Beautiful pictures....
Hayabusa ride in Turkey, again
- Thread starter hayabusaTravels
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hayabusaTravels
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After breakfast, we quickly go for the cable car to Alanya Castle. Given that last evening was a queue of at least 100 people at the cable car, we thought it best to go in the morning when everyone is rushing to the beach, or are still at breakfast.
We reach the cable car, queue for a few people, we stay for 5 minutes and was already with the tickets in hand. 39TR per person, round trip.
We get on the cable car and Kitty was already red / blue. The cabin was swaying a bit and gave the impression that everything is gonna break. But the cable car is a very sturdy construction there... nothing to worry about.
We reach the top, Kitty is back on the ground and starts climbing the stairs. It is known!
Very hot in the morning so the visit was somewhat quick. The castle is located at a height of 250m above sea level, on a rocky peninsula, being protected on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea. The wall surrounding the castle is 6.5 km long and includes no less than 80 towers and 140 bastions. The castle also had 400 water tanks, some of them still operating today.
I filmed and took pictures. I sat in the shade on the benches. There are also several terraces where you can sit for tea, water or cold juice. And this is how the 11 o'clock was made.
We go down with the cable car and ready, the direction of the beach.
There we see Murat - the guy to whom I had paid 20 pounds "tips" to reserve the sunbeds in front. He takes us to them and we pay the man 45TR for two sunbeds with umbrella and coffee table.
Noe comes a normal day of beach, with me more under the umbrella than in the sun. I also anointed myself with factor 50 cream, thinking that I will not be enjoying a sunburn the next day when I take the motorcycle equipment on me again.
Very hot water but entering the water is difficult. At the bottom, in the front, right where the shore waves hit is an area of stone covered with algae. Very slippery and irregular. Various bumps, ditches and bumps ready to help you if you want to break a toe. Especially at what waves they were.
Then I saw through the water a kind of pattern and I deduced that it is very possible that here are the remains of a construction from the Roman era. One could clearly see a pattern, the squares and some ditches were too straight and of the same depth. It should have been 2cm wide and lost in the sea.
Where this template ends, the water jumped out of my head so I didn't go to see.
This is Cleopatra's beach after all and legend has it that the queen brought sand here from the Nile Valley. Cleopatra would have received the whole area of Alanya as a gift from Marc Antoniu.
Anyway, we spend the day at the beach and then around 6 in the afternoon I hear Kitty getting bored. In fact, she was hungry. We go to eat, take a few more pictures in the small park nearby and run to the hotel room, tired from the sun and fighting the waves. On the way we find a pharmacy display indicating 34°C.
And this is the way to the hotel:
after the last white car up top, you still have about 50m to go
We reach the cable car, queue for a few people, we stay for 5 minutes and was already with the tickets in hand. 39TR per person, round trip.
We get on the cable car and Kitty was already red / blue. The cabin was swaying a bit and gave the impression that everything is gonna break. But the cable car is a very sturdy construction there... nothing to worry about.
We reach the top, Kitty is back on the ground and starts climbing the stairs. It is known!
Very hot in the morning so the visit was somewhat quick. The castle is located at a height of 250m above sea level, on a rocky peninsula, being protected on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea. The wall surrounding the castle is 6.5 km long and includes no less than 80 towers and 140 bastions. The castle also had 400 water tanks, some of them still operating today.
I filmed and took pictures. I sat in the shade on the benches. There are also several terraces where you can sit for tea, water or cold juice. And this is how the 11 o'clock was made.
We go down with the cable car and ready, the direction of the beach.
There we see Murat - the guy to whom I had paid 20 pounds "tips" to reserve the sunbeds in front. He takes us to them and we pay the man 45TR for two sunbeds with umbrella and coffee table.
Noe comes a normal day of beach, with me more under the umbrella than in the sun. I also anointed myself with factor 50 cream, thinking that I will not be enjoying a sunburn the next day when I take the motorcycle equipment on me again.
Very hot water but entering the water is difficult. At the bottom, in the front, right where the shore waves hit is an area of stone covered with algae. Very slippery and irregular. Various bumps, ditches and bumps ready to help you if you want to break a toe. Especially at what waves they were.
Then I saw through the water a kind of pattern and I deduced that it is very possible that here are the remains of a construction from the Roman era. One could clearly see a pattern, the squares and some ditches were too straight and of the same depth. It should have been 2cm wide and lost in the sea.
Where this template ends, the water jumped out of my head so I didn't go to see.
This is Cleopatra's beach after all and legend has it that the queen brought sand here from the Nile Valley. Cleopatra would have received the whole area of Alanya as a gift from Marc Antoniu.
Anyway, we spend the day at the beach and then around 6 in the afternoon I hear Kitty getting bored. In fact, she was hungry. We go to eat, take a few more pictures in the small park nearby and run to the hotel room, tired from the sun and fighting the waves. On the way we find a pharmacy display indicating 34°C.
And this is the way to the hotel:
after the last white car up top, you still have about 50m to go
Awesome adventure....I've been to a few mediaeval castles and I found it to be very humbling to think of how long ago the first people travelled the same steps or sat on those parapets ready to engage the enemy...
I recall one Moorish strongpoint I was in and sat in the archer's window looking out at his arcs of fire....of course during the Bosnian war, it was a PMK position and would have been a tough nut to crack even with modern weaponry...
Thank you for taking us along.
I recall one Moorish strongpoint I was in and sat in the archer's window looking out at his arcs of fire....of course during the Bosnian war, it was a PMK position and would have been a tough nut to crack even with modern weaponry...
