In the Valley Where People Whistle
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At the centre of this route is not a view but a sound. In Kuşköy people converse across the valley by whistling, a form of communication on the UNESCO list of heritage in urgent need of safeguarding. The route climbs to that valley, then descends to the coast and continues the region's relationship with music in the home of the kemençe. Four stops, a full day.
Route Stops
Power.
The first stop on the way inland. A district surrounded by forest where ordinary life continues, at the junction of roads to the highlands and the valleys.
Kuşköy. (This is a place name and should be transliterated.)
The village where people converse across the valley by whistling. Before telephones it was how news travelled for kilometres; a festival is held each August.
Görele. (This is likely a place name and should be transliterated.)
Down on the coast, the home of the kemençe. Some of the best known performers of Black Sea music come from here, and tea houses line the shore.
Tirebolu and Saint Jean Castle.
Close the route at the castle on the headland, with sea on three sides; a day that began with sound ends with a view.
