Turkey 5 - Constantinople 2

22.05.2013
A day to explore by ourselves. Eschewing offers to go with others we decided we would rather move at our own speed and as Tacsim Square is described as the central hub of modern Istanbul, it seemed a good place to start. Having cracked the tram system, we rode to Kabatas and then took the extremely modern funicular to Tacsim. The focal point is the monument to Kemal Attaturk...and you really have to visit Turkey to experience the reverence with which he is held.
We had tea at the most expensive place, paying 10tl instead of the usual 2.50 tl..........I am astonished that tea is the preferred drink rather than coffee, and served without milk in thistle shaped glasses it is quite delicious and refreshing. Turkish coffee is a bit of an acquired taste and actually twice as expensive as tea. We then just wandered. Headed down the main street towards the golden horn, diving off down side streets as the mood took us. This is where east meets west - the main street could be anywhere in Europe(almost) but go 20 yards off and its a different world. And anything that can be traded is sold on the streets with some looking like giant car boot sales .  There's little pressure to buy, generally just a polite invitation to view the wares on offer or to step inside a shop. ... everywhere people just trying to earn a living anyway they can .
Nice lunch close to the Galata tower which we ascended afterwards for a fantastic panoramic view of the city and then meandering through the streets down to and across the golden horn.
I will gloss over the evenings entertainment at the folklore show and dinner. A Dervish can only do so much whirling , the belly dancers probably double up as lap dancers and as John Cleese said ' will someone's shut that bloody bouzouki player up'

Turkey 4...Constantinople 1

21.05 .2013
Up at the crack of dawn as our coach into the city-where we shall stay in hotel for 2 nights -  leaves at 07.15 . We wondered why were leaving so early to rendezvous with guide at 09.15 when we were only  travelling 48 km but we hadn't experienced the Istanbul traffic nightmare. Turkish population is 75m of whom 15m live in the city (which is not even the capital) with 3m cars, all of whom appear to be the streets at 08.00. Actually, they seem to be on the streets until midnight and might well be around later than that for all I know. Our bus driver , Nazeem, who also drove us around Edirne, is superb if not terrifying and was very unlucky to try using the hard shoulder ( like many others) to get to  an exit from one carriageway only to round a bend into the waiting arms of the traffic police who were everywhere. Discussing the matter at lunch it seemed that there was a lot of sympathy for the guy and after I found out from the guide that they had relieved him of 77 TL ( about £30) it was suggested that 1 organise a whip round so we put in 7tl a unit and gave him 70 tl  for which he was extremely grateful.
Istanbul  is a great city. We visited the  Dolmabahce Palace,  the Spice Bazaar, the main Post Office in search (eventually successfull) of the elusive motorway toll stickers ( of which more later) and the Hagia Sophia. We cruised the Bosphorous for an hour which is just as congested as the roads with hundreds of ferries and pleasure steamers trying to avoid Russian oil tankers coming from the Black Sea.
Had a cracking lunch at a fish restaurant, crossed the Golden Horn by the Galata bridge and followed the old city walls which are only second to the great wall of China. Everything lives up to expectations in size and magnificence. Reached our hotel - very central, in university district-  at 18.15,  and after a shower and freshen up set off at 20.00 to explore at night with ONBF plus Richard & Monica. Cracked the tram system(3 tl a journey by buying a jeton to get through the turnstiles. nb £1 = 2.65 tl). Went down to the golden horn and walked along the waterfront and then walked back up to Sultanahmet square to see the Blue Mosque illuminated. Crowds everywhere and bars and many shops still open at midnight when we finally got the tram back to the hotel- only 3 stops. Great city for walking; never felt threatened;  locals only too happy to help with directions and information and there is a real buzz about the place. Today we do our own thing and meet for dinner and the inevitable belly dancing show tonight.

