Two V-stroms to Turkey and Bulgaria (less one) from Germany – Mike and Beverly
 

We are excited to become reacquainted with our two Suzuki V-Stroms near Heidelberg Germany where they are stored at Knopf Tours. For this trip, though, we are going two-up on the blue one. We are selling the redone. We will pick up the bike on April 23 for our 4th European tour. We intend to tour parts of Italy, Greece,Turkey, Bulgaria and Macedonia. The previous three tours can be found at:
http://2seniorsonabike.blogspot.comincluded parts of England, Spain, Morocco, France, Andora, Switzerlandand Germany

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/eastern-europe-two-v-stroms-59213 includedparts of Czech republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania,Bosnia, Greece and Italy

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/two-v-stroms-scandinavia-mike-64336included parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Latvia, Estonia andLithuania.

We intend to leave Heidelberg Germany on April 24, going first to Crazy Ludwig’s Castle, then to catch the Anek ferry to Greece. We’ll tour Athens and nearby, spend some time in the Greek Islands, then to the Turkish mainland. Our itinerary includes Cappadocia http://www.cappadociaturkey.net, possibly Goblekli Tepe, Istanbul and whatever else suits our fancy. Then to Bulgaria, Macedonia and then a ferryback to Italy. We will catch the Horizons meeting in Heidelberg on May 29 before heading back home to Selah Washington.

We intend to learn some history on this trip. We are not historians, we just believe that travel and history help us to have a better understanding of the people of theworld. And what better way to see it but on a motorcycle.

Before we start our motorcycle trip, we have a car trip planned which includes a visit to see Uwa and Martha, whom we met on the ferryto Oslo on our last motorcycle trip to Scandinavia, Russia and the Balkans. We enjoyed our travels with them through the mountains to Bergen, Sweden.

Before our motorcycle trip, we are taking a car trip. Our car route also includes Ypres (Ieper)Belgium, Normandy France, and Luxembourg.

Here is our intended route:
https://plus.google.com/photos/yourp...89683245183590

The map shows us driving down the coast of Italy. In reality we are taking the ferry form Venice to Patras.

Attachment 12338

Merhaba,

Göbeklitepe means you have great interest for history of humanity.
As you may know, thats the area where first temple has been built 12.ooo years ago (older than pyramids) just 15 km. east of şanlıurfa city..(city of prophets,famous with kebabs, dishes and traditional musical entertainment also)
German professor Klaus Schmidt is always there.

I think you must not miss gaziantep archeological museum,zeugma mosaics and of course mount nemrut while you are in this area..Even you can make kemaliye,(stone road,dark valley) and Kangal (fish teraphy,kangal dog farms) on the way back to west.

Wish you all the best for safe and happy trips.

April 12 - 15
We were well looked after by our hosts, Uwa and Martha, near Sundern.They gave us a tour of many of the sites in the North Rhine – Westphalia. Our B&B was in Stockum where we stayed 3 nights.

We spent an enjoyable evening getting to know the rest of the family. We also spent a bit of time looking at photos and and reminiscing about our last motorcycle trip where we travelled together for a few days.The highlights of our visit with Uwa and Martha also included driving through the countryside seeing the villages, castle, the Kloster Brunnen monestary, farms and yellow rapeseed patches, the ski hill, hiking, visiting their sailing club, Segler Club Amecke (Uwa is the president), the Mohne Dam and Reservoir, the Atta-Hohle cave with stalagtites and stalagmites in Attendorn. We are looking forward to them visiting us in Washington State in the future.

April 15 Tuesday

Although we are still finalizing some plans for the trip to Turkey, we won't pick up bikes until April 22. So to skip our history tour, jump to the 22nd.

Having said our goodbyes to Uwa and Martha, (our Kiel Germany to Bergen Norway motorcycle buddies) in Northern Germany, we started on our war history part of our trip.We stopped in Aachen to visit the Cathedral of Charlemagne (Charles the Great). We sure wish we had a deeper understanding and knowledge of history including the events and the various perceptions of those events. And the story of Charlemagne is no exception for variations in perception. For a thousand years, it was prince against prince and the Emperor against the Pope, all struggling for predominance. Charlemagne, crowned king of the Franks in 771 and ruled over the largest European empire which included much of present-day France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Italy. He embodied the desire of rulers since the Roman Empire to be powerful like Caesar. Though the kingdom was united Charlemagne as emperor, it consisted of a complex of feudal German states at various stages of barbarism. When Charlemagne died, he split the kingdom up between his sons along some natural divides; East of the Rhine spoke German and West of the Rhine they spoke what was to become French.There was a struggle for dominance while an antagonism steadily deepened between the French and Germans.

The Cathedral contains a shrine of Charlemagne’s remains including 94 of his bones in the shrine.The Cathedral has been rebuilt many times and today the only original parts are the columns, the railings and the King’s throne.Since 1349, famous relics from Christ are displayed every seven years during the Aachen pilgrimage. (next one is in June of this year)The relics include a diaper from Jesus, the loin cloth of Jesus, the decapitation cloth of St. Paul, and the cloak of the virgin.

After rush hour traffic around Brussels we arrived in Ypres (Ieper) around 8PM. We stayed at the Fresco Bed and Breakfast owned by Eric and Rosalita. We walked to the square, about a 30 minute walk and had some dinner.We found the Menin Gate where Leo A. Green, a relative of Mike’s uncle, is listed along with over 50,000 other soldier names as missing in the WWI fighting near Ieper and Flanders field.Of the nearly 10 million killed during the war, more than 550,000 perished at Flanders.

It seems unfathomable that so many countries could have willingly engaged in such a conflict.It was all out of proportion to the issues involved.But since the time of Charlemagne, tensions continued between France and Germany.France, the weaker of the two at this time, allied herself with Russia to compensate.Germany was closely linked with Austria.When a Serb killed an Austrian prince in 1914, Germany lashed out at France starting the war.And then the countries lined up on one side or the other with the US entering the war in 1917.

As HG Wells said, “It is not within the scope of this history to define the exact share of blame for this vast catastrophe.The more interesting question is not why the Great War was begun but why the Great War was not anticipated and prevented.It is a far graver thing for mankind that scores of millions of people were too “patriotic,” stupid, or apathetic to prevent this disaster by a movement towards European unity upon frank and generous lines, than that a small number of people may have been active in bringing it about.”

The next morning, we walked back to the square to see the Menin gate and the square during the daylight and to visit the In Flanders Field Museum.We also went to the Canadian St. Julien Memorial and the Tyn Cot cemetery.We stayed another evening in Ieper at the Fresco B&B.

We stopped at the grocery store to pick up a bottle of wine.The man who picked out the wine for us has a girlfriend in Kiev.He said,“Belgium won’t let her into the country because they are stupid and think she is a hooker.”We had a nice chat with the man and the wine was nice.

April 17
After saying our goodbyes to Eric and Rosita, we headed for Normandy for our WWII history experience.Our first stop was Dieppe, the site of an allied attack on the port by Canadian troops.History tells us that this invasion attempt was an attempt to figure out what would work best for the planned D-day invasion in WWII.The methods in Dieppe were unsuccessful and thousands of Canadians were slaughtered. It was an expensive information gathering project. Dieppe was also the home port for William the Conqueror.
Later that day we drove to Dives-Sur-Mer which is the Northern beginning of the Normandy WWII historical area. We stayed at the Ibis hotel, drove a short way into town where we walked around, had dinner, and visited the casino. We went to the famous Grand Hotel, a throwback to the travelling of the rich and famous. The host there thought the men’s bathroom was the highlight of the attached casino and wanted Beverly to go see it -- which she did and took a picture.
April 18
In the morning, we visited the town again to walk the beach, then we drove to Arromanches to see the main D-Day museum.The museum recalls the whole D-Day operation and how the Allies built a port in Arromanches, near Omaha Beach, to bring in supplies for the European campaign.Pieces of the port still remain. We stayed at the la Marine hotel overlooking the beach.
Pictures:
1. Mike at Dieppe port
2. Beverly enjoying the afternoon sun in Dieppe
3. Mike at the casino in the Grand Hotel in Dives Su Mer
4. The Men's toilet at the casino
5. Beverly at Normandy Beach
6. Normandy Beach map
7. Mike outside Grand Hotel
8. Port mock up from museum

We left the La Marine hotel and headed to the D-day museum.Gulliam, our guide, told the stories of some of the lives of those who were killed.Including Turner Turnbull who was American Indian.He always wanted to be a pilot.Though he never became the pilot he always wanted to be, he became a parachutist with the 82nd airborne and during a paratrooper maneuver, he was shot.After being mended in the hospital, he was told he could return home.He chose to stay and fight for his country.He later was killed in action.