Thank you for taking us along.
hayabusaTravels
Registered
Thanks for the appreciation!
Now, let's continue...
The main target for this trip was this day.
We leave Alanya for Konya but on the way we stop at Çatalhöyük, the main destination for the purpose of this trip.
The road is absolutely beautiful and we go from 30°C to more bearable temperatures. Wonderful scenery, good roads and poor traffic. What more could you want? Near Konya we are stopped by the Traffic Police for a routine check, then we go to the final destination: Çatalhöyük.
Video with the road:
We arrived around 5 pm, still in the light and I was surprised that the entrance is free.
Have you ever wondered what the origins of the city are? I mean, why did the first city in the world appear and what was it?
Many of you are already thinking of Mesopotamia with its cities like Ur or Uruk. You are wrong.
Çatalhöyük is the first known city in the world - the first place where the surrounding villages came together and formed a central location and began the type of urban civilization that dominates the modern world.
The first cities appeared after the Neolithic revolution that made agriculture possible. Agriculture allows the formation of densely populated areas and hence the idea of the city. For a settlement to qualify as a city, it must have enough surplus raw materials to support trade and a relatively large population.
The oldest known city is Çatalhöyük, a settlement of about 7 to 10,000 people in southern Anatolia. Excavations have revealed 18 levels of Neolithic occupation dating back to 7100-6200 BC. which provided unique evidence of the evolution of prehistoric social organization and cultural practices, illuminating the early adaptation of people to sedentary living and agriculture.
Çatalhöyük is a very rare example of a well-preserved Neolithic settlement and has been considered one of the key places for understanding human prehistory for decades.
The site is exceptional for the substantial size and long longevity of the settlement, its distinctive appearance of back-to-back houses with roof access, the presence of a large set of features, including murals and reliefs representing the symbolic world of the inhabitants.
Based on widely documented research, the above characteristics make it the most significant human settlement documenting the early established agricultural life of a Neolithic community.
Located close to Konya in Turkey, Çatalhöyük is made up entirely of domestic buildings.
The people there lived in brick houses that were crammed into an aggregate structure. No paths or streets were used between the houses, which were grouped in a honeycomb-like labyrinth. Most were accessed through holes in the ceiling and doors on the edges of the houses.
The roofs were actually streets. The openings in the ceiling also served as the only source of ventilation, allowing smoke to escape from the open hearths and ovens of the houses.
The houses had plaster interiors and steep wooden stairs. These were usually on the south wall of the room, as were the hearths and cooking ovens.
Çatalhöyük provides important evidence of the transition from village settlements to urban living, which has been in the same location for over 2,000 years.
People lived in a house.
After a while (between 30 and 100 years) they demolished the upper part of the house to fill the ground floor with earth. Then they built another house over the walls of the existing house.
This happened frequently and the phenomenon thus caused columns of houses to pile up. They are suggestively called "historic houses", although it is more complicated ...
But not all houses are like that.
Apparently, only those houses that have continuity in time have the greatest symbolism. More people were found buried in these houses than in the others. Archaeological investigations also revealed that people outside that house were buried in these historic houses.
And here comes an important aspect: burials were discovered where the buried person "held" another person's skull in his hand, a skull that was plastered and painted four times. Archaeologists conclude that these painted skulls were kept in the community for an unknown period of time and then buried with others.
The houses were very well maintained and very clean. Each house was plastered on the inside. 250 layers of plaster were discovered on the walls of the houses, some extremely fine.
The walls of each house had designs: geometric and / or animal shapes.
So we have a detailed history recorded on the walls of the houses but now you realize why the excavation of such a house takes even 9 years.
There is also evidence that some houses produce food and/or goods for other houses.
Also, children who were born in one house and lived in another.
Sure, we can talk a lot about Çatalhöyük, but this is not the place. Information is available on the internet for anyone interested.
Archaeologically speaking, the area is 21 meters deep and consists of three "mounds" of which the eastern one is 13 hectares.
Çatalhöyük has much more to say.
I will keep an eye on this area and maybe in time, we will return with a visit in case "unseen" discoveries come to the surface. As in the case of Göbeklitepe.
Now, let's continue...
The main target for this trip was this day.
We leave Alanya for Konya but on the way we stop at Çatalhöyük, the main destination for the purpose of this trip.
The road is absolutely beautiful and we go from 30°C to more bearable temperatures. Wonderful scenery, good roads and poor traffic. What more could you want? Near Konya we are stopped by the Traffic Police for a routine check, then we go to the final destination: Çatalhöyük.
Video with the road:
We arrived around 5 pm, still in the light and I was surprised that the entrance is free.
Have you ever wondered what the origins of the city are? I mean, why did the first city in the world appear and what was it?
Many of you are already thinking of Mesopotamia with its cities like Ur or Uruk. You are wrong.
Çatalhöyük is the first known city in the world - the first place where the surrounding villages came together and formed a central location and began the type of urban civilization that dominates the modern world.
The first cities appeared after the Neolithic revolution that made agriculture possible. Agriculture allows the formation of densely populated areas and hence the idea of the city. For a settlement to qualify as a city, it must have enough surplus raw materials to support trade and a relatively large population.
The oldest known city is Çatalhöyük, a settlement of about 7 to 10,000 people in southern Anatolia. Excavations have revealed 18 levels of Neolithic occupation dating back to 7100-6200 BC. which provided unique evidence of the evolution of prehistoric social organization and cultural practices, illuminating the early adaptation of people to sedentary living and agriculture.
Çatalhöyük is a very rare example of a well-preserved Neolithic settlement and has been considered one of the key places for understanding human prehistory for decades.
