Turkey to Bulgaria

 When I was in Pakistan I noticed that my front shock was leaking oil, there wasn’t too much I could do about it there so I pushed on in an attempt to make it to Europe so I could get the problem fixed. I did my best to avoid rough roads and managed to get through Iran without any catastrophic failure to the shock but as I got close to Kayseri in central Turkey the handling of the bike deteriorated quite rapidly, all of a sudden both the front and rear suspension were very springy. I checked the bike and noticed that not only was the front suspension coil leaking but the rear looked like it had also dumped most of its oil. I did some research as to the best option for fixing my suspension woes and decided to replace the original BMW front and rear ESA suspension with new Wilbers WESA suspension, however, the problem was that the closest Wilbers installation partner was in Thessaloniki, Greece, this was roughly a 1400 km journey. I jumped straight on the internet and began researching weather it was possible to ride the bike in its current condition, it seemed that it was possible as long as I rode carefully as the handling would be severely affected. My decision was made, I would readjust my planned route and skip the southern coastline of Turkey, I would have to save that for another trip, and head directly to Istanbul and onto Thessaloniki. I rode very conservatively to Istanbul, hoping that the bike would be ok, luckily the Turkish freeways were relatively straight and smooth and the 700 or so km journey went by without a hitch, the city itself was also surprisingly less congested than I had expected for a city with a population of 15 million people.  Along with my suspension troubles my ABS had been playing up for the last 15,000 km since I left Thailand so I was very happy to get out of the traffic and find my hostel, park the bike and explore the gateway between east and west on foot for a few days.

Ever since I had entered Turkey 2 weeks earlier I had been singing the Istanbul/Constantinople song to myself, this was slowly starting to drive me insane, especially since I only knew one line and kept repeating that over and over again. I was hoping now that I had arrived in the historical city I could finally forget this cursed tune but of course it only got worse, everywhere I went while I explored the city I would be silently singing the few lyrics I knew to myself, I decided to just embrace the madness and enjoy my self-provided soundtrack to the city. There are very few cities in the world with a more checkered and colourful past as Istanbul, so here is a very quick history lesson thanks to Wikipedia. The settlement was founded by Thracian tribes as early as the 13^th century BC and was originally known as Lygos, it was then colonised by the Greeks in the 7^th century BC but fell to the Romans in the 2^nd century AD where it was known as Byzantium. The city was renamed Constantinople in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine who made the capital of the Roman Empire and later the Byzantium Empire. Constantinople’s fortified walls, which were thought to be impregnable saved the city and the empire from many sieges and attacks, that was until the city finally fell to the Ottomans in 1453. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire the republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 and the capital was moved to Ankara, since 1930 the official name of the city has been Istanbul. With a past like that of course there are plenty of sights to see in the old city of Istanbul, The Sultans palace, the Blue mosque and of course the famous Hagia Sophia, which is now a spectacular mosque but was originally a specular cathedral. Below the city streets are underground Byzantium cisterns that were built by Emperor Justonian I to store fresh water, a stroll through the spooky, dimly lit rows of ancient columns is sure stir up your imagination. Better than the tourist attractions themselves was the walk getting there, for me making my way through the streets of the old city gave me the most enjoyment. As I made my way through the grand bazaar and alleyways lined with cafes and restaurants I got the feeling that a new experience would be waiting around every corner. Rather than frantically rushing from one tourist attraction to another, one of Istanbul’s best experiences is taking the time to sit at a café with a Turkish coffee or shisha and watch the many interesting people pass by.

I was enjoying the huge city more than I had expected but looking out at the sprawling metropolis from the old city I got the feeling that the old walls were once again providing sanctuary, now it was a haven for tourists from the bustling mass of people that called the city their home. No matter how much I enjoy a city it is never long before I get the urge to seek out less populated areas and with new suspension on the horizon I was soon back on the bike and making my way to Europe.

