All my journeys to the Black Sea seem to really begin after passing Samsun and crossing into the province of Ordu. Suddenly Ünye appears in the bay where it is concealed, and then the sand beaches stretching as far as Fatsa make way for the winding road between Bolaman and Persembe. Here the luxuriant vegetation of the mountains leaps eagerly over the asphalt to meet the sea. Fishing villages nestling in tiny bays whose small harbours are filled with rocking boats appear and disappear as I drive along. To this ever-changing landscape is soon added huge hazelnut plantations. When I arrive at Ordu, built along a broad bay halfway along the Black Sea coast, I feel as if I am making the acquaintance of the Black Sea for the first time. This city welcomes visitors with all the warmth of an old friend. First beautiful stone houses set in gardens smile in greeting.

Then the Black Sea shows its modern face, with tea gardens, restaurants and apartment blocks lining the road.

Like Samsun, Trabzon and Giresun, Ordu was established in the mid-7th century BC by the Miletian colony of Sinop. In the 6th century BC Ordu (the ancient Kotyora) and other Black Sea colonies were conquered by the Persians and became the province of Pontus. Alexander the Great then conquered this region in 334 BC, but even before his death Anatolia was rebelling against his rule. In the 3rd century BC Pontus proclaimed its independence, and in 183 BC the Pontic ruler Pharnakes I captured Sinop and then Ordu. In 395 AD the region became part of the Byzantine Empire, and in the 12th century part of the Turkish Daniþmend emirate, when the city became known as Canik. In 1461 it passed into the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

A bust standing in a small park near the city hall attracts little attention from passers-by, but in fact Süleyman Felek, the first mayor of Ordu, was an important figure in the city's recent history since he replanned the city centre.

With the north wind blowing in my face, I turn from Fidangör into Sitki Can Street and from there wander towards the back streets. I pass the former govern'sdn house standing in melancholy reflection in the shade of a magnolia tree, a Greek Orthodox church that has been restored and now serves as a conference hall, and the Kosti Mansion now restored and renamed Sari Konak. On the other side of the road next to the blue painted houses for the church clerics, a flight of steps leads to the old quarters of Zaferi Milli and Tasbasi. Narrow alleyways between houses in gardens take you to the neighbourhood of Aziziye, where I drop in on Harut, the last traditional coppersmith in Ordu.

Late in the afternoon I visit the Ethnographic Museum on the Boztepe road. The museum is housed in a mansion noted for its beautiful stone carving that was built in 1896 by Pasaoglu Hüseyin Efendi. The stone for this mansion came from Ünye and the wood from Romania. Atatürk stayed here when he visited Ordu. Finally I climb Boztepe to watch the sunset. The makeshift coffee house that once stood alone on the hilltop has been replaced by concrete restaurants. This is a popular weekend destination to which many people come to picnic. Although building development has detracted from the beauty of the famous view over Ordu from Boztepe, as immortalised in a local folk song, it was still enchanting to watch the darkening blue of the Black Sea stretching from the green mountain foot to the horizon.

* Ersin Toker is a freelance writer.