The site is exceptional for the substantial size and long longevity of the settlement, its distinctive appearance of back-to-back houses with roof access, the presence of a large set of features, including murals and reliefs representing the symbolic world of the inhabitants.
Based on widely documented research, the above characteristics make it the most significant human settlement documenting the early established agricultural life of a Neolithic community.
Located close to Konya in Turkey, Çatalhöyük is made up entirely of domestic buildings.
The people there lived in brick houses that were crammed into an aggregate structure. No paths or streets were used between the houses, which were grouped in a honeycomb-like labyrinth. Most were accessed through holes in the ceiling and doors on the edges of the houses.
The roofs were actually streets. The openings in the ceiling also served as the only source of ventilation, allowing smoke to escape from the open hearths and ovens of the houses.
The houses had plaster interiors and steep wooden stairs. These were usually on the south wall of the room, as were the hearths and cooking ovens.
Çatalhöyük provides important evidence of the transition from village settlements to urban living, which has been in the same location for over 2,000 years.
People lived in a house.
After a while (between 30 and 100 years) they demolished the upper part of the house to fill the ground floor with earth. Then they built another house over the walls of the existing house.
This happened frequently and the phenomenon thus caused columns of houses to pile up. They are suggestively called "historic houses", although it is more complicated ...
But not all houses are like that.
Apparently, only those houses that have continuity in time have the greatest symbolism. More people were found buried in these houses than in the others. Archaeological investigations also revealed that people outside that house were buried in these historic houses.
And here comes an important aspect: burials were discovered where the buried person "held" another person's skull in his hand, a skull that was plastered and painted four times. Archaeologists conclude that these painted skulls were kept in the community for an unknown period of time and then buried with others.
The houses were very well maintained and very clean. Each house was plastered on the inside. 250 layers of plaster were discovered on the walls of the houses, some extremely fine.
The walls of each house had designs: geometric and / or animal shapes.
So we have a detailed history recorded on the walls of the houses but now you realize why the excavation of such a house takes even 9 years.
There is also evidence that some houses produce food and/or goods for other houses.
Also, children who were born in one house and lived in another.
Sure, we can talk a lot about Çatalhöyük, but this is not the place. Information is available on the internet for anyone interested.
Archaeologically speaking, the area is 21 meters deep and consists of three "mounds" of which the eastern one is 13 hectares.
Çatalhöyük has much more to say.
I will keep an eye on this area and maybe in time, we will return with a visit in case "unseen" discoveries come to the surface. As in the case of Göbeklitepe.
hayabusaTravels
Registered
With a full day to visit Konya, we leave for breakfast directly in the city. First stop, Archaeological Museum.
Until then, we come across all sorts of bazaars and mosques.
We arrive at the museum and it seems that access is free. Only two rooms to visit, the most important exhibit being, from my point of view, the original drawing from Catalhoyuk, 8500 years old.
We leave the museum for the second stop: the Mevlana Museum.
In the same way, we walk through all sorts of streets. We stop for a drink of water. Kitty sees another blouse, some pants.
We arrive at Selimiye Mosque, take some pictures and then enter the Mevlana Museum which is right next to the mosque.
I forgot to mention that, since we left the Archaeological Museum, it has been raining. In halves.
Admission is also free to the Mevlana Museum. I have to admit I liked it. I'm not a religious person. Far from it.
But whether it was the muffled music, the architecture of the place and especially the fact that both Rumi, the initiator of the Mevlana order and his followers were buried there ... I don't know. It gave me such peace of mind.
Kitty liked it too, and that says a lot.
The Mevlana Museum is one of the largest museums in Turkey and the second most visited after the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The name of this museum is given by the fact that here is buried Rumi, a Persian mystic of Islam and a poet who is known by the Turks as Mevlana or "our Master".
Throughout his life, Mevlana managed to gather several followers around him and created the sect of dervishes, a kind of monks who chose to live secluded, in meditation, in monasteries - something unique and somewhat forbidden in the Islamic religion.
Their connection with the divinity was achieved through a mystical dance; the believers wore very wide white robes with headdresses and sometimes wore black capes, and to the rhythm of music as from another world, they spun around their own axis until they reached a state of ecstasy, believing that this is how they attain supreme spirituality.
Abolished in 1925 by Atatürk on the idea that such a sect has nothing to do with a state declared secular, like all religious orders, this order is transformed into a cultural association entitled to performances 2 weeks a year, during the period 1 - December 17, when Konya is simply invaded by religious tourists.
It is said that accommodation is booked one year in advance.
The dance itself (called Sema) and Mevlevi music have been part of UNESCO's "oral and intangible heritage of humanity" for several years.
Why Atatürk's order was banned, but he appreciated it, is another story.
We go out and ask a guard if we can see the Dervishes dance because I saw an announcement that it was scheduled for 8 p.m. He tells me yes, so we go eat something and then sleep in the room until later.
We go out again in the city at about 19 or so, in the direction of the Mevlana Museum.
Once there, everything was closed, not even a foot of cat in the area.
I see a guard and I ask him, to which I am answered "Yoc show". It doesn't hold.
Tomorrow if I want, about 400 meters away.
It really ruined my evening.
That's it. We're in Goreme tomorrow.
We return gloomily to the room, which is more me because Kitty seems indifferent to me.
I start looking for hotels in Goreme with the idea that before we arrive, we should also visit the nearby underground cities.
And I only get 350/400 TR/night.
Hmmm.
I start counting the remaining money and I find that we do not have enough for the route Goreme - Ankara - Eskisehir, ie the return route.