We walked down to the beach.On this beach, the bunkers of the German machine guns remain.On June 6 1944, the bombers of allied force D-day operation called Operation Overlord, were supposed to take out the machine guns but the weather was bad and there was a cloud cover causing their strike to be inaccurate.The bombs dropped behind the line leaving the troops landing on the beach exposed.The German’s eventually did surrender when they ran out of ammunition.
We went to the Canadian cemetery and found the registry thatLauchie Demas Beaton was buried there.6th Armd. Regt. 1st Hussars, R.C.A.C.11 June1944 Age 26.Son of John and Annie Laura Beaton, of Skye Glen, Inverness Co., Nova Scotia.Grave Reference:VII G. 1.Possibly a relative of Mike?

• Turner Turnbull grave
• Guilliam, our guide, and Mike
• Mike at the Normandy D-day landing
• Beverly at the Normandy D-day landing
• A Beaton grave at the Canadian cemetery
• Gravestones at the Canadian cemetery

Three days until we pick up the bike.
After Normandy, we decided that Versailles would be our next destination since we had both been to Paris.We stayed at the Cheval Rouge, 1 block from the market.We walked to the palace of King Louis XIV.
King Louis XIV became king when he was 5 years old and he ruled for 72 years.Many refer to him as the most successful of all European Kings – the Grand Monarque from 1643 - 1715His palace is representative of the excesses of his rule.The splendor of the palace, with its gardens, fountains and parks were admired by the world.Other Kings in Europe would try to imitate him by building their own Versailles – with the taxes that could be collected from his subjects.People began to desire the elaborate and luxurious.The arts flourished.People wore powdered wigs and silk.And the people watched Louis most of all – knowing what they were paying for with their taxes.A clear example of the haves and the have-nots.
After the Palace walk, we went out to dinner and ordered chicken skewers and caprese salad. Instead, we got ½ a chicken and something with bacon and greens.We could have been stressed about it but we took a deep breath and dug into our meal.It was good.It is not an uncommonexperience for us to not get what we think we are orderingbut this time it wasn’t even a language barrier because Mike speaks French.We laughed about the adventure of it.A good meal it was.

LUXUMBOURG


Sunday April 20


In the morning, we walked the one block to the market and bought some pastries and candy (we’ve been so good so far and we finally broke down). We people-watched while we had breakfast. After packing up and saying goodbye to the Cheval Rouge hotel, we headed for Luxembourg.


Before we left, Mike got a hotel in Luxembourg on lastminute.com where you agree to pay for a certain amount for a certain level room without knowing which hotel it is. We said, what the hell, lets see what happens. We ended up going to the Sofitel, a 5 star luxury business hotel at ¼ - 1/3 the usual cost of a room. It sits amidst modern unnamed high rises. Definitely, not our agenda for this trip – but who’s complaining. We tried to extend our stay for an additional night but they wouldn’t extend the rate. So Mike just got back on the website and booked another unknown room. It turned out to be the same hotel. They didn’t make us move. We walked to town, had dinner in the square and walked back.


Monday April 21


We walked to town again and then walked the trails into the valley noticing the walls of city fortress. Siegfried of Luxembourg (922-998)built a fortress and a town grew up around the castle. Since the Second World War, Luxembourg has become one of the world's richest countries, buoyed by a booming financial services sector, political stability, and European integration. It currently has the highest per capita GDP in the world.


We walked in the sun to the Grund and had a beer on the deck of a café – sitting in the sun. We took the elevator back to the top instead of walking up the hill. We didn’t get back to the hotel until after dinner. What a beautiful day.








1. Five star business class room at the Sofitel
2. Lobby
3. Out to dinner in Luxumbourg
4. Beverly in the square
5. Symphony Hall
6. Old town in the Valley – where the Grund is
7. Mike at the castle wall

Tuesday – Thursday April 22-24

April 22
Time to pick up our motorcycle and drop off the car. We left Luxembourg early for Heidelberg.We stopped at Knopf tours – where we keep our bikes. Stephen had them both out and all charged up. We had stayed at the B&B so many times, it seemed like old home. But this time we checked into the Heidelberg hotel where we previously stayed on April 11.We picked up the blue bike to take it to the shop for some work. We are using only the blue one for this trip. -- going two-up. Mike replaced the sprockets on a previous trip but didn’t have the tool to replace the chain. We took it to the Ducati shop for the work. They also replaced the Kouba lowering links (so I didn’t have to be on tip-toes) with the original ones for our two-up trip.We left the bike at the shop overnight.

We stopped by to have dinner at the train station where we had eaten several times but it was closed for remodeling for 2 months. We talked about the first time we arrived here several years ago; the layout of European towns was so unfamiliar to us that we didn’t even know we were in a town. Now we know our way around. We ended up having a fabulous dinner in the restaurant in our hotel. Hotel Heidelberg

WednesdayApril 23
We had to take the car to the shipping company in Frankfurt.We stopped by Knopf tours to pick up one of the bikes (the red one). Mike drove one of the bikes and Beverly drove the car. We both returned to Heidelberg two-up. We took the bike to the car wash so it would look nice for Drew who is coming from Denmark this weekend to pick it up.It was sold to him and we do have a little bit of seller’s remorse. We love these bikes.

We picked up the blue bike at the Ducati shop but not before we admired all the Ducati bikes and they served us some Italian Espresso. When we left the shop, we were on two bikes. It has been a while since Beverly has ridden and she liked getting back in the saddle. We ate outside at a nice Italian restaurant in the beautiful weather before driving back to our hotel.

Thursday April 24
Mike fixed the kick-stand switch on the Red Bike and he fixed up the communication systems.We took all the things we were not taking with us over to Stephan’s at Knopf Tours. We stopped and talked with Stephan and Ira for a while.They tempted us with an upcoming trip to South Africa.We packed and made sure everything would fit on the bike.

We have gotten a lot better at deciding the priority of what to take with us. For our almost 6 week trip we are packed in the panniers, a top box and a tank bag. Included is a SLR camera, monopod, and 2 computers. And we still have room to carry water, wine and food.

• Dropping off car in Frankfurt
• 2-up on the bike now
• But first, lunch in the parking lot
• Traffic light by the hotel in Heidelberg
• Traffic light by the hotel in Heidelberg
• Bikes at Knopf Tours
• Red bike ready to sell

Friday April 25

We left about 10:30 to begin traveling by motorcycle. Fussen was on our agenda so we could visit King Ludwig’s castles. Ludwig and his brother Otto grew up in one of the castles with King Maximillian and Queen Mary. Both castles are in the same beautiful setting in the Alps.After his father’s death in Ludwig became King. Ludwig was obsessed with religion, building castles, and Wagner the German composer. He was building the “New Castle” for 17 years and had another castle on the drawing board. I guess he was bankrupting the state of Bavaria. The state declared him mentally incompetent and took committed him. A day later hi mysteriously drowned. The state still owns the castle. It is the most frequently visited site in Germany, but we had to see it.`

After arriving in Fussen, we went to the castles.We had reservations for the next day, but we just wanted to see them.We were able to get a ticket to go to one of them in one hour. Since it was a short walk up the hill, that was perfect,except for the weather:pouring rain, hail and lightening.We walked the mile up the hill anyway only to find out that we were at the wrong castle. Since they are owned by different people, we couldn’t exchange the tickets.We bought tickets for the castle we were at and toured it.Mike got soaked.The so-called rain jacket that packs so small wasn’t a rain jacket at all.

