Safranbolu

White walled, red tiled roofs line cobbled streets meandering to and fro. The buildings hug the wavy topography, with stairs leading to new vantage points. Locals engage is various trades - smithery, glass blowing, saffron and spice selling and Turkish delight creations. Numerous squares, ancient hamams and old Caravansaries dot the city in a harmonious manner. Remarkably, these are the sights one can do experience when visiting Safranbolu in the 21st century. Here is one of the few towns left truly living in the past, a town stood still in time. It is at a crucial enough location to be an important resting place in the old days, but also far enough from the main roads to avoid industrialization.

Safranbolu is one of, if not the, best preserved Ottoman towns with over a thousand historic buildings and monuments spread throughout the relatively small town. The most notable are the 17th century inn, an old resting stop during Silk Road days, and a beautiful hammam still welcoming weary locals. The town is named after the valuable spice saffron, used in things such as food, medicine and cosmetics. Saffron is still an important part of this city, with various versions appearing throughout the windows of townsfolk - the tastiest being saffron Turkish delight. A few days is well spent here - slowing down life, reflecting on the simple things and taking a step back to observe life that is mostly forgotten in the modern world.