Yes, I admit it. Sometimes I wish for the usual daily stages of 30 to 40 kilometres that we like to ride so much. But Turkey is so big, the distances are huge.
We knew that, put up with it and - oh wonder - enjoy it. We listen to podcasts and audio books, I read from the travel guide and many websites about Turkey. We chat and just sit there. And look at the area.
Because it is simply beautiful. Sometimes the long, dead straight road almost invites you to meditate. Sometimes there is time to marvel. Why are you only allowed to drive 82 here? Who comes up with a number like that? (We often see: 62, 52 and often 82). Or why is there a huge dog at the entrance to a town instead of the usual Atatürk statue on the roundabout?
And then lakes again, huge reservoirs. Beautiful, almost nasty rocks. Two and four-lane serpentines that wind their way up and down the sometimes snow-covered mountains. We drive about 1000 to 1500 metres in altitude on the Central Plateau, and by the time we get out of the car, the wind is already whistling around our ears. But when the sun shines, everything is fine.
The lorries. They drive goods through the country en masse. They creep uphill, sometimes struggling up the mountains at 20 kilometres per hour or less. But the roads are pretty empty and overtaking is usually no problem.
But we also see accidents. Or at least the consequences of accidents. At the side of the road, a small car hanging on a slope, the driver sitting relaxed in front of his tilted car, presumably waiting for someone to pull it out of the slope. On the same day, a white car lying on its roof, three young men standing next to it, also waiting. A few days later, the lorry loaded with oranges lying completely overturned in the ditch: the cab on the roof, the loading area overturned, oranges everywhere. Today, another lorry that instead of driving straight ahead is simply parked across the field, then as a precaution has taken an electricity pylon with it. The police are on site and there is a heated discussion.
Of course, we always checked to see if help was needed, but it was never really necessary, apparently the accidents always happened much earlier and there are always several vehicles and several people on site to provide first aid.
And then the breaks. We stop at little tea rooms. Have a cup of tea. Hoping for a chat. Unfortunately, that's hardly possible here in the midlands, people really don't speak much English. We drive into small or medium-sized towns, the big roads usually run right through the middle. We buy cat and dog food, fill the fridge and usually go out for a bite to eat. We immerse ourselves in life, observe and admire the special features of the city centres and simply love the hustle and bustle.
We really enjoy being in Turkey.
Merci for "travelling with us
We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.
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