We went back to our hotel, had a nice dinner and turned in for the evening.As in so many places, we were tempted to stay another night.The area was gorgeous.But we had 420 miles to go to the ferry in Venice and only one more day to get there.

• View from our hotel window
• Beverly and Ludwigs castle – also some wedding pics in background
• Mike and the castle
• We parked to go visit the castle
• The other castle
• Beverly at the castle

Saturday April 26

We hoped we could see the other castle before we left Fussen and we hoped to not have to buy another ticket to see it. There are signs all over the place indicating that there are no refunds. We bypassed the ticket office with a 2-hour line and went directly to the castle. We were grateful that the man at the ticket gate understood our story and dilemma and had a spot for us with an English tour in 10 minutes.

With castle tours completed, we stopped to get a bite to eat, look at the maps and decide what route and how far we wanted to go on our journey to Venice. While at the restaurant, we started talking with another couple who has traveled quite extensively, including Turkey. We got a few pointers from them.Meeting interesting people is one of our goals but the delay changed our options for the day. The vistas going through the Alps are amazing. Just like the other times we have gone through the Alps.


Beverly took pictures over one portion of the trip -- an new awe inspiring picture opportunhity around every corner. After a traffic delay in the Alps we got as far as Verona at about 7PM, which is about an hour outside of Venice, and observed a rain storm with dark ominous clouds with lightening hanging over the sky between us and Venice.We decided to stay in Verona at the Ibis and avoid the rain.It started raining as soon as we parked.

• Scenery on the road
• Going through the tunnel
• Scenery on the road
• Scenery on the road
• Scenery on the road

Sunday – Monday April 27-28

We were up early to drive the hour to Venice. The ferry terminal is not on the island where it was last time we were here. People have said it is difficult to find the terminal since it moved to the mainland. Although the GPS does not have the address for the terminal, Mike entered the coordinates and it led us directly to the terminal. We arrived at 9AM for a 12:00 sailing and there was already a significant line forming. It poured rain for a short while after we arrived but we were parked under the eave of the building.

We really wanted to get a room on the ferry but after everyone checked in, there were no rooms. Beverly watched the choreography of loading trucks.The truck traffic director spins his hand around to tell the truckers what way to turn their steering wheel. If they do what the director says, they can parallel park the big trucks in one try. The ferry departed an hour late at 1PM because many of the drivers didn’t perform as the director indicated.

Monday April 28
What a long evening.We sat in the room with airplane seats which, on this ferry, included banks of 4 seats where the arms could be lifted. Everyone trying to catch a few winks.The room wasn’t full so many people, including Beverly, got to spread out over several seats.

We spent the next day talking to travelers:

• Guido from Switzerland on his way to Iran, who is traveling on his 3-wheel custom bike wants to stick his finger in the Caspian sea and go on one of the most dangerous roads in the world.

• Carole from Australia is traveling by herself, recreating the pilgrimage to Israel which occurred during the medieval time.She is getting her PHD in history and English and will document her travels.

• Mike (other Mike) is traveling on a motorcycle to…well, he will figure it out as he goes.

• Mela and her husband with their two children Anika 5 (today is her birthday) and Erik 3.Mother rides her own bike and father rides a 3-wheeler with the two kids.They live in Sweden but are from Germany.They plan on a 2-month trip but they haven’t traveled for a long period with the kids before so they will see how it goes.

The ferrys are a place we often meet people and sometimes even form lasting friendships.On our trip down the Dalmation coast, we rode the opposite way (from Greece to Venice) on this same ferry.As we thought back on that trip, we realized that we spent almost the entire time in our cabin after having had such a tiring and exciting trip trying to get to Corfu before we had to catch the ferry.We didn’t meet anyone.

• The ferry got into Patros at midnight. We were on the ferry for 38 hours. Our home the ferry – airplane seats
• Where we parked on the ferry
• Carol, Other Mike, Mike Guido
• Trucks on the ferry
• Coming into Pireaus port on the ferry
• Bikes parked on the ferry deck
• German Family from Sweden Mela and her husband with their children Anika Erik waiting to get their bike
• Guido leaving on the three wheeler
• Family leaving on their three wheeler

April 28 - 29
After our 38 hour ferry ride from Venice to Patras, we found the Olympic Star hotel for the rest of the evening near the ferry .
In the morning on the 29th, we droveto Piraeus.The road trip from Patras to Piraeus was not far – only 120 miles.We took the backroads most of the way.At lunchtime, we turned on non-descript road towards the water and found a restaurant where we enjoyed our first Greek food.Yum.We ordered way too much to eat.
After arriving at our hotel, the Triton, we walked around the streetsbefore turning in for the evening.

• View from hotel room in Patros
• Parking at the hotel in Patros
• Beverly at parking in front of hotel in Piraeus
• Lunch at the beach on the way to Athens
• Yum Yum Lunch
• Greek beer
• Bike at the seaside
• View from hotel in Athens
• Window shopping -- Yum

April 30-- ATHENS

The breakfast room of the Triton hotel overlooked the street and the market where we watched the hustle bustle of the morning.It was a beautiful day for being a tourist in Athens. A 5 minute walk led us to the transit train (the above ground one – not the underground one) which took us right into the heart of Athens for 1.30 Euros. In character, Mike started talking to the people sitting next to us on the train during the 15 minute ride. Carol and Con (short for Constantine).They are from Australia and were visiting on one of the cruise ships.

We toured several of the marked ruins, including the Parthenon. There are other ruins with no name which are marked simply by a fence enclosing the ruins in a pit. Apparently, it is not allowed to disturb them after they were discovered and uncovered.The ruins on the hills beside the Acropolis go back to the 5th century BC and extend up to the 9th Century AD.

The Parthenon was a temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos (Virgin) after the attack of the Persians in 480 BC.It was built under the direction of Pericles, the renowned politician of Athens, between 447 and 438.
Restoration of the monuments of the Acropolis has been of importance since the 1800s. The first restoration attempt without the proper diligence resulted in serious problems. A more methodical and conscientious began in 1983. The Acropolis restoration program has undertaken a complete renewal of the Acropolis, taking down the building block by block, cleaning, laser-scanning, looking at every angle of the blocks, and then putting them back up together.

The last time Beverly was in Athens and toured the Acropolis, it was in an October about 10 years ago. There were considerably fewer people visiting. But today it is swarming with people – and it is still April. Some of those people are school classes studying ancient history. We can’t even imagine the numbers of people that will be there in the summer. Mike offers to help people with their group pictures. With wall-to-wall people, it is difficult to let your mind transport you back in time to imagine that the Acropolis through ancient eyes.

• Mike getting a train ticket
• Carol and Constatine from Australia – met on the train
• Mike at the ruins
• Mike and Beverly at Ruins
• Vista from the path to the Parthenon
• Beverly
• school class
• Mike taking picture
• Beverly and Mike at Parthenon

April 30 – May 1
The ferry left Piraeus at 7:00pm.We had a cabin on the Hellenic Seaways ferry.Piraeus is a busy port.Not with shipping but with ferries and cruise ships.
We arrived on Chios at the ferry terminal around 4:30AM – a bit earlier than we had intended.The phone call waking us up in our room on the ferry at 4:00AM cut our sleeping short.The streets, still dark, were a mixture of ferry travelers arriving and people leaving the lively bar`. Several cafes were open for the ferry traffic in addition to the people leaving the bar, still lively at 6AM stopping for coffee and/or breakfast at the several open cafes.
Chios is known for Mastic gum and the economy doesn’t suffer like the rest of Greece because many Ship owners and ship captains live there.
We drove down the coast to Karfas and found a hotel called the Golden Sands.It was one of the few that actually had beach front.We checked in early.After a walk on the beach, we went to rest our heads – woke up after noon.We went into town for the afternoon.