Accommodation plus petrol, plus food on the way ... in the sense that the tolerance is getting smaller and smaller.
It seems that we spent much more than the limit in the resorts visited on the Turkish coast.
So we decide to abandon the Goreme - Ankara - Eskisehir route and head straight for Eskisehir, the shortest route to Istanbul.
The idea is to stay a few nights in Istanbul, in a decent hotel and everything will be ok. I don't want to have to stay at 2 stars or hostels with all the noise.
Said and done, I find three hotels in Eskisehir and we agree to go to the one we consider the best.
We go to sleep at about 22 and that's it: in the morning we go to Eskisehir.
Until then, we come across all sorts of bazaars and mosques.
We arrive at the museum and it seems that access is free. Only two rooms to visit, the most important exhibit being, from my point of view, the original drawing from Catalhoyuk, 8500 years old.
We leave the museum for the second stop: the Mevlana Museum.
In the same way, we walk through all sorts of streets. We stop for a drink of water. Kitty sees another blouse, some pants.
We arrive at Selimiye Mosque, take some pictures and then enter the Mevlana Museum which is right next to the mosque.
I forgot to mention that, since we left the Archaeological Museum, it has been raining. In halves.
Admission is also free to the Mevlana Museum. I have to admit I liked it. I'm not a religious person. Far from it.
But whether it was the muffled music, the architecture of the place and especially the fact that both Rumi, the initiator of the Mevlana order and his followers were buried there ... I don't know. It gave me such peace of mind.
Kitty liked it too, and that says a lot.
The Mevlana Museum is one of the largest museums in Turkey and the second most visited after the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The name of this museum is given by the fact that here is buried Rumi, a Persian mystic of Islam and a poet who is known by the Turks as Mevlana or "our Master".
Throughout his life, Mevlana managed to gather several followers around him and created the sect of dervishes, a kind of monks who chose to live secluded, in meditation, in monasteries - something unique and somewhat forbidden in the Islamic religion.
Their connection with the divinity was achieved through a mystical dance; the believers wore very wide white robes with headdresses and sometimes wore black capes, and to the rhythm of music as from another world, they spun around their own axis until they reached a state of ecstasy, believing that this is how they attain supreme spirituality.
Abolished in 1925 by Atatürk on the idea that such a sect has nothing to do with a state declared secular, like all religious orders, this order is transformed into a cultural association entitled to performances 2 weeks a year, during the period 1 - December 17, when Konya is simply invaded by religious tourists.
It is said that accommodation is booked one year in advance.
The dance itself (called Sema) and Mevlevi music have been part of UNESCO's "oral and intangible heritage of humanity" for several years.
Why Atatürk's order was banned, but he appreciated it, is another story.
We go out and ask a guard if we can see the Dervishes dance because I saw an announcement that it was scheduled for 8 p.m. He tells me yes, so we go eat something and then sleep in the room until later.
We go out again in the city at about 19 or so, in the direction of the Mevlana Museum.
Once there, everything was closed, not even a foot of cat in the area.
I see a guard and I ask him, to which I am answered "Yoc show". It doesn't hold.
Tomorrow if I want, about 400 meters away.
It really ruined my evening.
That's it. We're in Goreme tomorrow.
We return gloomily to the room, which is more me because Kitty seems indifferent to me.
I start looking for hotels in Goreme with the idea that before we arrive, we should also visit the nearby underground cities.
And I only get 350/400 TR/night.
Hmmm.
I start counting the remaining money and I find that we do not have enough for the route Goreme - Ankara - Eskisehir, ie the return route.
Accommodation plus petrol, plus food on the way ... in the sense that the tolerance is getting smaller and smaller.
It seems that we spent much more than the limit in the resorts visited on the Turkish coast.
So we decide to abandon the Goreme - Ankara - Eskisehir route and head straight for Eskisehir, the shortest route to Istanbul.
The idea is to stay a few nights in Istanbul, in a decent hotel and everything will be ok. I don't want to have to stay at 2 stars or hostels with all the noise.
Said and done, I find three hotels in Eskisehir and we agree to go to the one we consider the best.
We go to sleep at about 22 and that's it: in the morning we go to Eskisehir.
hayabusaTravels
Registered
First of all, I wish you Happy New Year, may 2022 bring you peace of mind, perfect health and as many long trips as possible.
Now let's continue with my trip...
We leave for Eskisehir, as usual, after breakfast. The road is less spectacular but at least it is good. We make several stops on the road, the first at less than 50 km. because it was cold. We stopped to put the warm gear on.
Way better now, my body isn't cold anymore. And Kitty is happy.
We make a few more stops along the way, another tea, another toilet. The wind blew us all the way, from all directions.
I avoid another accident on the road, the same lane change maneuver without thorough insurance. Then we cross a stretch of road where car drivers overtaken using tonnage priority. Kitty tells me she's scared, but I calm her down by seriously slowing down and running to the right side of the lane.
We take a break sooner than we planned. We still had to eat, so I took advantage of that to let Kitty calm down. We enter the Eskişehir ring road and walk straight to the front of the hotel.
We do the check in and leave the hotel to feel the town.
This is our second time in Eskişehir, the firts time wasn't so pleasant as we chose the worst hotel at the outskirts of the town.
This time around the hotel was one of the best we stood in this hole trip.
There's a river nearby so let's go see what and how. We take some pictures and then head to the hotel on the streets parallel to that river.
We return to the hotel on street of drunks where there are only clubs and pubs. My intuition is confirmed even by a statue at the entrance to the street.
All done for today, let's go to the hotel room to look for accomodation for the next day.
