Cycling tour Southeast: to Turkey, to Asia and back to Istanbul
With a slight delay, here is the final part of my cycling trip blog to Istanbul. You can find all blog posts here:
This entry only covers a few days of the trip's conclusion, as I no longer managed to write down my day every evening.
Days 35 to 38 - 360 km
After my break with my family, I continued along the Greek coast. From that point on, I hardly encountered any other cyclists. It also got warmer and warmer, and campsites became increasingly scarce. Therefore, I stayed only in apartments from then on.
The coast was beautiful and the pitas were really delicious. In Kavala, I saw the first sign for Istanbul: Constantinople in 460 km. Shortly after Kavala, I went shopping at good old Lidl again and then wanted to have breakfast on the beach. When I arrived at the beach, I saw someone waving. It was a Brazilian I had already met at the campsite in Dubrovnik on his way to Tokyo. Otherwise, nothing else of interest happened.
Day 39 - Kesan - 78 km
Shopping at what was likely to be the last Lidl for a long time was first on my list. With temperatures even warmer than in recent days, I needed to buy plenty of drinks. By the end of the day, I had consumed over 6 liters.
Since the cycling route was shorter than the road cycling route on Komoot, we took a few detours along farm tracks towards the border of country number 11, Turkey. Up to that point, the route on secondary roads and main roads with hard shoulders was quite manageable. After the impressive Turkish border crossing, it was more like a motorway with a slight headwind.
The road to Kesan was hilly and straight ahead. There was no wind uphill, so my GPS showed 41 degrees Celsius (daily average 35), and I enjoyed the breeze from the trucks passing close by. Exhausted, I arrived at a hotel and appreciated the air conditioning. For dinner, I had my first Turkish dürüm döner.
Day 40 - Gelibolu - 68 km
The hustle and bustle on the street below my room woke me up. The hotel offered a breakfast buffet. Leaving Kesan, I took a side road, but this country road quickly deteriorated into a decent dirt track. So I took the main road as soon as possible, and with only one significant incline, the ride was very pleasant, as the hard shoulder was very clean.
Unfortunately, going uphill is too slow for any wind, so I sweated quite a bit in the 30-degree heat. Halfway through, I bought water and an ice cream at a gas station, and as I was leaving, I met another local cyclist who was taking advantage of the holidays in Turkey. I reached my hotel in time for lunch. I bought a packed lunch at the supermarket and ate it in the shade on the beach. I enjoyed the air conditioning for the rest of the day.
Day 41 - Canakkale - 38 km
Well-rested, I had breakfast at the hotel again. After just one kilometer, I arrived at the port for my ferry to Asia. The half-hour crossing offers a wonderful view of the world's longest suspension bridge, and all for just 30 TL (approx. €0.75). Unfortunately, cycling across the bridge is not allowed, as it's a toll road.
The remaining kilometers were uneventful until I arrived in the city of Çanakkale, right next to the Trojan Horse. I enjoyed the evening with a doner kebab in a nice hotel.
Day 42 - Rest day Canakkale
Well-rested, I went to the nearest café for breakfast. On the menu, I found a Nutella croissant. Much too big, it lasted me until dinner, but it was delicious. Unfortunately, almost all the shops were closed because of the holidays, but thankfully I found a barbershop and got my long, unwanted hair cut. I spent an hour there getting my ear hair singed and a face mask applied. The whole thing cost me the same as just a haircut in Munich (€14). Afterwards, I explored the city and visited the Naval Museum.
Before going out for pide for dinner, I watched a few of the large ships sailing through the Dardanelles. While shopping for tomorrow, I found something curious: a wet burger. I didn't like it because of the tomato sauce, but it would probably be good without it, completely soaked through.
Day 43 - Kayalar - 95 km
I set my alarm early, because Troy was waiting for me. After my daily bowl of oatmeal, I headed south again on the main road. After an hour and a sweaty climb, I reached Troy. This was to be my westernmost point in Asia on this trip. The €27 entrance fee was a bit steep, but you have to see it when you're in the area. It was quite interesting to see how nine cities were built on top of each other. Unfortunately, I wasn't as impressed as I had hoped. I wasn't thrilled with the museum afterwards either, as it could have been any other archaeological museum.
After a quick lunch, I continued south, mostly with a tailwind. I made two stops at gas stations to refill my water. Only shortly before reaching my destination did I leave the main road again, taking a mountain ridge to reach the sea. Beach clubs, some with campsites, lined the coastal road. After 9 kilometers on this narrow road, I reached a German campsite. The owners live here in the summer and in Hamburg in the winter. With a water temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, I cooled off in the water – my first time on the trip. I then had manti (Turkish tortellini) and köfte with salad for dinner with a couple from Halle. The German conversation was refreshing.
Day 44 - Akcay - 36 km
Unusual to sleeping in a tent again, I woke up early in the heat and the first sunshine, but I was very tired. So I took my time packing. Since the campsite didn't have Wi-Fi, I found a café, ordered a çay/tea for 20 TL (about €0.45), and used the Wi-Fi to catch up. After a few kilometers on the coastal road, I rejoined the main road from the previous day and followed it eastward. Unfortunately, there was no longer a hard shoulder, but a third lane, which was partially occupied by parked cars, so there were hardly any vehicles on it.
I quickly bought some supplies at Mikros and drove to the nearest town, Akcay, on the beach. After 35 km, I stopped there for lunch and considered how much further I should drive. I didn't feel confident enough to wild camp yet, and the next hotel was still 100 km away. Therefore, after a relaxing day, I opted for the nearest hotel and went back to the beach in the afternoon and out for dinner.
Days 45 to 48 - 335 km
The original plan was to cycle from Akcay along the coast towards Izmir and then further east. Unfortunately, Izmir experienced consistently high temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius for the next few weeks. Therefore, I decided to head towards Ankara and into the mountains. Although I wasn't comfortable with wild camping and accommodations were becoming increasingly scarce, I decided to give it a try. So, I continued eastward, facing high mountains and headwinds.
In Dursunby, east of Balikesir, I'd had enough. The culture was too foreign, and there was no way to communicate except through Google Translate. To make matters worse, I didn't have a SIM card for more contact. I decided to cycle from Dursunby over more high mountains and through Mustafakemalpasa to Bandirma, and from there take the ferry directly to the center of Istanbul. Two days later, I was back in Europe and in Istanbul without any traffic. From the ferry, it was less than a 10-minute walk to the Blue Mosque and then another 5 minutes to the hostel.
Days 49 and 50 - Istanbul
I spent my penultimate day first getting a cardboard box for my bicycle (€10) and disassembling it. I spent the afternoon exploring the city a bit. The last day was basically just about taking a taxi to the airport and flying home. I received a warm welcome when I got home.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this last part of my trip to Istanbul, even though it's not as detailed and comes "a little" later.
My journey began without a fixed destination, and so I continued eastward. After my family vacation and experiencing the unfamiliar culture of Turkey, it became increasingly difficult to continue cycling. The trip also had a wonderful ending in Istanbul.
More information at: https://chart.cycling-basti.de/report/reise-suedost-tuerkei
Of course, there are a few things I would do differently, but for my first long cycling trip, it went really well. No stray dogs and hardly any rain. Based on my experience, I would generally recommend the trip.
outlook
Since it got a bit warm in Turkey, I thought I could cycle to a slightly colder climate during the summer. My desire to cycle hadn't waned. And so, at the beginning of August, after a six-week holiday at home, I cycled "quickly" to the North Cape 😅.
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