• Mike at the port with the busy cruise ship traffic
• Bike at ferry
• Mike and our boat
• Beverly and the ferry
• Mike parking bike on ferry
• Nice room
• Beverly in sunset on the ferry
• Mike at Golden Sands hotel
• Mike with our Greek beer and wine

May 2

In the morning, we left to tour the Island and find a nice beach.We headed North.When we asked people where their favorite beach was, they quite often said Karfas. Hmm, that’s where we just left.Oh well, we were exploring.We picked a beach near Mapmapo. We stopped to admire the small port town that reminded us a bit of one of the Croatian Islands.We ran into Tony who is from England and lives there 5 months out of the year.We ended up talking to him for almost two hours about politics and our lives. (This type of interaction is becoming more and more common on our travels.

We still wanted to find a beach.Beverly navigated with a map to a place we thought there might be a beach following the back roads.We ended up on a beach but ate by our bike – there wasn’t much of a beach.We decided to go back to Karfas.Beverly wanted to take a picture of the 4 windmills she saw on the way to the beach.We stopped and there was another photographer there taking pictures.He was from Cypress.We ended up talking with him for about 45 minutes.

When we got back to our beach, it was time for dinner.Oh well, we enjoyed the beach at Karfas our first day.

1. Mike on our tour
2. Bike at café
3. Tony and Mike
4. Lunch stop
5. Beverly and Mike at the windmills
6. Our route in Chios

May 3
The ferry to Cesme left at 9AM.There were plenty of pedestrians but we were the only vehicle.We have had beautiful weather after in arriving in Cesme.When we drove off the ferry, we met Karen from Iowa. She now lives in Istanbul and works in a library, wanted to take our picture. We had stopped to take pictures immediately after disembarking.She said she writes a blog and likes to write about Americans who are traveling.She said we are living the dream just traveling around and seeing the world on a motorcycle.

Our European insurance is not valid in Turkey. We needed to buy Turkish insurance before we could get our bike through the border. Had to walk into town but no one seemed to know where the office was located. Finally called the Turkish insurance bureauand got the address. Bought the insurance and started the Turkey part of the trip.

We had corresponded with Ozhan who was a member of the Turkey VStrom club. We said we would met for a beer. While we were driving from Cesme to Ismir, another VStrom passed us. We waved, checked out each others bike and went on. Turned out it was Oxhan. What are the odds in a city of 4.5M people.

Later that day Oxhan and Beste met us dountown and we roamed around the town while we got acquainted. Beste and Ozhan are PHD physics specialists who work at the local university. Ozhan did some of his work at Yale and Beste did her PHD thesis at Loyala in Montreal. It is a small world.

• Berber – MAS – the place to buy Turkish insurance
• Berber – MAS – right next to the mosque
• Getting cash – no shortage of ATMs
• Making friends in customs
• Coming into Izmir
• Beverly and Besta along waterfront in Izmir
• Mike, Beverly, Besta, Ozhan at dinner near Izmir

May 5
We mostly stayed at Ozhan’s working on laundry, organizing pictures, planning our trip and our blog.Mike ventured into town on a few errands.
In the evening we had dinner with Betsa, her friend, Ayse, and at least 10 other physicists from Turkey and other countries.Mostly theoretical astronomical physicists – you know black holes, Higgs Boson particle, quantum physic stuff.They are all here for a conference where they are trying to set up a third center of its kind in the world.The other two are in Italy and Brazil. The brain power was staggering but beer was the great equalizer.

We drank beer and laughed, listened to so many wonderful places to visit in Turkey.How can we possibly visit or have all these experiences?Of course, we can’t.Has Turkey made it to our return list already?

We met Isha.She is an astronomical physicist studying black-holes.She lives in Istanbul with her husband, who is also a physicist.They invited us to stay at their home if they are not obligated to other conferences.

We talked to Tugrul, who knows a great deal about Turkey.He is a well-known in solid state physics.We suggested that the decisions whether or not to go to war should be left to us, the people– not the politicians.

Beverly has this idea that Betsa is representative of and alternative life that she may have lived.They talked about alternative universes and quantum physics where such things could be possible.The difference between Beverly and Betsa, though, is that Betsa actually understands the concepts and the math.They both are interested in the fiction, Flash Forward;Beverly read the book and Betsa watched the TV series.They were truly sad to leave each other.

We will meet Ozhan's friend in Fethiye and in Kas there is diving among some ancient ruins sunk by an earthquake. We haven't dove for a while but I think we have to do it. 18 days left in Turkey and already we are out of time for what we want to do.

• Deep in conversation with Tugrul
• The physicists
• Selfie
• Beverly and Mike leaving Ozhan’s house

May 4
Ozhan graciously offered to take us on a Motorcycle tour.Beste could not go with us because she had work to do.
We toured the village of Sirinci where Beverly bought spices for her friend Kathy. We hiked to the tower that could not be knocked down.The man who built the tower had a bed and breakfast up the hill.He wanted to build a tower but the government said no.He built it anyway and they threw him in jail.He is there for 2 years.They didn’t knock down the tower.When we were walking down we were invited for tea.
A car park was at the end of the market streets, meaning we drove through the narrow lanes filled with vendors, shoppers and tourists.
The7th stage of the 50th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turdy was supposed to be passing through the same roads we traveledthe very next day on May 5.We stopped by the big banner for the cycle race along the mountain up to Meryen Ana.Meryen Anais the last place Mary lived.Jesus asked the apostle John to look after Mary after he was crucified and took her to this place.
After visiting Mary’s place, we had lunch in Selcuk which is right next to Ephesus (the Ephician place)
That night, we enjoyed dinner at Nar Café and Kumru in Urla Isleke which is right along the water.
What a lovely day.

• Mike and Ozhan hiking to tower
• Mike hiking to tower
• Mike and Ozhan hiking to tower
• Beverly and Mike having tea
• Mike and Ozhan
• Ozhan taking a corner
• Beverly and Mike at Meryen Ana
• At the bike race sign
• Beverly and Mike in Sunset
• Beverly and Mike in Sunset

May 6, 2014
We said goodbye to Ozhan and after 5 hours we were in Fethiye.Ozhan’s friend, Ezgin Tan, who works at a local sports store, made a reservation for us at a local hotel.
We stopped for lunch and the place had lunch where Beverly said it was the best salad bar she had ever seen.The chef, waiter and other crew wanted pictures with us.
It was a beautiful drive – especially cresting the top of the mountain before the road descends to sea-level on several switch-backs.Mike offered to take the group pictures for the other people who stopped to document themselves against the backdrop of the awesome scenery.
During the drive, we were stopped three times by the police;twice at the toll booths – one of those times we took pictures and the traffic police officer took selfies of all of us.The other time was for speeding.We knew about the speed traps before coming to Turkey and got hit anyway.The ticket saysthat we are supposed to pay it before we leave the country.
After arriving in Fethiye, we went for a walk along the promenade which extends maybe 2 miles around the bay.A man sold us a fresh fish – he brought it out with a lemon stuffed in its mouth to show us.Served with salad, sauces and fries.How much is it?Eighteen.(Lira) OK.We thought it must be 18 each, which is about $9.It was a fabulous meal and we weren’t even disappointed to find out that it was eightEE – not eighteen.

