We are in Ordu, home to the beautiful beaches & nature of the Black Sea!
At the end of a 7-hour journey from Ankara, Ordu fascinates us with its lush green nature. At every bend of its winding coast, we encounter a different landscape.
The reason for this trip was to see @fatamorganayason exhibition by artist Alper Aydin. But of course, we did not forget to enjoy the sea while we were here, to wander around the plateaus, and to discover the flavor stops in and around the center.
In this list, you can find the good taste stops we love and the places we identify with Ordu:
Restaurants:
Blacksea Style Pide:
Coffee & Breakfast & Bakery:
Places to try on future trips:
When to go to Ordu?
Ordu is one of the most beautiful cities in the Black Sea region; Since the typical Black Sea climate prevails and it rains almost every season, the ideal time to visit is in the summer and spring months.
Places to visit in Ordu:
-Yason Cape and Church
-Hoynat Island
-Paşaoğlu Mansion Museum
-Tashbashi Church
-Yali Mosque
•Boztepe
A long and winding journey inland leads to plateaus and waterfalls.
•Perşembe Yaylası, Aybastı
-Cambasi Plateau
-Ulugöl Nature Park
-Ohtamis Waterfall
•Aşıklı
If you want in the center of Ordu, you can walk along the coast, take the tram, watch the mountains from the sea with the ferry departing towards sunset.
Those who say “No, I want a little adrenaline” can go up to Boztepe by cable car and descend by paragliding.
We loved Efirli beach for swimming. Caka is a very popular beach but we didn’t prefer it because it was very wavy.
Accommodation:
We also wanted to have a plateau experience during our short visit to the Ordu. On the way back we traveled through the Perşembe Plateau. A scenic journey with plenty of curves awaits you as you reach Aybastı in about 1.5 hours. Frankly speaking, since it is a tiring drive, on my next trip I would prefer to stop by on the way there rather than on the way back and start my trip with these unique nature views.
What attracted our attention the most in the plateau was how wide the settlements spread until we got there. It was as if the houses were scattered in the green mountains. It was sad that they were not personalized in terms of architecture. But its nature is nothing to be impressed by.
When we researched where to eat on the plateau, the most recommended business was Koçkaya Izgara 1976, one of the oldest in the region. We went and chose what we wanted to eat; In portions or pounds. They said it would take 40 minutes to get ready, so we traveled to the plateau in the meantime. We quickly satisfied our hunger at the pancake shop in the market area. The lady who made the pancakes told us that she lives in Aybastı and that they are at work in the plateau until the tenth month.
The meats, yogurt, salad and potatoes we ate at the Koçkaya grill were very tasty. Chicken and sausage were most popular. The portions are small but we paid about 850₺ for all 3 of us. When your meat comes off the grill, you eat it at picnic tables under the trees in their garden.
One of the plateaus we are curious about is Çambaşı plateau, which is also popular with ski tourism. Next time 💚
There are Meşhur Pide for pide, Vonalı Celal for meatballs and pickles, Derin Balık for steamed sea bass and fish soup, Çamburnu Restaurant for raki-meze against the view, Hane Cafe and WesCoffeeShop in Taşbaşı Neighborhood, L’espoir, a brand new cafe opened just 2 months ago, Kahraman Tost for Ordu toast and Akın Fırını as a neighborhood bakery. One of the locals’ favorite ice cream shops is at the very end as a bonus!
An artist story and exhibition full of inspiration!
We visit Fata Morgana, the first solo exhibition of Alper Aydın, who focuses on the protection of nature through his art.
Fata Morgana is named after a rare weather and sea phenomenon.
Spread over 4 different venues and 100 hectares, it is no coincidence that this open-air exhibition Fata Morgana appears in the impressive nature of Cape Yason. Born and raised in Cape Yason, artist Alper Aydın allows us to observe the changes in nature in his works focusing on the protection of the environment.
Alper Aydın’s practice includes sculpture, installation and illustration, and his first venue in this segment is Taşbaşı Art Space in the center of Ordu. In this space we can see sketches / first drawings of the works he has been working on for a long time and some of his works.
In the works found in Yason, the ideas of transience, existence and extinction are more prominent. Since we visited the exhibition at the end of the exhibition, we observe that the artworks are transformed by nature and sometimes disappear. So much so that when we arrived, one of the most impressive works of the exhibition, “The Source of Life”, had already returned to the sea as it came from the sea. In this work, Alper Aydın had collected and upcycled plastic garbage accumulated by the waves in an ancient quarry filled with sea water on the coast of Cape Sülü in Ordu. The pink fountain in Dutch painter Bosch’s depiction of paradise in the Garden of Earthly Delights, which was brought to three dimensions with upcycled plastics, was washed into the sea by giant waves.
One of the works we were most impressed by is the one in which the artist calculated the weight of the rocks along the coast and wrote on it: ‘The True Weight of Stones’
To realize this work, the artist chose the last natural place where the Black Sea coastal highway did not destroy the coast. By recording these rocks, it is aimed to strengthen the dialogue between nature and human beings. The artist also sees this move as a reference to human behavior that classifies those around it with certain criteria.