I decided to head to Thessaloniki via Bulgaria, it wasn’t much of a detour and I was told that purchasing green card insurance was cheaper there than the rest of Europe. Also as I am a dual citizen of Australia and Germany and I wanted to make the passport change a smooth as possible, this seemed the best way and would ensure no Schengen zone visa headaches later. As I crossed the border from Turkey into Bulgaria and passed into Europe I cheered at the top of my voice, if anybody had heard me they would have thought I was crazy but passing this milestone seemed like I had really accomplished a big part of my journey, Europe has always been a huge goal and although I still had a long way to go I couldn’t hide my excitement. Usually when I travel through a country I do my best to see as much of the countryside as possible, not In Bulgaria however, because of my suspension troubles it was all on the highway until I arrived at Sofia. After so many huge cities in Asia I was a little surprised when I arrived in Sofia, the KM’s on my GPS kept ticking down and I was waiting for a huge city to appear around every turn but it never happened, although it has a population of around 1.2 million Sofia has a much smaller feeling about it. Once again I was happy to find a hostel, park the bike for a few days and explore the city on foot, I jumped on a free walking tour of the city and had soon seen most of the city sights, as well as learning about the countries ancient history and its more recent history under communism. It wasn’t long before I discovered something else that the city is currently known for….. cheap alcohol, this was the first time I had seen 2 litre bottles of beer and the price was less than what I’ve paid for water in some countries. I hadn’t had too many opportunities to drink in central Asia over the past few months so I didn’t drink too much and we headed out to some local clubs where I was surprised to see that instead of dance music it seemed that the standard in most bars was hard rock and heavy metal, an interesting but nice change. Sofia also has a very strong café scene, at times it was hard to get a seat at one of the many cafes that lined the walking street. With a slight hangover the next morning a few of us headed down for a coffee, that was until we read the menu and saw that a double Gin and Tonic was cheaper than a Latte or cup of tea, not to mention that the shot size here is 50 ml, not the 30 ml we get in Australia, needless to say that it was time for some hair of the dog.

The 4 days that I spent in Sofia was more than enough to see the city, I would have to save the rest of the country for another trip when the bike was fixed, now it was time to head south into Greece and Thessaloniki where the big girl was going to get some love and care.

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

                                                                     

Hagia Sofia, Istanbul

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Byzantine Cisterns, Istanbul

Byzantine Cisterns, Istanbul

Mosaic, Hagia Sofia

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia

Palace guard, Sofia

Looking back at Istanbul from the old city

 

 

Cappadocia

The crossing from Iran to Turkey hit me with the coldest temperatures I had ever ridden in, I would do my best to sit on 100 km/h on the highway but with the temperature getting as low as minus 10 degrees at 12 noon, I would have to stop quite regularly  to get the feeling back in my hands. I was getting the feeling  over the past 1 ½ weeks since I left Tehran that I had spent most of my time just doing my best to avoid bad weather, I wasn’t enjoying the riding and I wasn’t going out of my way to do any sightseeing because of the icy road conditions. I was very happy to head a little further south to Cappadocia where I planned to meet my friend Charlotte for a week and explore the famous landscape dotted with “fairy Chimneys” and cave churches. I have wanted to visit the Cappadocia region since I saw people hot air ballooning through the unique landscape on a travel show when I was a kid, it really seemed like a magical place and it immediately earned a spot high on the list of destinations I wanted to visit. Arriving at any location with high expectations can be a trap, it’s a potential recipe for disappointment, Cappadocia however did nothing but impress me from the moment I arrived until the time I reluctantly left. I based myself in the town of Goreme which was central to all of the most popular valleys, walking distance to many of the cave churches and close to the launching point for the hot air balloons. Goreme also had no shortage of charming accommodation, most of the traditional cave houses in the old town had been turned into guest houses to cater for the tourists that flock to the area, we stayed in Chelebi guesthouse, the hospitality was amazing and the guesthouse was full of character, plus they had secure motorcycle parking which is always a big plus.