• Mike taking pictures for a group
• Hot water heaters everywhere
• Fish before dinner
• Artsy in the marina
• Fish after dinner
• Artsy after dinner
• Ezgin at DoDi sports

May 7, 2014

After enjoyingTurkish coffee withEzgin, Ozhan’s friend, at the sporting good store, we said our good-byes and drove 120 miles to Kas(pronounced cash).We found the NaturaBlue Scuba shop, recommended by Sultan, Ozhan’s girlfriend, and went for an afternoon dive at the dive site called Neptune.We saw pottery on the ocean floor, trigger fish and a black-haired fish. We both hadn’t dove for a while but the dive was easy and we were comfortable. We passed the test for a bigger dive tomorrow.

Adnan, the owner of the Meltem where we were staying, invited the guests to a fish dinner on the terrace of the hotel.It was quite a spread. He just went down to the market and bought a fish for each guest. We sat with Suzanne and Steven from England who were hiking the Lycian Way.

Kas is place we could see ourselves hanging out for a few days.It is not expensive, the Meltem Hotel is nice. There are hikes, beaches and other things to do. Of course like most places in this part of the world, there are ancient ties.

1. Turkish Tv/Actress star wit Mike
2. Dive Boat
3. Eran and Beverly
4. Suzanne and Steven and Mike at dinner
5. Beverly and Mike all dressed for dinner on the terrace
6. Beverly jumping into the Mediterranean Sea
7. It was a great dive

May 8, 2014

Being in the water yesterday was such a great experience, we decided to do it again. And besides, a dive operation always checks out your diving before they take you to the good spots.The Canyons dive was truly amazing. The topography had lots of structure.If we were at home, it would be perfect for Ling Cod.One of the canyons was a deep crevice.We knelt on the bottom under a small overhang and looked up at a diver’s shadow against the light from the surface.It was quite a picture opportunity – but we had no underwater camera.Later,

Eren snagged a camera from another of the crew and took a few pictures of us.

It was tempting to continue with the diving adventure but we really wanted to get to Sanliurfa.We had hoped to get to Konya by the evening.It would be a long drive.We decided on the route through Antalya just in case we needed a bail out.Not long after departing Kas it started to rain.The roads were extremely slippery in areas.We saw one car spun out.We slipped several times on corners and stopping even though we were taking it very slow.This is the first rain Mike’s jacket has experienced and it is not as effective as it should be in keeping the water away from the body.Needless to say, it was best for us to get off the road. The tour of Turkey rode this route.
The Tour of Turkey route was neutralized part way just northwest of Kas because of the bad roads when wet. This is what Mark Cavendish said about them…

After 30km on the slick descent off the first categorised climb, around 20 riders crashed. It wasn't an easy stage right from the beginning. During the first categorised climb, it went wet and the roads on the inland of Turkey it's like marble when its wet - it's incredible. Even going uphill round a corner the wheels were going."
"The organisers made a wise, wise decision to of neutralise the race - there were guys everywhere.

We found the Hotel Europa in Antalya.The weather forecast was for 2-3 more days of rain.During dinner, we started working on a new time-line for our trip.
1. Joseph and Beverly
2. Mike Beverly and Eran
3. Selfie
4. Meltam Hotel in Kas
5. Mike at Europa in Antalya
6. Beverly and Mike diving
7. Beverly and Mike diving

May 9, 2014

It is still raining – sometimes pouring.The forecast shows more rain for tomorrow.
We are stuck in the rain for two days so we changed plans and wrecked our budget.We might have to go back to Ozhan's and sleep on his couch and eat his food. If we flew to Sanliurfa, we would have to go through Istanbul.Instead, we flew to Diyarbakir, a town about 100 miles from Sanliurfa with a direct flight from Antalya. We will visited the ancient city of Mardin and Gobekli Tepe which is a recently discovered temple 12000 years old. We will be back to Antalya on Sunday and continue our trip to Cappadoccia.

Our flight left Anatlya at 9:00 and arrived at 11PM in Diyarbakir. Cab, hotel Seker and we were ready to hit it in the morning; we will be on our way first to Mardin and then to Sanliurfa.

We are hoping that we aren’t labeled off topic by flying and then driving to one of our destinations rather than riding.We’ll back on the bike in a few days though.It really was dangerous and miserable.

Beverly working on a new plan
Flight leaving in the rain

Loving following along with Y'all via the HUBB!! I hope better weather for you in the coming days!

Submariner, we are glad you enjoy it. Thanks for commenting. We are having a blast.

Good stuff. Wonder if it was you I saw the other day when I was in Kas.

All the best,

Dicky

Kas-Antalya, Turkey | Horizons Unlimited

Dicky,
Could have been us if it was on the 8th or 9th. What a beautiful place.

May 10, 2014

In Diyarbakir, a taxi took us to Budget car rentals where we picked up a Opel Corsa. The car was a 1.3 Diesel and ran great. We in North America need to get our heads out of our gas tanks and use more cars like this.Abdulah was our agent. He worked the cruise out of Houston in a past life. He was very helpful and called during the trip to see if we were OK. He offered to take us to the airport when we returned.

When we told people that our route took us to Sanliurfa, they unanimously said that we must go to Mardin if we were that close.A loop of 350 miles took us to Diyarbakir, Mardin, Sanliurfa and back to Diyarbakir.This route passed through the small town of Kiziltepe, only 7 miles from the Syrian border.

Mardin is an ancient town. It is a UNESCO site and was originally inhabited 10000 years ago. Muslims, Christians and Jews live peacefully together in the town. A small group of people still speak Aramaic which was the language of Jesus.

The museum was closed but we walked around the streets, bought fresh orange juice and a treat that looked like it might be something like a donut.It was... but only kind of... because it was dripping with a sugar or corn syrup.

The terrain from Mardin to Sanliurfa is flat and the roads are mostly good. This, after all, is just above the upper fertile crescent which lies between the Tigris and the Euphrates where the first civilizations began, the Mesopotamians.It still looks like a fertile plain.

A note to our friends, Kathy and Paul – we did not find any moatengators here.In fact, we didn’t even find a moat.The history of the moatengator is being questioned and may need to be revised.

We left the cord that powers the GPS back on the bike which meant that we would have to find our hotel Kilim is a city of 800,000 by following our nose and asking around.We drove into town and luckily, came within a half mile from the hotel.A few inquiries later and we were checked into our room.But that was after we first drove to Gobeklitepe, one of our most sought after destinations in Turkey.

1. Mike making sure the Taxi driver knows how to get to the Budget car rental
2. Mike and Abdulah at Budget Rentals
3. The fertile plains
4. The plains from the hills of Mardin
5.Mardin streets with Donkeys used to transport products
6. Beverly and Mike in Mardin
7. Beverly in scarves
8. Mike buying a treat in Mardin
9. Syria in the distance
10. Kizeltepe – 7 miles from Syria

May 10 -- Gobelkliteppe
Visiting the Gobelitepe ruins from 10,000 BC was an incredible experience. It is the oldest ruins in the world. Historians are revising the theory on how and why mankind colonized. For now, the archeological dig is only developed enough that the ruins can be protected. Other than that, it is just you and the ruins on top of the hill and the surrounding expanse of fertile plains – not like the ruins in Athens where there are thousands of people and sometimes glass between you and ruins.At Gobeklitepe, it is easier for your imagination to take you back in time.And glimmers of others who walked over these same rock surfaces can be felt with few distractions.

We spent a few hours there while we watched the sun sink into the West.Most of the ruins have yet to be uncovered and one might say that all that is there is some rock pillars in a circle – but that is why we went.We took photos but, as always, photos don’t relay the feelings.And this place is full of the mystical.

Beverly wanted a glass of wine with dinner so we wandered the more hidden streets.The beer sign Efes caught our attention because it is not that easy to find booze in Eastern Turkey.When we asked for some wine they said they didn’t have wine but one of the guys scurried away and a bottle appeared.Food also appeared.Although we didn’t order it, we enjoyed it.

Zeynel from the dive boat, told us that his friend lived in Sanliurfa and ran a famous ice cream store.It has been there over one hundred years, passed down through the family.We asked where it was and sure enough, everyone on the street could point the way – only a few blocks from our hotel. Murat treated us to Ice cream and baklava.

