The Black sea is just ahead

Posted on February 7, 2012 by admin

I’m on my way north east to the city of Samsun on the coast of the inland sea. I was destined to head east to Sivas and then on to Erzurum before heading for the Iraqi border, but it seemed to me that with the Black Sea so close, it would be wrong not to visit. This whole area has been fought over so many times by so many people. There are only a few possible routes I could take, which is likely to be even more restricted as I head east. The roads so far have been very good, and not as congested as I would find in the UK, or any other part of western Europe, which has been my main experience.

En route I pulled into Corum, a city in the Corum province in northern Turkey.

Manti is a similar to a ravioli.

Leblebi is a chickpeas snack.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, they say, so I ventured into the centre to see what great Turkish food I could find. Çorum Mantısı is a dish that is very well known in this region. ‘Manti’ means dumpling, and is a similar dish to pasta, but Turkish. It is baked in a brick oven, or steamed in a broth. Leblebi is a snack made of chickpeas and baked in spices or salt. This is very common to this area, so make sure you get a taste if you are nearby.

After the defeat of the Ottoman empire during World War One, Turkey entered a period of civil war until 1923. Corum was very much a part of that with one of the highest number of casualties and over 1500 medals of independence being awarded.

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Ankara

Posted on February 6, 2012 by admin

I arrived at Ankara just as the sun was setting and made my way to the No:19 Boutique Hotel I had found on Booking.com for €61, including breakfast. Parking too. Tomorrow I plan to sleep in the camper, so I will pick up some food before leaving the city.

Ankara is the turkish capital, but is the second largest city next to Istanbul. It has a population of around 4.4 million, which is similar to London, and is the location for the Turkish government and much more a centre of commerce. Historically, Ankara dates back to the Bronze age Hatti people and was succeeded by the Hittites in the 10th century BC. Later years saw a whole host of visiting rulers to the country including the Persians, Greeks and Romans. Alexander the Great conquered the city in 333 BC.

The city is well-known for its Mohair products from the Angora goat, Angora being the cities previous and better known name.

I ventured out into the cool night air to see what food was on offer. I soon found a number of small restaurants that served a variety of dishes, but I went for the Kebab.

Doner, but not as we usually have it.

A varied selection of dishes and salad.
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East of Istanbul

Posted on February 6, 2012 by admin

I head across the Bosphorus bridge to make my way on the first of about three steps before the Iraqi border.

1510m (4954ft) long and stands 39m (128ft) high.

The Bosphorus bridge was the 4th largest suspension bridge in the world when it was finished in 1973 and the Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon starts from the Anatolian side of Istanbul each year. Another toll for my journey, but worth the view. Unlucky for me, there is only a toll to pay going towards Asia.

I take the route going directly east on the Gümüşova-Gerede Highway (0-4 or E80). I don’t know what I was expecting, but this is very good quality motorway that takes me towards Bolu and, ultimately, Ankara, where I intend to stop tonight. My lovely camper does a steady 50 – 60 mph, but being an old van, I don’t want to push it too hard, so I keep to the right. Today’s route should take about 6 hours, so I should arrive before the sun goes down.

Nice open road and few cars.

The Bolu tunnel.

Eastbound, the tunnel is 2,788 m (9,147 ft) long and carries three lanes in both directions. Unfortunately, the tunnel crosses the North Anatolian fault, which pretty much follows the motorway I am on, and the tunnel construction has had a number of large quakes. The November 1999 one caused substantial damage, but the eastbound tunnel was officially opened in 2007. This is worth saying: If you go through one of these big tunnels, pull over and take a look at what the tunnel was built to pass. For instance, some years ago I went through the Mont Blanc tunnel from France into Italy. If you pull over before you go into the tunnel on the French side, you get to see a fantastic mountain and huge glacier.

Bolu is a charming town build partially up the side of the mountains in a traditional Ottoman style. To the west is Lake Abant, a tranquil area of calm waters, lush forest and high mountains. I past Bolu about four hours into my drive and headed out towards Ankara.

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Istanbul

Posted on February 4, 2012 by admin

I arrived in Istanbul just before five and drove straight to my hotel near the historic Sultanahmet quarter. I could  have easily kept going, but driving after dark is not great and booking a room is likely to get more difficult as you head away from a city. I am just a few minutes walk from the coast and all I have ‘paid’ is €50 for the night, but no view from the window. Hardly a surprise though. One important factor is that this hotel has a parking garage, which has been harder to find on the trip. I have been using booking.com and turkeytps for this part of the journey.

Istanbul city

Very smart hotel in a great location.

Good rooms at a reasonable price. But probably not this one.

