Back to overview...

Turkey & Caucasia

back to Travelogues

Europe

Istanbul - the gate to Asia

next story

12.10.2003 from Istanbul, Turkey - 3207km

Merhaba!

What a crazy ride to cycle to I²stanbul!

Since yesterday evening I² am now here in I²stanbul. From Greece, I² cycled to I²psala, the f¦rst Turkish town on my route. Soon after I realised what Turkish hospitality signifies. I²t was on my second day in Turkey and had not even cycled five kilometers when a man on the roadside was calling me to stop. He was selling sausages and meat at the side of the road. He immediately offered me to sit down, the Cay would be ready soon. This way, I² was able to watch him running his small business. He slaughters the sheep just next to where I was sitting. The prepared meat was then hung up on some sort of wooden construction, prominently displayed to the passing car drivers. Unfortunately, I² could hardly communicate with the man. I² managed to remember from the evening before the expressions *hello*, *thank you* and *goodbye*... the real basics. The rest required body language.

I²n the end, I² spent some one and a half hour at the roadside. Together with the Cay I got offered some bread with butter and cheese. Although we only managed little conversation, I² felt that I² understood some of his life. He must live a lonesome life and in addition his lungs seem to be very sick from chain-smoking. To say goodbye he embraced me, a very heartening Turkish gesture. While I² continued cycling, I² had to think a lot about this encounter. He somewhat represented to me much the Otomanic pride and tragic.

I²stanbul began basically 140km before the center... from that point the coast was continuously populated. The traffic increased steadily and some 60km further I² was already cycling on a 4-lanes motorway. The big chaos began 40km before the center. There was a hellish amount of traff¦c and I² felt pretty threatened The worst thing were the bifurcations. Suddenly the standard 3 lanes in one direction doubled to 6 lanes and half of them were turning away to the right. So I² had to get to a lane in the middle of the dense and fast moving traffic mess to not get thrown off the h¦ghway. Once a slow-moving excavator driving in front of me helped to *shovel away* some of the traff¦c, so I could easily follow it. But in the end, I² arrived at the very friendly Hotel Agan and could relaxed from this adrenaline-pumped day.

I²stanbul is a very fascinating city! An incredible number of people who stroll through the narrow streets around the big bazar, the resounding call of the Muezzin from the numerous mosques and then there is of course the Bosporus. Now I² will enjoy some days here in the city and then cycle on to Ankara.

Allaha ismarladik!
Daniel

Europe

next story