The Turks pride in their home country and towns is surpassed only by their willingness to share and entertain. Zeynel called Murat that we were coming and he was waiting for us.

We intended to go to our room after the long day but the man who watches the parking lot sent us to the club across the street. Turkish music and we called it a day,

1 – 8 The ruins and plains around Gobeklitepe
9. Beverly displaying our ice cream and baklava

May 11

We roamed around the old city of Sanliurfa Sunday morning.We went to Balikli Gol. When Abraham wouldn’t buy into the Pagan goings on of the local king, he tried to burn him.God interceded and turned the flames to water and the burning logs to fish.The fish are now sacred.Abraham is important to many religions so the place is important to Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

We drove 180 KM back to the airport, got back to Antalya and will resume our bike trip tomorrow.

1. Mike in the square
2. The spot of Abraham
3. Cheesy tourist picture (always have to have one).Mike as king
4. Fish lake and the throngs of people on a Sunday morning
5. Mike having tea

May 12
Drove 468 miles from Antalya to Cappadocia
When fueling, we were invited for tea.The guy at the gas station, gave us coffee, onions for sandwich and asked us about our trip. There was no common language so there was a lot of hand gestures, drawing and facial expressions. We have never felt the level of hospitality that the Turkish people offer. Everyone is curious, kind, and proud of their country. They seem happy that you are visiting.
We arrived at the hotel late. Kader, a friend of Bora from the Turkish bike club, arranged the hotel and balloon ride. The Hotel is fancy.
Picture of the hotel

May 13

We intended to spend this day on laundry, our blog, getting a battery charger for the camera, getting another phone, and just doing other catch-up things. Avenos is a small town in the Cappadocia area.We walked into town before noon and found a small camera shop.We didn’t return to our hotel until 9PM.During those 7-8 hours we experienced more of the amazing Turkish hospitality.Here is what happened.

Metin owns Foto Tac, a small photo shop. Metin speaks some French so we hacked away and figured out how to charge Beverly’s camera batteries by putting together many parts. After coffee, we went to a few phone stores looking for a phone. Metin ended up lending me a phone while we are in Turkey. He then took us to the local co-op carpet making place. Beverly wanted to buy a carpet when we went to Turkey. We were advised not to. The market is a government sponsored place. We learned a lot about carpets. The one we liked was $4750 for a 4ft X 6ft carpet.Others were more…much more.They truly are a work of art.

Later we went to visit some of Metin’s buddies and had drinks. A little bit of French and a bit of BS and we had a good time. Osmon owned the B&B and has an organic vineyard. Seyhan was the mayor of Avanos for 10 years in 2 five-year stints. They have been friends for life.

1.Metin with Beverly and Mike
2.Learning about carpets
3.Watching the knotting
4.Learning about carpets
5.The one we liked
6.Osmon’s place
7.Seyhan with Beverly and Mike
8.Sehan Metin and Beverly
9.Watching the cocoons unwinding to make thread

May 14

Up at 4:00.Yikes that is early.We are going to visit rock formations of Cappadocia by a hot-air balloon.That early in the morning, nothing sounds like a good idea.What were we thinking?

The pictures explain it.We were treated to these breathtaking sights at sunrise. WOW

It was a cool morning so one might think you would need extra clothing for altitude and wind.But the balloons go WITH the wind.It is calm, serene and peaceful.

1.Getting ready to go
2. Take Off
3. Some balloons still on the ground
4. Sun Rise
5 – 9 Floating and exploring

May 14 (continued)
In the evening we went to dinner at Metin’s and met his family. We became good buddies with Metin. His shop is a family run business. He invited us to his house for a meal. We met his daughters and his grandchildren. Through translators on iPhones and Metin and I speaking in broken French, we had a great evening. People and families have the same basic values everywhere.

We had some memorable pictures of the evening but Beverly lost the pictures in a card transfer to the computer. If they are recoverable, we'll post them later.

May 15

From Avanos in Cappadocia to Ankara it was about 250 miles.Except for a few days of rain, we have been treated to outstanding weather.Today it is starting to warm up – not hot, but it feels good to take off the helmet.Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and is a new, modern city. Not much of interest but some museums.

The manager of the hotel 2000 Antitepe came out when a motorcycle parked in his allotted parking place.Realizing that we had reservations, he was gracious and helpful.We wanted to go to the bazaar and to the museum of civilization but he said that it wasn’t safe.Instead, we walked over to the monuments and mausoleum in honor of Mustafa Anaturk, a Turkish hero.
Anaturk is considered the creater of modern Turkey. He embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms, seeking to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern, secular, and democratic nation-state. Under his leadership, thousands of new schools were built, primary education was made free and compulsory, and women were given equal civil and political rights, while the burden of taxation on peasants was reduced.

We took the subway downtown and came upon the remnants of a protest over the Soma coal mine disaster. There were police in riot gear and a little buzz in the air but generally everyone was going about their business. According to some of the Turkish people we met, there is a general dissatisfaction with the government and it doesn’t take much to start a protest.

1. A stop for a lunch break on the drive to Ankara
2. In front of our hotel in Ankara
3. Anaturk’s monument hall
4. Ankara from the hill
5. Mike at Anaturk’s site
6. Mike at the subway station to downtown
7. Beverly at Kizilay square
8. Mike at Kizilay square

May 16

We looked around Ankara a bit and got on the road to Istanbul. It Was a good driving day and although one of our goals was to drive across the Bosphorus bridge like James Bond in Skyfall, we took a shortcut on a ferry ride from Yalova to Istanbul. Met a local Turk who went to Texas A&M. He works for a piping company that has a plant in Houston.

We made our way to the Hotel Maywood. It was exciting driving through the old town. Even our bike with the panniers was too wide to get through some places.

We went to dinner and met Robert and Ursula. Robert is a Dutch diplomat and Ursula studies and works on migration issues in the middle east. We had a great discussion and solved 4 of the outstanding world’s problems. Ursula and Beverly dominated the conversation on the status of women in the world.

Istanbul is awake all night. We roamed around for a while and then went to the hotel half asleep.

1.Waiting for the ferry to Istanbul in Yalova
2.Mike talking to his new friend on the ferry
3.Istanbul in the distance
4.Two mosques we will visit – Sofya and Blue
5.A local Turk who went to Texas A&M
6.The home for the bike the next few days

May 17

Turbo Touring.

We are stayed at the Maywood hotel which is right in the center of old town in the Sultanahmet district.We walked to the Hagia Sofya mosque and then the Blue mosque. The Hagia Sofia mosque was first constructed in the 5th century and is now a museum. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque( blue for the tile colors) was built in the early 1600s and is still a functioning Mosque. It was very nice weather on a Saturday with plenty of people.Tickets are required for Sofya but not the Blue.At the Blue, they have clothing rules for women but they do supply the clothes.Beverly had her own scarf but they gave her a skirt.Mike’s attire was fine except everyone has to take off their shoes. We spent quite some time sitting on a bench having lunch and just watching the people go by.Some of the women are traditionally dressed and some not.

1. Inside the Ayasofya mosque
2. Mike studying the map
3. Mike on the park bench where we watched people
4.A group of traditionally dressed women
5.People everywhere at the Blue Mosque
6. Sign about the mine disaster – hung on the Blue Mosque
7. Dress instructions for women
8. Beverly in her proper attire
9. Inside the Blue Mosque
10. Beverly and Mike inside

May 17 (cont)

The grand bazaar is a large area of shops.Although it is quite an experience, neither of us got lost like we did after just a few minutes in the Marrakesh souks.This is more like aisles and aisles of small stores. We walked the four corners of the bazaar.Although we didn’t buy a carpet, we tried out our knowledge from carpet school in Avanos last week.We discovered that indeed we had learned a lot.They took us upstairs and showed us wool that wasn’t wool.It was kind of fun knowing how to evaluate the carpets.Even if we did look at the fine ones, we wouldn’t have been able to tell if it was single or double knot because it is impossible to tell by examination.We looked around for jewelry and a water pipe. Monday is our anniversary so we bought some bling.

