Our adventure across Turkey starts in the nowhere-land that represents the southern Greece-Turkish border. Recent oil-explorations in the mediterranean sea led to high tensions between Turkey and Greece. The newspapers even reported about possible military interventions. Unsurprisingley we headed to the border with some concerns. The tanks being transported on the Greek side didn’t alleviate this at all.

Surrounded only by fields and meadows there is a small border post on the Greece side. The formalities on that side are quickly made and we head over to the Turkish side that can only be described as one chaotic building site. Heavily armed military and police is standing on both sides of the bridge. We have to wait a couple of minutes behind trucks and Thierry got chatting with some Romanian truck driver. Apparently the officers were on a lunch break and therefore it takes a little longer. Once the queue continues we have to pay a couple of Euros to get the Pantherli disinfected. The next official checks insurance and then struggls with defining our car appropriately – is it a van, a caravan or a truck?. Afterwards he sends us to get X-rayed. While earlier there were still also some other cars, here we are surrounded by Iranian and other foreign truck drivers. Nobody is speaking English so we navigate our way using hand and feet. Ultimatively it only takes a bit more than an hour but still a bit stressful.

Excited about what lays ahead of us, we begin the journey that will take us around Turkey!

GETTING ACCUSTOMED

On the first days, we are preoccupied with getting us ready for Turkey. This includes buying a SIM card (not as easy as it sounds), finding a place to register for the highway toll and also getting a new wardrobe for Carole that is fitting the more conservative areas in Turkey.

After the hassle at the toll, we finish the first day in Turkey with a small wine tasting in Tekirdag. We set up camp at a beach just outside the city. Before dawn, a production company came to the beach to install a romantic arch and several bar tables. Immediately, we are wondering what would be happening there later. More people, all dressed-up, arrived. Let’s keep in mind that it is an ordinary Tuesday night. Whatever happened there, once the guests started cheering we just joined in. Our best guess is that it was either a small, romantic wedding on an odd date or a very big engagement with more people attending than you’d normally expect. 

On the second day, we continue our quest for a SIM card. The day before we were told in a Turkcell shop that we need to wait another day because we first need to be in the government system tracking tourists. Thus, we drive into Tekirdag again to try our luck in the shopping mall. Unfortunately, the mall is still closed so we go to a Turkcell shop up the hill. There we are told that only the branch in the mall can sell the special tourist package. So we walk down again to the mall only to find out that the shop opens another hour later than the mall in general. Time for some coffee! Being in the mall we grasp the opportunity to find new clothes for Carole that ended in a 1.5-hour shopping spree with three pairs of trousers, a skirt, a jacket and three shirts. Finally, we get to the Turkcell shop. Even amongst the young English is not quite common so we usually communicate via Google translate. After some back and forth the saleswoman thinks of an easier option and she calls someone and hands her phone to Thierry. To our surprise, at the other end of the call, a woman explains in Swiss German that we are still not in the system and thus cannot buy the tourist package. Being curious, Thierry asks if she works with Turkcell. We have a big laugh as it turns out that the saleswoman just phoned her cousin who lives in Switzerland to help with the translation. What initiative!

Later that day, we are also successful in finding an office to register for the automatic toll system. First, we asked some police officers that we drove by but they couldn’t help us. Taking our chances we just stop at an office building adjacent to the first toll station hoping we can register there. This turns out to be the right strategy. We make our way right through Istanbul because we already visited the city before. On the highway, we copy the locals and get a snack from one of the vendors that are risking their lives crossing the busy highway to sell some pretzels. 

HIKING TIME

Next, we are stopping in Iznik. The town is famous for tile-making. Once an important place in Christians time it is now a rather sleepy town. After lunch (and finally getting that SIM card tourist package!!) we drive to Bursa. We are strolling through the markets but for the night we make our way uphill to the National Park Uludag. There is a picnic area suitable for camping – after getting the okay from bewildered park rangers. We have already spotted numerous picnic places and we quickly learned that doing a picnic is a favourite pastime for locals. Most picnic places are in splendid condition with gazebos and a stone grill for each table.

But back to Uludag. After spending the night, we decide to discover the National Park in more detail. The area is a popular ski destination but in the summertime, it’s nearly empty. Hiking is not as popular. To get a jump start, we drive our Pantherli up to one of the ski lift stations. From there, we make our way on foot 3.4 kilometres to one of the hilltops with a decayed mountain hut. It would have been possible to traverse to Mount Uludag but we have already hiked an altitude of 425 m and lost our way several times (hiking not popular equals to no signs whatsoever) on the way there, so we just settle for going back. 

IN THE SHOES OF ARCHEOLOGISTS

After another night in the National Park, we continue to Eskisehir. The old town has beautiful, wooden houses. Just south of Eskisehir there is the Phrygian Valley. Around 800 BC the Phrygians lived in this valley, first having their capital at Gordion and later in Midas. Both cities are on our itinerary. Before arriving in Midas, we already come across numerous stone-carved houses and churches. The region is nearly untouched by tourism. At the same time that makes it more difficult to find the sites but much more rewarding to explore them. We stop overnight just in front of Dogankale, also named the Falcon castle. It is only us and the shepherd with his herd.

The next morning, we explore the old city of Midas. Compared to the other sites, it has at least some information signs but it is still surprisingly empty – but also free to enter. Our next stop in Gordion is a bit more touristic. Fun fact: the saying of the Gordian knot comes from this place. According to a Greek saga, an oracle predicts whoever unravels the elaborate Gordian knot will become the ruler of Asia. Many tried before to untie the knot and failed. Alexander the Great reasoned that it doesn’t matter how the knot is untied and simply sliced it in half with his sword. The story of how he really solved the problem is disputed but he ended up conquering Asia and thus fulfilling the prophecy. In Gordion, we circle around the archeological site and visit the big Tumulus and the museum. The city is surrounded by over a hundred Tumuli (grave hills) but only a few are excavated. After such a busy day of culture, we make our way to Ankara to indulge in two nights in a decent hotel.

FACTS & FIGURES

• Distance: 1167 km
• Average distance per day: 194.5 km
• Attempts at Turkcell: 4
• Wild camping: 5 out of 6 nights (and then the last one straight for a 5-star-hotel in Ankara)