Asia Minor – Pontus, 7-day spring air trip

Day 1: Saturday 25 May 2024
Athens – Istanbul – Samfraboli

Meeting at the Venizelos airport in Athens at 07.00.

Passport check, baggage delivery and flight to Istanbul
(Sabiha Gokcen/SAW Airport) by PEGASUS Airlines (PC-1192) at 10.15 and
Arrival at 11.50 (local time). Passport check, baggage pickup and
boarding on the bus.

We move up from the coast of Providence to the northern part of the
In the middle of the road, a short intersection.
Stop on the road, we arrive at the picturesque Safrabol, in the center of the city.
and Paflagonia.

The name of the city is derived from the saffron, a plant that
It has been used for centuries now to give a vivid color and distinctive fragrance to the world.
Its oldest name was Theodorupolis and until
1922ined a thriving community of Turkish-speaking Greeks.
It retains a very special and graphic identity with its traditional
Three-story semi-solar mansion houses. Of more than 2000 such houses, the

1008 are already designated as cultural monuments and are protected by
Strict protection and maintenance.
Get to know the city, making a tour of its narrow graphic straits.
Accommodation at the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2: Sunday 26 May 2024
Safranopolis – Castamoni – Amaseia (364 km)

Early breakfast and departure from the hotel.
The mountain slopes of the Paphagonia will lead us to Castamonia and the
Merzifonta, named states of small Asian Greekism.
He was a feudal of the family of the first Comnenians, while in Merzifunda,
By the time the exchange of peoples took place, the American
Anatolia College, which in 1924 was moved to Thessaloniki.
We arrive at Amazia, built in a narrow canyon of the Irid River.
home of the ancient geographer and historian Stravon and also of the Holy
Theodore Theronus, the Greek element of the region (Metropolis of Amasias, with
The village had a population of 155,000 in 392 parishes.
There were 325 churches and schools with 10,000 students.
There are 565 teachers.

We will visit the centre of the city and the old Greek neighborhoods with houses –
In the vertical rocks above the city and under it.
Ottoman castle, distinguished sculpted Greek tombs.
Many mansions have beenined and operate as hotels or catering shops.

Free time for leisure and shopping
Note: Do not forget to photograph the statue of Ferhat and her
Serin (in local history, it reminds Romeo and Juliet).
Arrival at the hotel and accommodation in the rooms. Dinner and overnight stay.

Third Day: Monday 27 May 2024
Amaseia – Samsunda – Vinoy – Ortu (Kotiora) (274km)

Early breakfast and departure from the hotel.
We visited the neighborhood of the Holy Trinity, where there were four Greeks.
Schools, Gymnasium, Kindergarten and Mixed Kindergarten
There are only two of them left today, we’ll see.
The house and the clock square.
Visit to the beach of the city, in the Amazon Village, a small theme
Park, inspired by the history of the ancient Amazon and its replica
Bandirma, which serves as a museum for the activities of Kemal Ataturk.
Free time in the city.
Stop at Vinoe, to see the Church of the Sleeping and the little ones
It is a beautiful building, very beautifully renovated, through Terme.
Thermides) and Tarsaba (arch Themisphere) we arrive at Ordo.
The coat.

Through the old national road and within a national forest, we get to the
JASIONO ACRO, which is associated with the Argentine Campaign
At the end of the village, we will visit the Holy Temple.
Nicholas, from 1868, with the vast view of the Black Sea.
In Cotiora, (Ordu), we will see the Temple of Hapatte, (today Cultural
St. George's Temple (now School of Theatre)
School and the Polykarpium Parenthood. In the centre of the city remarkable
It is the Passaoglu mansion, now an ethnographic museum.
in the city market.
Note: For those who wish, there is a cable from the shore to the
Top of Boztepe, where there are refreshments with magnificent views of the city.
Arrival at the hotel and accommodation in the rooms. Dinner and overnight stay.

4
The Day: Tuesday 28 May 2024
Ordu – Kerasunda – Tripoli – Platana – Banquinta (221 km)

Early breakfast and departure from the hotel.
Holy Church of St. Nicholas (now Municipal Museum) and the Greek
district of the city (Zheitinlik). the Kerasund County, known as "the homeland of
“Cherry” and “Primary of the Left”, is also famous for its beautiful
the plains, the well-known parks. The city itself of Kerasunda, the capital of the
It is a part of the three-thousand-year history of the Greeks in Pontus.
Free time in the city.

Our next stop is Tripoli with its small castle and church.
Our Lady inside him and the Cassiope of Pontus (Kesap).
a bus in the mountainous region of Tonia, a region where even today the
Local Muslim inhabitants speak the Pontian dialect.
Today the villages of Tonia are: Mesohori, Mesoplaji, Katohori, Agios Thomas,
St. Stephen in the middle.
Short stop at Platana/Akcaabat (Arch.
We went to visit the Temple of the Brigadier while on the other side.
We will see the two buildings of the Parthenago and Arrenago, today.
Municipal Schools .

