Turkey 2001	12 august – 18august	400 km / 8 days
		Capakule/Istanbul-Kumburgas-Tekirda-Haskjoj-Ipsala//Edirne (see map)

We took as an invitation the abolishment of the visas from the Turkish side. And we, 5 enthusiastic souls found ourselves in an August evening on the frontier spot Capakule. And the surprises began from here. Instead of the gloomy face of a Greek custom-house officer with his questions where we would go, what we would do and for how much time, the well-meaning curiosity of his Turkish colleagues met us, it was provoked by the exotic appearance of our bikes, burdened beyond the limits. Not hiding their admiration they listened to the stories about our former trips and at parting they didn’t miss to praise the places we wanted to see – Istanbul and the Marble Sea. We could still hear their last words – “Chok Gjusel” (very good, lovely) when passing by the railway station we understood that the ticket to this – “Chok Gjusel” cost only 3-4 $. We took the decision immediately and with one voice. That way we found ourselves in the Sunday morning in the megapolis situated on two continents…

We haven’t observed even half of the Turkish megapolis but this will happen some other time. Leaving Istanbul is an adventure by itself. Half of the citizens had occupied the gardens around the coastal lane 10-15 km long. In the restaurants as well as simply on the grass grill was made. Some danced under the sounds of their own cassette recorders, others devoted their attention to taking as much calories as possible, and children were everywhere. This was the nightlife of the capital’s citizens. This glamour and chaos went on till the early night hours. We didn’t know if this used to happen only on holidays or every night. The long night lap ended after 40-50 km in Kumburgas. While we were still drowsing on the beach we still were not sure if this wasn’t some part of Istanbul or we had reached finally some province.

The seawater was surprisingly cold. According to local people’s opinion the reason was the unfavorable atmospheric front, which had passed, but there was no improvement till the end of our excursion. The warm and unprejudiced attitude of the people here was compensation. You should not be amazed if some curious Turkish starts talking to you while you are changing your blown tire on the road and after he hears where you are from he decides to treat you with a piece of melon, for example, as a neighbor. If we look back to the history I cannot explain to myself where this friendly attitude and even respect comes from. May be one of the possible reasons is the successful good realization of the most of our emigrants in the Turkish society due to the very good education of theirs. Well, not to let you think of an idyll let me tell you the “alash-verish” (the Turkish expression for bargains) is something like a national sport, that means chaffering is a question of honour, and you can always come across some unfair salesmen.

The trip after leaving Insanbul through Tekirda to the Gaul peninsula can be characterized as marine tourism, with something specific – the untouched region between Kumba and Haskjoj. Here the hills go straght downwards the sea, crossed only by the road which probably has been established centuries ago, connecting some villages which seem to be dating back from this time as well.The picturesque view is not disturbed by cottages, luxorious places of entertainment or another attributes of the modern civilization. I want to underline all this because it is very rare to meet such a large region near to the sea which has kept its historical authentity.

After having climbed the hills of Halvali we went down to the Aegean seas and we had the opportunity to try the waters in the Saros bay. After that the Keshan passage came – the last stumbling block on our way to Odrin (or Edrine, as the Turkish call it).

For those who are not traced by nostalgia or lack of time I would recommend to choose eastern direction to Keshan – the Greek resorts after Alexandropolis . You can provide the necessary food in the town of Ipsala. In Turkey the prices of vegetables and fruits are lower than those in Bulgaria. The prices of other goods are comparatively the same. As it concerns the night spending you can find some hotels for only 3-4 USD for a bed even in Istanbul. Well, the conditions there are another topic and often the price gets higher with some luxuries not included in the initial offer.

After this tour and the things we learned we started to make plans eagerly for excursions in the Asian part of Turkey.

I hope so do you!