Discovering the Exquisite Beauty of the Black Sea
TAC’s Department of Social Sciences visited the Eastern Black Sea with a group of 17 students on 16-19 May 2019. The students, accompanied by their teachers Mr. Hasan Turgut and Ms. Gülden Balaban, visited Trabzon and Rize provinces. During the trip, the students had fun, exposure to a variety of local experiences and the opportunity to see what they have learned in the lessons. At the same time, they had the opportunity to taste local delicacies and get to know the culture of the region. The trip began with a visit to the Atatürk Pavilion in Trabzon. Being in the room where Atatürk wrote his will was a source of emotional moments. The tour continued with the historical Hagia Sophia Museum. In the evening, having tea at Boztepe, overlooking Trabzon skyline took away the fatigue of the first day.
Then the group checked in at the hotel and had a short tour of the downtown area.
In the city of Rize with its lush forests and many shades of green, our students had the opportunity to observe the transformation of the tea plant into tea, a huge contributor to Black Sea economy. Visiting the tea factory, the TAC group was treated to a surprise: the traditional ‘horon’ dance. The day was loaded with adrenaline too, as the students prepared for rafting in Fırtına River, formed by the merging of the creeks on the slopes of the Kaçkar Mountains facing the Black Sea, adorned by arch bridges. Then the group headed to Ayder Plateau, examining a variety of flora, including a local forest rose which is used for producing mad honey. The next day, with the first light of the morning, students went to see the Zir Castle, which used to be the stopping point for caravans along the historic Silk Road route.
The final destination of the trip, where students reinforced their learning in geography and history classes while having fun, was Uzungöl, with its stunning landscape.