiasts of easy discoveries filled the town like a hill, just as the inner part of the castle was filled with houses and damaged its soul many years ago...
I, on the other hand, watched Amasra when the crowds had receded or from places far away from them.
In the summer, especially on weekends, the town has thousands of guests. Beaches, fish restaurants, and Çekiciler Bazaar are packed.
I loved the rains in Amasra, the dolphin flocks passing by the Rabbit Island, the lilies loaded with the spring raindrops in Boztepe...
Those lilies that the people of Amasra call sesame. Although Sakaoğlu says that this word is derived from “Sesami, Sesam or Sesa”; The people believe that the ancient name of the town, Sesamos, got its name from these wild flowers.
Starting today, the fog will descend on the houses and trees like a cotton quilt in the early hours of the morning. Lizards resting in Kuşkayası will be drawn, blackberries and mushrooms will be collected. Summer restaurants will gradually close their shutters. The little optimists of the Sailing Club will make their way to their school. Because the season of strong winds and rain reminiscent of Amastris' tears will begin. No one should be angry with them, would the Black Sea be so green if they were not?
After the autumn waves rising over the breakwater, the sound of the wings of the tired wild swans, battered by the storm, will be added to the sound of the Black Sea. They will land in Little Harbor with the snow and stay there for a long time. History buff university students passing through the Genoese Gate will draw the Genoa crests on their notebooks. Fishing boats will come back with flocks of seagulls, picking up their nets.
Then spring will come back to Amasra. The cold will break. The flowers that Zülfiye Hanım, who lives in Kaleiçi, planted in shoes, teapots and whatever she finds, will grow. The boats will be painted and overhauled.
Lovers will reach the tip of Kefaser Hill by walking from the edge of a cliff and hold hands and watch the Little Port, which stands like a green bowl, and its necklace, Kemere Bridge.
I think he should see Amasra in all four seasons. Short summer days when the sea approaches the beach like a docile child should not be enough for you. In the spring, when the Bartın-Amasra road turns into a holiday place with trees dressed in wedding dresses and is adorned with honeybees, hyacinths and lilies; in autumn, when the sun sets in the palm of Little Harbor, when she wears her blond like a wet crown on her head; And of course, go in the winter, when you will witness his wild, stubborn, rebellious face. But no matter what season you are there, you should visit Amasra street by street and love it street by street. Before returning, you should once again eat fish with salad in one of the restaurants on the shore at sunset.
Just be careful with your fingers! The flavor of the fish can get on your fingers!
Article: Erhan Çataltaş
SKYLIFE OCTOBER-2003
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