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.
Turkey
I eventually arrive at the Turkish border. To date all borders I have crossed have been relatively easy with me showing my passport and getting a stamp and a quick chat. The Turkish border was different. There were 4 levels and I am not sure what all were for because I got waved through a couple. But they did take my passport but did not stamp, I have a nasty feeling I am going to get a fine on the way out. Not a lot I can do now. The final stage was a check to make sure I had no hard alcohol, the customs official decided not to take my bags apart. I guess it is too difficult versus opening the boot of a car!
My first impression was the traffic; it was a bit terrifying a first. The rush of lorries, cars, buses etc and close to you puts you on edge. However after a while you start to get use to it and on the D100 which you start on has a large hard shoulder. Covered in dirt and rubbish though. My first stop is Edirne for a bite to eat and to sort out a SIM card. However, I first notice the amazing Mosque in the centre of the town. What a statement! I don’t venture inside but grab a bite to eat in a restaurant next to the mosque. The price is very reasonable as well, this will help the finances.
I sort out a SIM card with Turkcell and later discover that I seemed to get a better rate than many others! I also spy a possible place to wild camp but it is 50km away and that might be a bit far. It was; however, I had been told you can just ask at service stations to camp round the back. So when I spotted one I ask and was allowed. The bonus was being given a çay (Turkish tea) in the morning whilst I eat my breakfast.
A hub for cycle tourists
I have a short ride to Lüleburgaz cycle academy. I had been told by other cycle tourists that this place allows people to stay for free and has facilities to fix bikes as well. It is ran by the municipality as a resource for locals who want to learn to ride bikes for free and as a side they have an area for cycle tourists who visit the area. The best way to describe it is a hostel but without bedding. They have showers, kitchen, laundry facilities and even WiFi.
When I arrive I meet the manager, Inanc, who is naturally a fantastic host and makes sure you are well looked after and have everything you need. He even arranges for use to get some food from the cooking academy round the corner. I also meet TJ form Belgium and Anatole from France. TJ has a similar plan to me but is also coming up against the winter problem and will head home for winter when he gets to Georgia or Azerbaijan (if it opens its border). Anatole is going to head to Istanbul and then back to Chamonix (not sure of the route yet).
We cook together that evening and we discuss our issues on the road, mainly dogs, and what we’ve enjoyed. I discuss my issues having cycled for the previous four months by myself with exception of two days and whether this is right for me. TJ suggests I might just need a vacation from the ‘vacation.’ However, just talking to both TJ and Anatole makes me want to continue.
Anatole and I say goodbye to TJ who is taking a scenic route to Cappadocia. Anatole and I head into town and both decide on the same coffee and cake shop! But we also notice that some shops advertise in English or French, even though this is not a tourist area. We agree to ride to Istanbul together and talking Inanc advice of using two ferries to get to Istanbul as opposed to continuing on the D100. On returning to the academy we are greeted by two new tourers, Laurens from the Netherlands heading to Qatar for the football world cup and Max from the UK heading to Singapore.
Anatole and I have another day at the academy and use the time to journal, blog, maintain bike and prepare for the next couple of days travel. Anatole uses a lot of the time to sleep, something I feel he is excellent at!
Two days for ferries and tiredness
We leave the next day looking forward to our journey into Istanbul and head to Tekirdag. The ferry actually goes from further South but we try and see if we can get the ferry directly to Bandirma. On the way we stop on the edge of a city for some coffee or tea. The owner gives us tea for free and we have a chat about our plans and journeys. It’s a buffet style restaurant which many Turks seem to go to. We agree to hunt one out in Istanbul.
The ticket seller for the ferry was having nothing of us trying to get on to the Bandirma ferry so we opt for the one to Erdek. Going from Tekirdag saves us about 30km of cycling. It was a lovely journey with an amazing sunset but quite long at four hours and we get in at 9pm. I tried to source an AirBnB but it was very late and I couldn’t get a response in time and we headed off to a campsite. The campsite had no running water and it looked as if they couldn’t be bothered to clean either!
We set off towards Bandirma and discover several other campsites which look a lot better. First the ferry office and get the tickets and realise we’ve got a few hours to kill so we head into town to look around and grab some lunch. Kebab and chai cost us 30 lira (£1.50) each. Our final ferry journey was quick and then we had a short cycle through the bustling streets in Istanbul to our hostel.