Here's a video from our walk in the city:
Now let's continue with my trip...
We leave for Eskisehir, as usual, after breakfast. The road is less spectacular but at least it is good. We make several stops on the road, the first at less than 50 km. because it was cold. We stopped to put the warm gear on.
Way better now, my body isn't cold anymore. And Kitty is happy.
We make a few more stops along the way, another tea, another toilet. The wind blew us all the way, from all directions.
I avoid another accident on the road, the same lane change maneuver without thorough insurance. Then we cross a stretch of road where car drivers overtaken using tonnage priority. Kitty tells me she's scared, but I calm her down by seriously slowing down and running to the right side of the lane.
We take a break sooner than we planned. We still had to eat, so I took advantage of that to let Kitty calm down. We enter the Eskişehir ring road and walk straight to the front of the hotel.
We do the check in and leave the hotel to feel the town.
This is our second time in Eskişehir, the firts time wasn't so pleasant as we chose the worst hotel at the outskirts of the town.
This time around the hotel was one of the best we stood in this hole trip.
There's a river nearby so let's go see what and how. We take some pictures and then head to the hotel on the streets parallel to that river.
We return to the hotel on street of drunks where there are only clubs and pubs. My intuition is confirmed even by a statue at the entrance to the street.
All done for today, let's go to the hotel room to look for accomodation for the next day.
Here's a video from our walk in the city:
hayabusaTravels
Registered
Unfortunately we leave the Ibis Hotel in the direction of Istanbul. Very good hotel but nah ... we have to keep going.
We quickly leave the city and see a sign that it is 310km to Istanbul. Since we left Eskişehir at 12, we decided to stop at the Bursa. Maybe because of the desire to extend our stay in Turkey, or because we have become accustomed to taking long and frequent breaks on the road ...
Said and done: we go to Bursa, to find a hotel at random. We were so stress-free that we didn't even care that we had no idea where the hotel was, that is, we didn't even look on the internet where we had stopped. We set the GPS to take us to an area where I thought it would be the center.
The road is absolutely beautiful. This is the second time we've been on this way to Bursa on this motorcycle, and I remember the section with wide turns with pleasure. Lots of traffic though. And Kitty in my ears with the song "slow down".
We arrive at the Bursa, which welcomes us with traffic just good to practice some lane filtering.
We find a hotel right near the center.
We didn't stop to take pictures, and Kitty didn't want to take any pictures in the city. She was probably upset that rideing with 110-130km/h seemed like a lot. I alsi did 150 on that beutiful road, but it remains between us. Plus she was scared when lane filtering.
So we arrived at a hotel and now it's time to walk to visit. Very crowded city. I haven't seen so many people in a long time. They are not careful, they come across you, they pass where they grab, even on the red light, they throw themselves in front of the cars ... Clean rush.
And yet, no one honks, no one screams.
Drivers stop and let you pass even if you have no priority, if you are on a red light.
We were told that in the summer the city was visited by 5 million tourists, so what we experienced is not the crowd that the city is used to.
Evening comes while on the streets of Bursa and we start to go to the hotel. We walked for 4-5km.
We return to the hotel and fall asleep after listening to some Turkish music on TV. The next day we leave for Istanbul. I said I'd never go to Istanbul with Hayabusa again, and here we are.
The problem in Istanbul is the heavy traffic and the narrow streets that only allow you to stay in traffic. Sure, if you have a scooter and/or a small bike, you have space.
But with my Hayabusa and side luggage ... you don't have too many options. But that's a topic for a later post.
We quickly leave the city and see a sign that it is 310km to Istanbul. Since we left Eskişehir at 12, we decided to stop at the Bursa. Maybe because of the desire to extend our stay in Turkey, or because we have become accustomed to taking long and frequent breaks on the road ...
Said and done: we go to Bursa, to find a hotel at random. We were so stress-free that we didn't even care that we had no idea where the hotel was, that is, we didn't even look on the internet where we had stopped. We set the GPS to take us to an area where I thought it would be the center.
The road is absolutely beautiful. This is the second time we've been on this way to Bursa on this motorcycle, and I remember the section with wide turns with pleasure. Lots of traffic though. And Kitty in my ears with the song "slow down".
We arrive at the Bursa, which welcomes us with traffic just good to practice some lane filtering.
We find a hotel right near the center.
We didn't stop to take pictures, and Kitty didn't want to take any pictures in the city. She was probably upset that rideing with 110-130km/h seemed like a lot. I alsi did 150 on that beutiful road, but it remains between us. Plus she was scared when lane filtering.
So we arrived at a hotel and now it's time to walk to visit. Very crowded city. I haven't seen so many people in a long time. They are not careful, they come across you, they pass where they grab, even on the red light, they throw themselves in front of the cars ... Clean rush.
And yet, no one honks, no one screams.
Drivers stop and let you pass even if you have no priority, if you are on a red light.
We were told that in the summer the city was visited by 5 million tourists, so what we experienced is not the crowd that the city is used to.
Evening comes while on the streets of Bursa and we start to go to the hotel. We walked for 4-5km.
We return to the hotel and fall asleep after listening to some Turkish music on TV. The next day we leave for Istanbul. I said I'd never go to Istanbul with Hayabusa again, and here we are.
The problem in Istanbul is the heavy traffic and the narrow streets that only allow you to stay in traffic. Sure, if you have a scooter and/or a small bike, you have space.
But with my Hayabusa and side luggage ... you don't have too many options. But that's a topic for a later post.
hayabusaTravels
Registered
Thank you for the kind words.
Let's continue...