Turkey 3......its hard to be original all the time

20.05.2013

On the road to Constantinople on the scenic route which wasn't but which was patrolled by numerous traffic police monitoring ridiculous speed limits which dropped from 110 to 70 to 50 on  a dual carriageway at each minor junction, the 50 kph lasting for maybe 200 yards. We had the pleasure of a police car for some 10 miles who were obviously debating the options of a Mexican shakedown before deciding we weren't worth the bother and taking off with a salute and a cheery wave. We pulled off at various fuel stations in search of the elusive motorway toll transponder always to be assured that it was available the next Shell station....   its like Portugal - everybody should have one but nobody knows where to get one and we will need one on the long haul to Ankara.....which my ever faithful TomTom informs me is an area of limited mapping and there may be dragons......so much for modern  technology.
Tallking of which I upset ONBF again by ignoring the daily route recommendation (whereas they didn't )  and following the TomTom arrived at our campsite 30 mins before them after having turned off the suggested route with only 12 km to go....  albeit having to traverse 6 km of something that could never be described as a road. However they were not amused but who wants to follow step by step instructions slavishly ? It turned out that 3 of us followed our satnavs and found the shorter, quicker route , much to the despair of team leader who provides these routes and feels let down when people ignore them.......
So .....  close to Istanbul. A lovely rural site with bullfrogs in the pond making a racket like a pack of hounds and we are by bus in the morning for 3 days of sightseeing in temps of 30+.

Turkey 2

19.05.2013

A very pleasant evening when we had our first invitation to join Malc & Christine, Ken & Jacky for drinks......these 4 are joined at the hip and are pure Yorkshire and met on a trip to Greece last year....there has been no evening socialising at all so far, apart from this foursome who do everything together. The problem is that we have a group meeting at 6 pm to plan following day,  which interferes with sundowners and food preparation so everybody goes back to eat at 6.30 and then don't reappear. Anyway, last night, it now being so warm, (34 in the van) everybody was sitting out and they called over for us to join them with the expected overflowing of alcohol.
It must have been good as there was some deliberate shutting of windows around us at 10.30 (incl ONBF) so we were obviously being  a bit raucous.
This isn't to say that the group hasn't gelled because it has. There are 16 of us plus Alan & Pat, our guides and Bob & Maggie, their understudies who might take over next year but who have the least personality of any in the group and are basically ignored by one and all. The rest  get on very well and are a very interesting and extremely well travelled lot - I doubt there's a country in the world that someone hasn't visited ( we feel very amateurish by comparison). But whilst everybody takes wine it is generally  in moderation as we may have to drive the next day.
So we are camped outside Erdine (the only campsite)
run by a brute of a women who only speaks Turkish & German and yells at any infringement of her unwritten rules.....our coach driver for today drove into the distinctly scruffy and iffy campsite ( which is not much more than a field) without apparently
reporting to her first and another Balkan war erupted putting all previous ones to shame.
So today (a national holiday commemorating Attaturk starting the war of independence against Greece) we visited the monument to the siege of Erdine in one of the Balkan wars against Bulgaria which documented the atrocities committed by said Bulgars  and probably ensures that the many school /children  being taken there also grow up hating the Bulgarians . Then to the Selimye Mosque, very big and beautiful (6000 regularly pray there) and the first mosque we have entered in a Muslim country. We had lunch by the river, very Turkish, very good and then to a museum of a hospital school  that was founded in 1484.. v. interesting. Weather v.hot and very interesting thunderstorm late afternoon with hailstones like golf balls for all of 10 minutes.
Tomorrow off to Constantinople.