Beer and wine on the water at the Bosphorus then dinner at a restaurant nearby our hotel.We then crashed in our hotel after the big day.

1.Mike at the bazaar
2. Examining pipes
3. The stairs to more carpets
4. Looking at jewelry

May 19

Our original plan was to ride across the Bosphorus bridge while Beverly filmed it – like James Bond in Sky Ride.That was until we discovered the famous ride wasn’t filmed on the Bosphorus.We had already been up the Bosphorus, down the Bosphorus and under the Bosphorus bridge so we took that goal off our list and packed up for Bulgaria.

Turkey’s freeway system is great, both in the cities and between cities.Except for the slick pavement type between Izmir and Kas, we have seen good roads.The freeways are not heavily traveled outside the cities and often have three lanes each way.

Leaving Istanbul, we were in the city for maybe 30-40 minutes.The three hour drive to the border was mostly countryside.Any towns along the way were in the distance.There is a nuclear plant that we couldn’t determine if it was operating or not.

We stopped along the way for lunch and then arrived at the border; without our passports.The hotel back in Istanbul has a safe to put your valuables.We have a passport wallet for our passports so when When we packed, we took the passport wallet out of the safe.The passports, however, were not in the wallet. We called the hotel. The passports were still in the safe.

Today is a holiday in Turkey and Bulgaria. I guess the Bulgarian border closed for trucks without without telling anyone. We measured the truck line up at 5.5 miles.

We had to go back to Istanbul; 175 miles.We stayed another night at the Maywood Hotel. Our plan was to celebrate our Anniversary on the Black Sea. For this year, we changed our anniversary to tomorrow.

1. Leaving the Maywood Hotel
2. Driving out of Istanbul
3. Driving out of Istanbul
4.Trucks at the Bulgarian border
5. Border crossing ahead

May 18

The hotel offers to set up boat tours of the Bosphorus for 35 Euros.On the street, people try to sell tours for 10 Euros.But if you go down to the boat, you can jump on for 10 TL which is about 3 Euros.Granted, the tours are different i.e. the 25 Euro trip was 5 hours and included lunch.We thoroughly enjoyed our two hour cruise up the European side, past the palace Dolmabahce Palace, under the Bosphorus bridge, and back down the Asian side returning to the bustling port.

The tube under the Maramar Sea is the deepest submerged subway in the world.Since utilizing the public transportation is always on our to-do list, we had to try it.The trip lasts only four minutes.The stations and trains are modern and clean.We traveled to the Ayrilik Cesmesi station to visit Omer on the Asian side.He is a member of the Turkish motorcycle club and invited us to visit him at his coffee shop in the Nautilus Mall.He wasn’t in but Mike spoke with him on the phone and he welcomed us by having his store and crew treat us to Baklava and ice cream.

The combination of a Sunday of a Sunday – Monday weekend and beautiful weather translated into thousands of people in the streets, by the water, taking buses and just everywhere.It was impossible to cross the street where buses exit the terminal. We had to go to the loading area and traverse the many loading and moving buses.

A Turkish dinner specialty, at least for tourists, is Guvec.It is a stew cooked in a clay pot on fire.It is quite a show when they tap on the top and it blows off like a champagne cork – or they slice it off with a knife.Restaurants with both inside and outside seating line the back-streets near-by.Someone standing outside will flag you down to tell you that their food is the best. Most restaurants don’t serve beer or wine and when they do even the food is more expensive.

1. Our tour boat on the Bosphorus
2. Dolmabahce Palace
3. Bosphorus Bridge with boat traffic
4.Going under the Bosphorus Bridge
5. Beverly and Mike
6. The crowds of people
7.Fishing off the bridge
8. The crowds crossing the street
9. Mado coffee shop in the Nautlius Mall
10.Beverly at the Uskadar station on the Asian side

May 20

We are going to try to get to the Bulgarian Black Sea.We wanted to stick our toes in at the very least.Our chosen destination was Sozopol.Including the border crossing, the journey took about 8 or 9 hours.

We didn’t cross into Bulgaria at the main border because of reports of lengthy delays. Instead, we went further East to cross near Erdine, which added an estimated 1 hour of driving time. As the third vehicle in line at the border, our the border crossing process took about an hour including a delay of about 20-30 minutes by the first Turkish car in line.Once they were through, it didn’t take long at each of the EIGHT stations to cross the border.One of those was a disinfection station.We paid the 3 Euros wondering what a disinfection station is.When the man motioned to close our helmets we should have had a clue.The spray from beneath the bike as we drove through answered our question.We don’t know what was in it.Polly from Moto Camp in Bulgaria calls it the Golden Puddle.Bulgaria is on the edge of the European Union and since we came from Turkey we had to be disinfected.The internet reports that a few years back there was a scare with hoof and mouth disease in livestock so they were disinfecting high risk travelers and vehicles.It looks as if it has morphed into more of a scam. If we were forced to do that again, we would request that only the BIKE get disinfected – not us.

The roads from the border are bumpy and the area is quite remote.There wasn’t a gas station or market.There was no place to purchase a vignette for Bulgaria, which we later purchased at a Post Office in Sozopol.We since discovered that a vignette is not necessary for motorcycles in Bulgaria. The roads improved when we hit the main road into Burgas.Our destination was Sozopol.The road into the town was closed for major road construction.We walked into town and left our bike down by the beach.Our hotel wasn’t to be found. There were several other hotels though.We chose the Coral Hotel because they offered a garage for the bike.All of the hotels where we asked about bike parking said it wasn’t safe to park on the street or the sidewalk.
There was only one other couple besides us in the hotel.The tourist season in Sozopol is short, lasting from mid-June to September.By the looks of the hotels, bars and restaurants around the bay and in town, this place could really get hopping.

We had a lovely anniversary dinner as the sun went down.We were the only ones in the restaurant at the hotel.It was like having our own villa on the Black Sea.

1. Beverly at the border
2. Disinfection station
3. Entering Bulgaria
4. Mike and Beverly at dinner in the sunset

May-21

We went to find a place to buy a vignette. A vignette is a road tax tag. We read on the internet that one was needed but that was incorrect information.Although the vignette was only 10 Lev it is not needed in Bulgaria for motorcycles.

We were also still looking for quiet day on a quiet sandy beach and that is what we found in Sozopol. Further exploration led us to the marina. Sozopol is an ancient town and was settled as far back as the bronze age. It is noted as an arts center and has a major film festival in the fall. It is pretty quiet now. We explored the old town and got wet in the Black sea. The water was 18C.

Many of the young people in town say they learned English by watching TV.Many of the shows are in English and sub-titled (rather than dubbed) in Bulgarian.

1.Beverly sticking her toes in the cool water of the Black sea
2.Mike walking the beach after a dip
3.Mike having a beer
4.Mike walking the streets of old town
5.The marina of Sozopol
6. The sign for vignettes does not include motorcycles
7. Beverly having a beer
8.Our hotel overlooking the bay
9. Some ruins

May-22

The GPS led us through Burgas on our way to Moto Camp near the small village of Idelovo. It got lost for many miles like it does at times when we traveled on a brand new freeways. It found itself again. Outside of Burgas, there was quite a lot of agriculture.When we turned off in to head North to the mountains, the horse drawn carts were hauling some crops. These small carts seem to be a Bulgarian thing. The horses are smaller and run at a crisp trot. The horses appeared well trained and healthy; not what you would expect. They seemed to be family transportation.