After a great breakfast we have a coffee, then put our luggage on the bike and that's it: the direction of Istanbul.
Absolutely magnificent road, well, the highways from Turkey ...
We enter the highway and after a few tens of km, we finally come across HGS barrier with staff. 137TR to pay.
We cross the Osmangazi Bridge for the second time after paying the taxes. We've been wandering through Turkey for two weeks and we haven't been able to pay the HGS. Either no one was at the barriers or he was closed at the PTT offices ...
The bridge is absolutely gorgeous and we obviously stop for a picture. About the same place we stopped in 2018.
The entrance to Istanbul I did more by rideing on the emergency lane. I kept filtering through the cars until the drivers started telling me to take the emergency lane. All motorcyclists do that. With this move, I obviously saved a lot of time.
Near the place where we had to take the ferry to the European side, me beeing with my eyes on the GPS, almost hit a car in front of me that came out of a side road, only to immediately turn right at a gas station. I avoided a bump that would have caused me serious complications.
Got it all on camera too: from min 10:14 on the first video of this post.
But here we are on the ferry ready to board. We are returning to Europe.
The ferryboat cost 9TR in total and the ride took 15 minutes.
We've seen dolphins too ... Kitty is happy.
We enter the center of Istanbul with the crowds and head to a chosen hotel a few days earlier. Traffic, traffic and traffic again. No room for maneuver, although I managed to sneak in some places.
Galata Bridge: round trip
And as I was sitting and rideing, then I was sitting, my motorcycle fan started again and noticed that it doesn't stop. I look and the temperature has already risen way over the half mark, so I decide to stop, let the motorcycle cool down. Honestly, we also felt the need for a break.
I get water and juice, then we sit by the sidewalk to cool off. Great heat. After 20 minutes or so, we get back in traffic and after a few turns on the narrow streets where a car barely fits, we reach our destination.
In fact, the destination was in a pedestrian area so I had to go around to get closer.
I leave my motorcycle and my wife in a place where there is no traffic jam and walk to the hotel.
Surprise: they didn't have rooms.
Going back to the bike, I see some hotels even further back so I went to ask.
That's how I found it: 300TR a night, with breakfast included, very close to where I parked my motorcycle. A bit rustic, the floors crack when I walk in and the door closes only if you slam it shut ... but, we decided to stay here.
It's too hot to ride the bike to the other option I found the night before. I have GPS coordinates, but what traffic is in the city ... I really don't want to leave here.
We got off the ferry at 1pm and arrived at this hotel at 4pm. Just imagine the traffic...
Let's continue...
After a great breakfast we have a coffee, then put our luggage on the bike and that's it: the direction of Istanbul.
Absolutely magnificent road, well, the highways from Turkey ...
We enter the highway and after a few tens of km, we finally come across HGS barrier with staff. 137TR to pay.
We cross the Osmangazi Bridge for the second time after paying the taxes. We've been wandering through Turkey for two weeks and we haven't been able to pay the HGS. Either no one was at the barriers or he was closed at the PTT offices ...
The bridge is absolutely gorgeous and we obviously stop for a picture. About the same place we stopped in 2018.
The entrance to Istanbul I did more by rideing on the emergency lane. I kept filtering through the cars until the drivers started telling me to take the emergency lane. All motorcyclists do that. With this move, I obviously saved a lot of time.
Near the place where we had to take the ferry to the European side, me beeing with my eyes on the GPS, almost hit a car in front of me that came out of a side road, only to immediately turn right at a gas station. I avoided a bump that would have caused me serious complications.
Got it all on camera too: from min 10:14 on the first video of this post.
But here we are on the ferry ready to board. We are returning to Europe.
The ferryboat cost 9TR in total and the ride took 15 minutes.
We've seen dolphins too ... Kitty is happy.
We enter the center of Istanbul with the crowds and head to a chosen hotel a few days earlier. Traffic, traffic and traffic again. No room for maneuver, although I managed to sneak in some places.
Galata Bridge: round trip
And as I was sitting and rideing, then I was sitting, my motorcycle fan started again and noticed that it doesn't stop. I look and the temperature has already risen way over the half mark, so I decide to stop, let the motorcycle cool down. Honestly, we also felt the need for a break.
I get water and juice, then we sit by the sidewalk to cool off. Great heat. After 20 minutes or so, we get back in traffic and after a few turns on the narrow streets where a car barely fits, we reach our destination.
In fact, the destination was in a pedestrian area so I had to go around to get closer.
I leave my motorcycle and my wife in a place where there is no traffic jam and walk to the hotel.
Surprise: they didn't have rooms.
Going back to the bike, I see some hotels even further back so I went to ask.
That's how I found it: 300TR a night, with breakfast included, very close to where I parked my motorcycle. A bit rustic, the floors crack when I walk in and the door closes only if you slam it shut ... but, we decided to stay here.
It's too hot to ride the bike to the other option I found the night before. I have GPS coordinates, but what traffic is in the city ... I really don't want to leave here.
We got off the ferry at 1pm and arrived at this hotel at 4pm. Just imagine the traffic...
hayabusaTravels
Registered
On the first full day of walking through Istanbul we leave for Hagia Sophia. We pass the Blue Mosque:
Hagia Sophia
Considered by some authors to be the eighth wonder of the late ancient world, Hagia Sophia is a glory of human constructive genius. It represented the center of the religious life of the Eastern Roman Empire, serving in this position for 916 years. After the Turkish conquest, it served as a mosque for another 482 years, and after 1935 it became a museum at the initiative of the great Turkish reformer Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Since July 2020, when the Turkish Council of State declared the decision to secularize the place illegal, Hagia Sophia has become a mosque again.
