Safranbolu

Tuesday, October 5th, we headed out of Istanbul, driving boldly through the old town, then the new town (TomTom didn't want us to miss anything), then high across the Bosphorus Bridge and into Asiatic Istanbul, the suburbs of which went on for miles. Our route took us along the Sea of Marmara a good ways--much industry of every size, to the port/refinery city of Izmit, then past a big steel mill town (Bolu), and finally to a rest area just past Gerede, where we spent the night. There was much traffic coming and going--the rest stop had 2 or 3 restaurants, gas stations, souvenir shops, even a small "outlet" mall. (On the outskirts of Asiatic Istanbul we had stopped for provisioning at the huge ViaPort Outlet Mall, which indeed was quite similar to the outlet malls one sees in the US). Anyhow, the next morning we headed north to Safranbolu, a small city now well known for its renovated 18th and 19th century Ottoman houses. Many have been converted to museums, pensions, restaurants, etc. In any case, because of its preservation/renovation, Safranbolu is one of Turkey's many World Heritage Sites.

Sanfranbolu also has a 17th century caravansary, a caravan 
stop along the Silk Road, the Cinci Han

The traders stayed in the upstairs rooms, the animals downstairs; of course, now it's 
all a hotel and restaurant, the hotel rooms apparently restored to original style; 
Vicki by the fountain

The Ottoman house we visited, restored to 1870s or so, was the Kaymakamlar 
Muze Evi; now a museum

Vicki by one of the revolving cupboards, whereby the women 
could serve the men without compromising their (the women's)

"modesty"

The men partying on

The women not compromising their modesty

Meanwhile, this guy is demonstrating the indoor  plumbing, 
hot bath, etc., available in all the living quarters

On another floor--these houses were multi-generational-- the younger family 
gathers

The young mother and child

She gets the Dallas-style walk-in closet

After the Kaymakamlar, we just walked around what turned out to be a very lively 
and only slightly touristy place; this guy is making his own marbled paper ("only 
slightly touristy" = in addition to all the hotels, pensions,restaurants, cafes, souvenir 
and trinket and rug shops, there are also many ordinary cafes, barber shops, 
bakeries, pharmacies, groceries, and other stores that residents use) 

Buying some really fresh bread

Ditto

Scrabble?

Local baths, about the same vintage as the caravansary