I found a great little device for visitors who need to get about. Buying an AKBİL (Turkish acronym for “Smart Ticket”) is a good idea if you are in Istanbul for more than a day or two, and intend to use public transport. AKBİL is a small electronic device serving as a ticket which may be used on buses, trams, suburban trains, metro, local ferries, etc. You buzz theAKBİL when you get on the bus or enter the tram/metro platform. The great part for travelers is that you can buy only one and buzz it as many times as there are passengers.

The weather has improved no end and although there are traces of snow as I enter the city, I am happy to hear that it is a balmy 8-10c tomorrow, so may take some time out and look about.

They sure know how to do Mosques here.

The detail in this place is incredible.

Day 11: The weather is so good today I thought I would stay and have a good look around. There is plenty to research, so I will move on tomorrow and make something of today.

Istanbul is the historical city of Byzantium, which was changed by the Romans when Emperor Constantine made it the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, where it became known as Constantinople.

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Lunch in Edirne

Posted on February 4, 2012 by admin

Despite leaving a little late this morning I made good progress across the border into Turkey and onto Edirne, the first main city on route. The temperature today is a balmy 8c, but the wind reduces this from time to time to about 4 or 5.

Edirne is an ancient city and originally named Hadrianopolis after the same Hadrian that had the wall built in Northern England. Edirne is the recorded site of 16 major historical battles and was once the capital of the Ottoman empire.

There is a noticeable difference in architecture, much the same as I have found when you drive from France into Italy. If you ever get the chance, drive the Mont Blanc tunnel and experience the change in both climate and environment.

Edirne shopping and bazaars.

The Justice Tower.
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Let’s break for Turkey

Posted on February 4, 2012 by admin

I left Stara Zagora a little late, but the scheduled trip to Istanbul should only take 5 hours (There’s about eight hours of light), but the weather has slowed any journey over the last week. I decided that I had to make Edirne at least, which is just across the border into Turkey and was a psychological move.

One interesting note on visas to get into Turkey is that I only have to pay £10 at the border, but it has to be in sterling. I can’t see why sterling is important and not local currency. No card either, only cash, but handed a crisp tenner over and all was fine. I only expect to be in Turkey for a few days, so this all seems acceptable to me. Turkey is a Candidate member of the EU, so things are a little easier for a UK citizen.

Weather starts to clear up a little.

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Stara Zagora

Posted on February 3, 2012 by admin

Stara Zagora is referred to sometimes as the city of straight lines. There’s something of New York in the way the roads are laid out, but doesn’t have the same mountainous skyscrapers. There’s a quirkiness to some of the architecture which amuses me, and some of the properties are colourful and fun, not the conservative look of modern western buildings. Equally, there are many very modern buildings that show the wealth of this region.

The city is one of the oldest in Europe with over eight thousand years of history, with settlements, earthworks and building remains from almost every period in European history. The city has also seen many violent conflicts that have seen the city destroyed a number of times over the centuries.

The defenders of Stara Zagora

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Colourful architecture

Interesting streets

One of many Roman ruins
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Tarnovo and the Balkan mountains

Posted on February 3, 2012 by admin

I past through Tarnovo on the north side of the mountains before lunch and pulled over. This place is amazing and used to have the honour of being the Bulgarian capital for nearly six hundred years until 1879.

Tarnovo in the warmer months

Tarnovo how I found it.

This is at the north side of the mountains, which loom, menacingly to the south. The Balkan mountains, in all their spender, run 560 km from the border of Serbia on the west to Cape Emine on the Black Sea to the East. Botov is the highest point at 2,376m (7,795 ft) and is part of the Central Balkan National Park.

The Veliko Tarnovo fortress

The Tornovo art gallery
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Heading south

Posted on February 3, 2012 by admin

This morning I had an early breakfast of bread, cheese and jams and have headed south on the E85 towards Stara Zigora. Depending on what I find on the way, I will try to push on to Edirne in Turkey or even Istanbul. No fresh snow this morning, and the main roads have been cleared and everyone seems to be getting on with things. The city webcams and google weather have been very helpful.

Two thirds of this route is reasonably flat compared to the Balkan mountains I will meet later.

Heading for the highlands.

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A short push to Rousse

Posted on February 2, 2012 by admin

After heading south for Istanbul on the E85, I decided to stop in Rousse just 70 km south due to the bad weather. The centre of Rousse has deep snow with all of the roads badly affected. The E85 is open, but poor, as the roads are now frozen over. It is 00:50 and the temperature outside is -12, but feels more like -20 due to the winds. Time for bed. The weather is much better and I intend to head off after breakfast. Night all.

A view from a window.

Serious snow and cold
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