Admission is free.
The next objective is on the site of the old Roman hippodrome.
As you pass the German fountain you come across the Egyptian Obelisk brought from the Nile Valley by Emperor Theodosius II. The obelisk was built by the Egyptian pharaoh Tuthmosis III south of the 7th pillar of the gigantic temple at Karnak, in honor of his military victories. It was dislodged during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantius II, successor of Constantine the Great, and transported to Alexandria at the same time as the obelisk in Rome today, in front of the Lateran church.
Immediately next to the obelisk we have the Serpentine Column which was taken by Emperor Constantine the Great from Delphi, Greece and brought to Constantinople where it is now. The column was built by the Greeks as a memorial to the battle of Plateea in 479 BC, in which the allied Greek cities categorically defeated the Persian armies of King Xerxes I.
All that remained of the entire column was a piece of 5.5 meters from the base, the three ends of the reptiles disappearing around 1700, as a result of some stupid shooting games with various projectiles.
Image from Delphi Greece in 2019 from where the column was taken. Delphi is just a copy now:
What the hippodromelooked like in its heyday:
Hagia Sophia
Considered by some authors to be the eighth wonder of the late ancient world, Hagia Sophia is a glory of human constructive genius. It represented the center of the religious life of the Eastern Roman Empire, serving in this position for 916 years. After the Turkish conquest, it served as a mosque for another 482 years, and after 1935 it became a museum at the initiative of the great Turkish reformer Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Since July 2020, when the Turkish Council of State declared the decision to secularize the place illegal, Hagia Sophia has become a mosque again.
Admission is free.
The next objective is on the site of the old Roman hippodrome.
As you pass the German fountain you come across the Egyptian Obelisk brought from the Nile Valley by Emperor Theodosius II. The obelisk was built by the Egyptian pharaoh Tuthmosis III south of the 7th pillar of the gigantic temple at Karnak, in honor of his military victories. It was dislodged during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantius II, successor of Constantine the Great, and transported to Alexandria at the same time as the obelisk in Rome today, in front of the Lateran church.
Immediately next to the obelisk we have the Serpentine Column which was taken by Emperor Constantine the Great from Delphi, Greece and brought to Constantinople where it is now. The column was built by the Greeks as a memorial to the battle of Plateea in 479 BC, in which the allied Greek cities categorically defeated the Persian armies of King Xerxes I.
All that remained of the entire column was a piece of 5.5 meters from the base, the three ends of the reptiles disappearing around 1700, as a result of some stupid shooting games with various projectiles.
Image from Delphi Greece in 2019 from where the column was taken. Delphi is just a copy now:
What the hippodromelooked like in its heyday:
hayabusaTravels
Registered
After finishing the hippodrome we head to Galata.
We wanted to go to the Spice Bazaar because you can find the best coffee there, at least that's what we think. You can find it on the alleys outside the bazaar. If you go there, you will see where it is after the queue that always exists there.
We walked around that bazaar and then crossed the Galata Bridge to go to the tower. The plan was to sit there, have some tea, some coffee ... to waste our time on the streets.
Video from the bazaar and Galata region:
When we got to the Galata Tower, we didn't go up to see the views from above because we had to pay 100TR/person and we didn't want to. We just stayed in the area.
We return to the hotel on another road and arrive quite late. We spend the evening on the benches in Hagia Sophia Park and the Blue Mosque. The next day we set off for Edirne ... our journey is almost over.
In case you wonder how and what I use for filming my trips, here's a short presentation of my audio-video setup.
Recorded this while in Istanbul on our way back to the hotel from Galata.
We wanted to go to the Spice Bazaar because you can find the best coffee there, at least that's what we think. You can find it on the alleys outside the bazaar. If you go there, you will see where it is after the queue that always exists there.
We walked around that bazaar and then crossed the Galata Bridge to go to the tower. The plan was to sit there, have some tea, some coffee ... to waste our time on the streets.
Video from the bazaar and Galata region:
When we got to the Galata Tower, we didn't go up to see the views from above because we had to pay 100TR/person and we didn't want to. We just stayed in the area.
We return to the hotel on another road and arrive quite late. We spend the evening on the benches in Hagia Sophia Park and the Blue Mosque. The next day we set off for Edirne ... our journey is almost over.
In case you wonder how and what I use for filming my trips, here's a short presentation of my audio-video setup.
Recorded this while in Istanbul on our way back to the hotel from Galata.
Thanks for sharing, that's fascinating stuff. Seems so much of life there centers around food but amazingly there are no fat people! If that was a mall food court in America there would be half as many people filling twice the space. Interesting.
Do you ever have concerns of where you have to park your bike, or where you leave it overnight?
How are your tires holding up, especially with a passenger and gear?
How are your tires holding up, especially with a passenger and gear?
hayabusaTravels
Registered
I usually look for hotels with private parking and I don't go on a long trip without a motorcycle cover. But this time I left without.
I left the motorcycle overnight without a cover all over Turkey and I had no problems. They moved it in Edirne without my knowledge, I found the moto parked a few meters away in the morning before we left (see page one where I discuss about it while leaving Edirne, also got a video about it).
Otherwise, no problem. All Turkey, no problem, on the street with no cover, in front of the hotel.
As for the tires, again, no problem. Now I have Road 4 GT but the next will be 5 GT, maybe even Road 6. Didn't make the decision yet.
Theese are the same Road 4GT used for the 4300km tour of Greece in 2019. In 2020 didn't rode my motorcycle at all due to covid situation.