We arrive at Banksunda, the capital of the Commnese Empire for
The Commnese Empire was founded in 1204.
After the Third Crusade and the Fall of Constantinople
It managed to be preserved until 1461, eight years after the Fall.
of Constantinople from the Ottomans.Since then it has remained the capital
point to this day.
On our arrival in the city, a short bus tour for a first
Visit to Benthen Tsarsi, (large covered market) of the 11th
century, one of the most impressive examples of housing architecture
and market.
In addition to the shops where local souvenirs are sold, you can also
Find the opportunity to try the specialties of the Banking Kitchen in
The traditional restaurants.

Arrival at the hotel and accommodation in the rooms.
Optional evening entertainment with folklore program
and traditional songs.

5th day: Wednesday 29 May 2024
Banking (city tour) – Uzongiol – Surmena – Banking
It is 184 km.

Breakfast and our day is dedicated to the Bank.
Our tour of the city from high on the hill of Souk Su, with the
The unlimited view.
Visit to the Ataturk Archdiocese, the ancient mansion of Constantine
The building, representative of its economic prosperity
The influence of the European and Western Renaissance
Architecture and use of European symbols.
St. Anna, the oldest temple of the city, and Notre-Dame of the Theosepast, are saved.
high, at the foot of the Mithrio mountains with unlimited views of the city.

Going down to the city center to visit the Mosque of Sainte-Sophie
It was built on the name of Manuel I Comneno (1238–1263).
dating back to 1427 and located to the west of the church.
The chapel with the three arches to the north of the temple belong to an older chapel.
The period.
A typical example of hysterobysantine churches, the building has
square cross-coaster and high central hole. The building has

There are three types of paintings, which are an important part of the
Decorations of the Holy Wisdom, are represented topics from the Bible.
The image in the tomb is the Almighty who reflects his divine face.
Jesus. The twelve apostles are depicted on the windows. There are various
The scenes are depicted as the birth of Jesus, the
His Baptism, His Crucifixion and His Revelation.
In addition to our tour, we will see the modern port city with monuments
(Religious and secular) from its rich past.
stand out, the Temple of St. Eugene, patron of the city, today, Yeni Cuma
The Temple of the Golden Head Entrance, (Ortahisar Mosque), once
Metropolitan temple and coronation site of the Commnese Emperors.
In the center of the city is the Museum of Banksundas, the ancient Residence
Theophilacto's Kostika, (1898-1913), built by Italian architects.
The basement of the mansion is arranged as the archaeological department.
The first floor as the building and the second floor as the building.
of ethnographic objects.
We continue to the valley of the Riverside, in Caicca (Caykara).
Density slide stop for photos on the wooden bridge on the river Hampshire.

Arrival at the lake of Ushungil for recreation. We descend to the shore
Surmeme, the local headquarters of a large group of villages where much of the
He understands the dialect of the mouse (and in some is even
of daily use.
Return to the hotel in the evening, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6: Thursday 30 May 2024
Bucharest - Bucharest - Bucharest - Bucharest - Bucharest - Bucharest - Bucharest - Bucharest - Bucharest - Bucharest

Breakfast very early at the hotel. From the northern outskirts of the mountains, south
Three rivers begin to flow, the Recta, the river
Our Lady of Sumela and the river of Mulaka, which unite at its height
the city of Matsuka and form the legendary Piksit or Daphnopotamo, where
The Millimeter Bridge.
Bridges to Bridges to Bridges to Bridges
“Let me go, Daphnomyrigme”
Through the forested slopes of Matsuka, we reach the Notre Dame
Sumela. The monastery was built on a steep rock on the edge of Karadağ
overlooking the valley of Altındere, at an altitude of about 300 meters from the
Valley of the River.

According to rumors, the monastery, which was founded by two monks,
Barnabas and Sofronius, who came from Athens under a Byzantine emperor
Theodosius I (375-395), was repaired by Belisarius, one of the
Generals of Justinian, in the 6th century. Many parts of the monastery
It was renovated in the 18th century and some of the walls were decorated with
with the addition of large buildings in the 19th century, the monastery
He had a wonderful appearance and lived through the richest and brightest period.
by TON.
The main sections of the monastery are: the central temple, many chapels, kitchen,
cells, hostel, library and sanctuary. Watch out for the large aquarium, where

He appears to bring water to the entrance of the monastery while standing on the slope.
Time for touring and photographing in the monastery.

Continuing through the flowing slopes of the Pontiac Mountains, the area
From Mattsuka and the passage of Zygana we arrive at Argyropolis.
Greek and Armenian communities were in existence for more than 100 years.
administrative center of many villages that exploited the silver mines,
This was also the seat of the Chaldean Metropolitan.
Short stop in the city, for a visit to the local museum, a mansion
1920, which exhibits folkloric and ethnographic data, from the broadest
The area .
Return to the hotel in the evening, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7: Friday 31 May 2024
Flight to Constantinople – Flight to Athens
Breakfast, free time and we leave at 10 p.m.
luggage from the hotel.
Flight to Constantinople
Transfer to the airport and return flight with PEGASUS
Airlines at 12.50 (PC-2817) and arrival in Istanbul at 14.45.
Flight to Athens
Then at 17.55 flight (PC-1193) from Istanbul (Sabiha Airport)
Gokcen/SAW) to Athens with arrival at Elftherios Venizelos at 19.25.