Turkish Delight.......it was going to be said sometime

17.05.2013

An early start for a short journey but everyone paranoid re entering Turkey, having right paperwork, getting visa etc. In the event it was hard to figure out what all the fuss was about. Road from Alexandroupolis was crap of the nth degree but toll free only capped by the first Turkish road which was cobbled for 8 miles. Filled up with diesel en  route and took opportunity to top up with LPG causing consternation as they couldn't believe I had a hybrid engine running both diesel & LPG and therefore had to show them what was required.
Border crossing was simple enough although a bit tortuous as the customs wouldn't look at you until you had been to the police window ( next one along and the same person)  and bought the visa (€15 each) ...and why in € when the currency is lira ?....smacks of fistful of €'s across the border in the morning..until eventually we had the the right stamps in the right places and were on our way.
Had to cross the centre of Erdine with notes from our leader but TomTom had better ideas and we found the campsite without problem. Others ( such as ONBF stuck to the notes (and their Garmin)  religiously and we last saw them heading into downtown  Erdine as the roads got smaller & smaller.
They eventually arrived an hour behind us having had to travel  another 30 miles to extricate themselves from the city centre.....not sure they are still ONBF  but I am spending more & more time with Malc & Ken who can't help being northern but can produce alcohol out of the ether and who appear to have limitless supplies.
Weather now v.v.hot. ....it's 8pm and temp in van is 34. so everybody outside chatting and drinking.......
(and being bitten by things  they'd rather not think about)
Campsite is basic but acceptable...a field outside Edirne with low voltage electrics and hot water.. and apart from us there is a group of 6 Italian vans  and another of  12 German vans so traveling in groups very much the norm.
Nb an impromptu boules session saw the men regain their honour by winning 2-0

At leisure

17.05.2013

Walked into town last night along the beach and promenade. Very bustling with wall to pavement cafes and restaurants. Today was cleaning and tidying, then a stroll into the town again for coffee and a beer. Economy might be bust but the bars are full of Greeks and a smallish glass of beer costs €4 which I think is expensive. Beach is scrubby and nothing here makes us think that we would return even though seafront is reasonably attractive. Weather hot & sultry in the high 20's and forecast to get hotter.
Tomorrow the trip really begins as we head into Turkey and negotiate the border crossing near Edirne which may or may not be fun. We are well stocked with bottled water, food and drink and the water tanks are full as campsite showers may well be avoided for the next 30 days ( along with the toilets).
We are  camped next to a guy called Mark who has ridden  a motorbike from England za and is on his way to India via anywhere ending in -stan. The bike is a Husqvana  trail bike specially modified with paniers and oversize fuel tank and extra-all-terrain tyres. He came down through Albania which sounds like an experience for the young and adventurous and is extremely laid back about the perils ahead after Turkey. Good luck, Mark, I hope you make it safely.

It's all greek to me.....

16.05.2013

Part of being in a group is discovering like minded fellow travellers, so it will come as no surprise that I have linked up with Malc and Ken who can't pass a bar without stopping and who have well stocked cellars on board. Their wives, Christine and Jacky, are also like minded, so we had a nice walk along the beach (stony but nice views) visiting the numerous emporiums whose sole purpose is purveying strong drink.........so we are now best buddies.
I am not intending to ditch ONBF as the car will prove very useful, and whilst they are entertaining, they try to have 3 non-drinking days a week (with varying success, it has to be said). Whilst laudable in itself, it does get in the way of jollity as I discovered when we all had a meal in the restaurant on wed. night together.u
with Richard & Monica. (Bob having taken to her bed, after I had fed her I decided to accept the invitation to dine with the others as life is to short.....)
The campsite restaurant setting was to die for....a terrace perched over the beach, all flowers, blue tiles and canopies looking over the Aegean. All Shirley Valentine. Had a cracking meal but whilst I thought I was being abstemious with a half litre of red the other 4 had a small beer each..........very odd.
Thurs morning and Bob back in the land of the living thank goodness albeit now coughing. Left Plaka at 8.30 with ONBF ( we travel in 2's for company, assistance and arguing over the route and my TomTom is invariably correct and superior to a Garmin). Longish drive 260 miles but at Alexandropolis Municipal camping by 13.30 after part interesting, part boring journey.....nb few if any services, even on  toll roads so have to divert off for fuel and rest breaks which then becomes a lottery as to whether you can get back on motorway as it's not always guaranteed.