Probably the most iconic image of Cappadocia is the Balloons floating over the fairy chimneys, and understandably that is the biggest tourist draw card to the region, it was the low season but there were still 50 balloons going up every day and that number almost triples in the peak season. I’m not the biggest fan of early mornings, but with no shortage of vantage points to watch the Balloons serenely glide over the landscape with the sun rising behind, I made sure to always wake early to enjoy the view, weather it was from the roof of our guesthouse while sipping a coffee or from the cliff tops just meters away from the passing balloons it was always a magnificent sight. Gazing at the Balloons from the ground offered some great views but there was no way I was going to travel all this way and let everybody else have all the fun, naturally I booked a balloon ride so I could get a birds eye view of the area. My Balloon ride in Cappadocia was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my trip so far, it lived up to and even exceeded all the expectations I had. As soon as we took off we went high above the valley so our pilot could gauge the wind direction, this gave us a spectacular 360 degree view of the whole area, once the pilot was comfortable with the wind direction he took us down into the valley to get a close up of the fairy chimneys. When I say “into” the valley I really mean into the valley, we were floating just meters from the ground with fairy chimneys either side, how the pilot managed navigate the narrow space I don’t know but it was a real testament to his skill and was a breathtaking experience. We spent the next 2 hours floating over and through the surrounding valleys with some unforgettable views of the many cave churches that were long ago carved into the cliffs. There is no shortage of ballooning companies to choose from in Cappadocia and with the balloons literally bouncing off each other in the air I’m glad I paid a few Euro extra to go with Turkeye Balloons which was highly recommended by our guesthouse, the other benefit was the 8 person basket instead of the 24 people I saw crammed into some other the other companies baskets. We finished the balloon trip with a celebration bottle of champagne and still made it back to the guest house for the delicious breakfast they served every morning. I was initially a little worried about  visiting the area in late February at the tail end of winter however the snow covered peaks added to the atmosphere and the cold wasn’t unbearable, even in the balloon it was  quite pleasant with our warm jackets, thermals and gloves on.

My ballooning adventure box was ticked off but there was still plenty to see in Cappadocia, I lost track of the km’s we spent hiking through the valleys, discovering fresco adorned caves that seemed like  they hadn’t been visited in years. It seems no matter where you explore in the surrounding area you are sure to stumble across a cave with an imagination inspiring history and It’s not hard to find a cave that’s away from the many other tourists that visit the area so when you step inside you get the feeling that you’re the first person to visit for a very long time (just ignore the footprints of the other intrepid explorers that found the cave earlier that day).  Goreme also boasts a fantastic outdoor museum that lets you wonder through the cave monasteries at your own pace, most of these are home to magnificent frescoes that belie their age with their rich painted colours. I liked the idea of having a modern troglodyte experience by camping in a cave for a night but I enjoyed the luxury of my guesthouse cave room complete with Jacuzzi too much to swap, we compromised and were able to channel a little of the areas original inhabitants with a small camp fire in a secluded cave, perhaps the bottle of wine and marshmallows took away from the authenticity but we decided they were a necessity.

 Cappadocia is also home to some very extraordinary underground cities, some of these could house as many as 20,000 people and were used to hide the local population from invaders. The underground metropolis’s were self sustaining and contained air shafts and access to fresh water, entrances were hidden amongst the above ground villages and could be sealed off using large stone doors, safely sealing in the locals and their livestock until the danger had passed. We visited the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, both of these were amazing, I couldn’t help but get that Indiana Jones feeling as I made my way through the tunnels that had been carved into the rock centuries before, trying to squeeze through the narrow tunnels and constantly banging your head because you are 6’ 4” quickly snaps you back to reality however. You don’t have to travel much further to discover the wonderful Ihlara Valley, venturing into the deep canyon has you hiking along a river on one side and steep walls dotted with cave churches on the other which gives a perfect blend of history and natural beauty. The valley has some very nice riverside restaurants and we finished our short hike listening to the sound of running water as we indulged in some local food.

With so many amazing sights to see in the area it’s easy to get caught up in the process of rushing from one destination to the next in an attempt to see as much as possible but perhaps the best thing about Cappadocia is the atmosphere. Goreme is home to many quaint cafes and restauants and taking the time to sit back and enjoy a glass of Raki while you smoke some shisha (double apple flavour is my favourite) is as much the capadoccia experience as anything.

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