Wandering CrankWandering Crank

Biking the World one crank at a time

Journey

Journey to Istanbul

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

The sun was rising over the horizon, it was warm and I leave with a happy feeling about the journey towards Istanbul and my fifteenth country of my trip, Turkey.  I have heard many good things about Turkey and above all the hospitality of the people.  However, the big difference is my mindset I think.  I am starting to enjoy cycle touring again after a bit of a negative period.

My journey across Bulgaria was a bit flat and straight to the point but my seat was hurting me too much and I decided to get to Istanbul quickly so I could find a replacement.  So much for Brooks saddles.  I did stop off in a campsite ran by a lovely Dutch couple which had a lovely view over the valley as the sun came up.  Plus it had the added bonus of being just round the corner from a Thracian tomb and museum.  Bulgaria has several of these tombs across their country.

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Plovdiv, Unification and the Bulgarian Bob Marley

by Nathan Molyneaux on category

My first impressions of Plovdiv confirmed my decision to go, there is a lot more to this city than you first see.  But I must do some maintenance first, I need working breaks again!  Work before you play.  It was nice to reconnect with Graham and his wealth of knowledge of travel; we grab lunch together in a Turkish restaurant.  I discuss my winter issue which is fast approaching.  Central Asia will be too cold to cross, unless I can find another cyclist who fancies a mad challenge!  Iran is an outside possibility.  We discuss Iraq as an option.

To be honest I had never really thought about Iraq, but the country has been stable for a while and people had visited.  Well a bit.  After Iraq I would have to head to Kuwait and try and catch a boat from there to India or continue to Dubai via Saudi Arabia and then a boat.  More work was needed before I embark on this adventure.  However, Graham had a contact I potentially could talk to and find out a bit more what it is like on the ground.

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EV6 and the search for cycling companions

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Friday and the call to prayer rings out across town, there will be a sermon and all men are meant to attend.  There’s also the hustle and bustle of market day in Çeltik (Turkey), farmers bringing produce, other clothes and shoes.  You can even find a new vacuum.  I push my bike through the stalls and find somewhere to sit.  I order a doner from a corner stall and start to write my next blog.  Once again I have fallen further behind because I am about to tell the story of my leaving Belgrade for the second time!

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The house in the river

Belgrade, Loneliness and Hiking

by Nathan Molyneaux on category

Whilst riding into Belgrade towards my hostel, I noticed a lot of anti-EU and NATO messaging.  The latter I could understand after the NATO bombings but Serbia requested to join the EU.  Also their location gives rise to joining EU for trade.  It was later during my trip in Serbia that I discovered this is a generational divide with the younger generations in favour of EU membership.

After checking into the Hostel and the obligatory scrub, I joined the other residents for a Turkish coffee.  Something I have never had before but enjoyed.  Although I feel the joy in the coffee is more the process of making it and pouring it for others.  Much like brewing and serving tea.  I met several people and a few stood out, Richard and Sally who are retired and travel the World by setting up in one place for a bit and exploring from there and Graham in a similar position, who has spent a great deal of time in Africa.  We talk visas, troubled spots of the World and the best places to travel.  They have a wealth of knowledge and I hope to gather some of this on my travels!  But we all agree that people are kind to travellers worldwide and slow travel is best.

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The road to Belgrade

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

The route was a straight line to Belgrade along a main road from Zagreb.  I ended up leaving late after clipping one pannier on a post and completely breaking the clip.  It wasn’t even a hard hit.  After talking with Ortlieb they also said it shouldn’t have broken in the way it did.  But I took a couple of hours looking for a bike shop which could sell the component.  Unfortunately there was none available and I will need to order it in (always problematic when travelling).

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