Anyway, I forgot to post some pictures from the Grand Bazaar Istanbul ...
Gold as much as your heart desire:
Having a break:
This is what the outside of the bazaar looks like: many streets with even more shops where you can buy anything.
On our way back to the hotel:
I left the motorcycle overnight without a cover all over Turkey and I had no problems. They moved it in Edirne without my knowledge, I found the moto parked a few meters away in the morning before we left (see page one where I discuss about it while leaving Edirne, also got a video about it).
Otherwise, no problem. All Turkey, no problem, on the street with no cover, in front of the hotel.
As for the tires, again, no problem. Now I have Road 4 GT but the next will be 5 GT, maybe even Road 6. Didn't make the decision yet.
Theese are the same Road 4GT used for the 4300km tour of Greece in 2019. In 2020 didn't rode my motorcycle at all due to covid situation.
Anyway, I forgot to post some pictures from the Grand Bazaar Istanbul ...
Gold as much as your heart desire:
Having a break:
This is what the outside of the bazaar looks like: many streets with even more shops where you can buy anything.
On our way back to the hotel:
hayabusaTravels
Registered
We leave Istanbul for Edirne thinking we have all day for it. But we encounter quite serious traffic trying to get out of the city. I do the usual lane-splitting among the cars, although Kitty is not happy at all:
The road to Edirne is not so spectacular and we take a few more stops along the way.
We stop at the HGS barrier to see if we have anything to pay, but the staff there tells me that the motorcycles don't pay HGS. Well then, what was the payment from the bridge to Istanbul?
Totally puzzled, we decided to go to a PTT in Edirne to make sure everything was ok. He calls HGS and confirms that we have nothing to pay.
We arrive in the city, we do the check-in, then we walk through the streets of the old center but also through the bazaar.
Returned to the hotel at night, gloomy that we will leave Turkey the next day.
The road to Edirne is not so spectacular and we take a few more stops along the way.
We stop at the HGS barrier to see if we have anything to pay, but the staff there tells me that the motorcycles don't pay HGS. Well then, what was the payment from the bridge to Istanbul?
Totally puzzled, we decided to go to a PTT in Edirne to make sure everything was ok. He calls HGS and confirms that we have nothing to pay.
We arrive in the city, we do the check-in, then we walk through the streets of the old center but also through the bazaar.
Returned to the hotel at night, gloomy that we will leave Turkey the next day.
hayabusaTravels
Registered
Before leaving for Bulgaria we decide to go to the mall in Edirne to have a coffee and see what's there.
Kitty was curious.
After visiting the mall, where we were asked for our passports at the entrance, we went to the gas station to refuel and head for Bulgaria.
The plan for the day is to spend the night in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. 250km (155mi) ride for today.
We quickly leave the city and stop again. Don't feel like leaving Turkey. We have a coffee + tea and we hardly go to the Hamzabeyli customs.
Customs greets us with a long line of trucks, but very few people drive to Bulgaria.
We find that we have nothing to pay and on the Bulgarian side, a customs officer wants to see what I have in my left side luggage. She sees a T-shirt and chain spray, she says she's happy and tells us we can continue on our way. During this time, the Bulgarian customs officers practically "dismantled" a van with a romanian plate number. They filled the table with bags and I saw them with flashlights pulling various things inside the van.
We arrive in the city and after check-in we ggo out to eat and visit the cneter area.
We haven't filmed around town because Veliko is always our stop when we return home, so we already have countless videos from there.
Video with the road in case your screenscreens aren't enough:
The video below is from the next morning in Veliko, before leaving for home:
A final video with the road to Romania follows, but overall, that was the "diary" of this trip.
I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next one.
Still don't know when and where it will be. I'm thinking of Greece as the weather picks up. It's like I missed a grilled Greek squid. Thassos, Samotraki and Limnos is how I hope to open this new season.
But, we shall see ...
Kitty was curious.
After visiting the mall, where we were asked for our passports at the entrance, we went to the gas station to refuel and head for Bulgaria.
The plan for the day is to spend the night in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. 250km (155mi) ride for today.
We quickly leave the city and stop again. Don't feel like leaving Turkey. We have a coffee + tea and we hardly go to the Hamzabeyli customs.
Customs greets us with a long line of trucks, but very few people drive to Bulgaria.
We find that we have nothing to pay and on the Bulgarian side, a customs officer wants to see what I have in my left side luggage. She sees a T-shirt and chain spray, she says she's happy and tells us we can continue on our way. During this time, the Bulgarian customs officers practically "dismantled" a van with a romanian plate number. They filled the table with bags and I saw them with flashlights pulling various things inside the van.
We arrive in the city and after check-in we ggo out to eat and visit the cneter area.
We haven't filmed around town because Veliko is always our stop when we return home, so we already have countless videos from there.
Video with the road in case your screenscreens aren't enough:
The video below is from the next morning in Veliko, before leaving for home:
A final video with the road to Romania follows, but overall, that was the "diary" of this trip.
I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next one.
Still don't know when and where it will be. I'm thinking of Greece as the weather picks up. It's like I missed a grilled Greek squid. Thassos, Samotraki and Limnos is how I hope to open this new season.
But, we shall see ...
I enjoy seeing your travels. 
Thanks for posting them up.
Thanks for posting them up.
hayabusaTravels
Registered
Thank you all!
The last 120km from our 2021 trip to Turkey.
We are getting home to Romania from Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria:
Hope to see you soon with a new trip!
The last 120km from our 2021 trip to Turkey.
We are getting home to Romania from Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria:
Hope to see you soon with a new trip!
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