During the trip, a few clunks from the motorcycle did not sound good.After we arrived at the moto-camp we discovered that the adjustment for the chain has loosened and slipped. The advantage of a dirty bike is that it is clearly evident that the adjusters had moved.We also discovered unexpectedly that the sprocket installed before our last trip had worn out.Still enough teeth to get us through this trip but it only has 6000 total miles on it.Mike checked at the Louis stores near Heidelberg and they have the right sprocket in stock; a repair job for him when we get back.

The Moto Camp was recovering from a terrible rain storm the night before that caused some damage to their property.Polly, Ivo, her right hand maintenance-all around grounds person, as well as a crew were working hard when we arrived.They also are doing work to add more rooms for us motorcycle travelers.We were the only ones there for the night but apparently they were full the week before.

Not only is Moto Camp a hang out for motorcycle travelers, it is the hub of a small enclave of English expats who found a summer paradise in this inexpensive village.Everyone sat down for a beer or a soda at quitting time.In addition to Polly and Ivo, and Peachy and Paul, the work crew, we met Martin and Gina who renovated a house in the area, Sandy and Harley the Dog.

Doug, Polly’s lesser half, runs a vintage bike business.

Polly usually has food for the moto guests but we offered to take them out to the near-by local café where they know the owner.Only Polly and Ivo accepted while the others went home.We had a nice meal out.
1. Traveling from Sozopol to Idelevo
2.Mike checking out the bike
3.The chain adjustment has moved
4.The sprocket teeth are worn
5.The locals get together at Moto camp
6.Mike with the locals
7.Mike found beer in plastic jugs
8.Polly and Beverly in the party room
9.Mike checking out the building repairs and remodel

May-23

As promised, we brought the good weather to the Moto camp.There was no rain over the evening.We woke up to the sun, a tasty breakfast and a stimulating conversation with Polly about Bulgarian politics and the best places to ride.Her father used to be the mayor of Idelevo and she is quite civic minded.She expressed her concerns about the drainage system in the town to the current mayor who said that it would be fixed.

They have a large game room (looks like it doubles as a party barn) that has many motorcycle mementos.This is also where breakfast is served. Polly offered helpful suggestions for our route for the next few days which included getting to monastery at Rila for tonight and Kalambaka the next night.That would leave only 100 miles to Igoumenitsa, the ferry port.We have to be there for a 7AM ferry the morning of the 26th which actually means we need to stay there the evening of the 25th.
We said goodbye but hopefully, we will see Polly and Doug in September when Doug does the Cannonball ride across the United States. Florida to Seattle/Tacoma on bikes older than 70 years. The last leg of the trip begins in our town of Yakima.

We stopped in Sevlivo for some chain lubricant and then took the back-roads to the Troyan monastery The Troyan Monastery is an operating Eastern Orthodox monastery which has many pilgrimages devoted to the Blessed Virgin. Wecut across the outskirts of Sofia on our 200 mile drive to Rila. The area is quite beautiful with snow covered peaks where they have skiing, rivers with fishing and white water rafting.Sofia, a large city of 5 million has been recently noted as a livable and inexpensive area still unspoiled by tourism and high costs.

There is a winery on the way to the Rila monastery.They sell wine in plastic 5 liter jugs for 7 Euros.A bottle is 5 Euros.We considered a few ways we might be able to manage such a jug on the motorcycle but eventually decided on the bottle.The man wrote down the distance to the monastery when we asked for directions.We both saw him write down 2.9 km though it turned out to be 29kms.

The Rila monastery is high in the remote mountains in Bulgaria and is another functioning Eastern Orthodox monastery. We decided to stay at the monastery for the night. The clergy there seemed to be unhappy that they had to put up with tourists and the hotel was marginal. The Monastery is important because during the Ottoman occupation that lasted for hundreds of years, the Bulgarian language, culture and art was preserved here.
The only smile we saw was from the waiter in the morning at breakfast. We asked if they had Wi-Fi and he got this smug look on his face. He said we only talk to Jesus here.Mike suggested that in such o holy place, one doesn’t need Wi-Fi to reach Jesus. It seemed like he was waiting for a while for this lead in.


1.Off we go; we leave the motocamp
2. Beverly at a stop through the mountains
3.Mountain scenery along the way
4.Mountain scenery along the way
5.Which wine shall we get?
6.Going up the road to the Rila monastery
7.Inside the Rila monastery walls

May 24

The road down the mountain was 30km of Twisties.We crossed the border to Greece and to Kalambaka to the Meteora. Meteora meand hanging from the sky. This is a series of Monasteries built on large outcrops. We really are not on a monastery tour. These places are vital parts of the country’s history.
During the Ottoman occupation of Greece lasted several hundred years. The hermit Monks lived on these rocks and gradually moved up the face of the rocks to keep away from the invaders. They gradually got to the top and started building. These monasteries taught the Greek language and culture and kept it alive. Opinion is that the Greek language and culture would not have survived had these places not existed. Story is similar to the Rila Bulgaria monastery.

There are seven monasteries built on natural formations. This is the second most visited place in Greece after Athens.These particular monasteries are famous not just for their history but also, for their spectacular and unusual geological rock formations.

After a day of tourist work, we headed out for Igoumenitsa to get the ferry next day. We drove through some incredible mountain roads. Three hours we were there. Igoumenitsa is a port town and gets a bad rap for having no character. In addition, this Sunday was election day for the EUand so all the stores were closed. We have a cabin on the ferry and we did manage to find some supplies for our ferry ride from Greece to Venice and retired for the evening. The ferry to Venice leaves at 7:00 and is 25 hours.

1.Look hard to see the rafters launching
2.Rafters
3.Rivers and fishing
4.A family on their work cart near Sofia
5.Posing for a family picture (they also waved and whooped it up)
6. Vineyards along the way
7. Crossing the border
8. A few rainstorms in the area
9. Curvy roads to Kalambaka and Meteora

May 25

In the morning, we toured Meteora which we described in the previous post.We then drove to Igoumenitsa.

1.View from our hotel garage
2 – 9 The spectacular sites of Meteora and our visit there
10 Mike our lunch restaurant

May 26

We arrived early to the ferry and drove to gate 10.Only one other biker there.He is the captain of a container ship.When he gets home, he goes out on a 2 month trip to China and other ports.Other bikes soon joined us.Most were German and had been on a tour to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia for the past 5 weeks.The tour was led by Steven.

The ferry started to load at 8:00AM – about an hour late. The loading was routine….well sort of.On the big ferries we have always followed the ramps to the bowels of the ship.This time we parked on the main deck which was usually jammed with trucks.Go up the side ramp, follow the car in big circle…No, instead, the director of traffic motions to make a quick U-turn on this oily deck where trucks park.You can guess what happened next.The bike found one of the many oil spots and we went down.Beverly happened to be filming with her camera, but it doesn’t show any of the excitement because she just stepped off the bike, camera in hand still pointed forward to the deck hands running in our direction.Except for being embarrassed with the other bikers behind us; no harm was done.Those panniers are good for something other than holding our gear.

The sleeping cabin was waiting for us.We just settled in and went back to bed.Later we emerged and spent the afternoon chatting, working on our blog and walking around the ferry.In the evening we talked with Steven, the leader of the German tour group with his company, Global Adventure Tours.He gave us some great information on the best routes through the Alps and we had discussions on European history.
We retired to our cabin for the evening.The ferry should arrive in Venice at 9:30 AM.

1. Two bikes waiting at 6AM
2. Beverly waiting for the ferry
3. Mike and the others waiting
4. The ferry arrives
5. We parked on the top deck – no tie downs
6. The culprit -- oily grease on an already slippery deck

remember good friends
 

Hello Beverly and Mike,
i'm wondering why your ride tale stopped so suddenly.
Met you on ferry last year from Italy to Greece.
Stayed also at Seker Hotel Diyarbakir for one night at May, 04. 2014.
I'm preparing to ride again this year trough Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran and back home on my side-car-bike.
Hope to hear from you.....
Best regards

Guido
hagu@bluewin.ch