Bergama/Türkei – Antalya/Türkei : Fotos
Bergama/Turkey – Antalya/Turkey
Almost a week has passed – time for an update here from the old town of Antalya, where we spent the night in a nice and simple pension. As long as we get internet access so easily and affordable (here in Turkey 0.50 Euro/hour), we will try to have one blog session each week – just to let you know. Thomas is sitting next to me and writes the german article. It’s about midday and it’s a lovely day, quiet, sunny and warm! Finally! The night before we had again ice on the sleeping bags and bikes with minus 7 degrees, up there in the mountains.
Before I start, I want to say here „Hey!“ and „Thanks!“ to you Olli and also to Nadine and the little Charlize of course, for the almost regular and nice comments from Curitiba/Brazil! I just want to say it once again, that we are happy about every comment, happy, to be able to share some thoughts,oppinions and ideas here and also to answer your questions, if you got some!
Tom and me were thinking, to open another category beside the lines about our daily ‚route-ine‘, adventures and experiences – to write some articles about just one of these special moments for example, like the meeting with the melon man and why they are so special for us, or about the reasons for this tour – Why are we doing this? Why with a bicycle? and more still, why with such a strange bicycle? About the mixed and changing feelings of beeing such an attraction in many places we pass through. About the one question we hear again and again: How much? (money, the bikes) Why is it so important for them to know? we ask ourselves. One could conclude, that it shows, that money rules the world, that it is the dominant measure. But of course there are things you can not measure with just a number and a unit. What does it mean, if one of us replies „1.500 Euros“ or „2 Dollars“ (we did that sometimes, just to test the reaction), or if we would say 10.000 Euros? Or that this is all we own, all we need on this tour, our home, our car, our faithful companion? Even more, it is still just a simple bicycle, a (street-)machine (as it was called by the developers and producers ‚hp-velotechnik‘ in Kriftel, Germany) and it enables us to live this dream, our dream – this TOUR! That’s what we wanted to do, to live this dream, which grew over all this years – and we found a way, our way, to do it, finally, to start this journey on the 14th of October in Berlin!
How can you value this in numbers and units, a price? You can’t! But it is not always easy to explain in these situations, often not even worth a try, so it seems. And I write that, knowing, that it is still a luxory, to do such a journey, because we were lucky and grew up in a country like Germany, where we had never to worry about food or money or a lack of attention and love, where we had the chance to study and to travel, where we had enough free time and free space to start dreaming about an adventure like this. Also the fact, that we got german passports and that I had the chance to study and work abroad quite easily, that we had the chance to save some money as well, in strong currencies, so that there is no need to work, while we are on tour. And – last but not least and maybe most important – because we got a save and peaceful home, to return to and the support of our parents, of our families, our friends and of all the people, who are with us in their thoughts! So thanks again to all of you and for all the presents I mentioned!
It is 2:30 pm now and I realized, that, when I started to tell you about the idea with the new category, I started already to write the first article, which would fit in there. Well, maybe it is a starting point and gives you also a better idea, what this is all about, this tour and this blog, I mean. Just one more thing – I try my best – but still, even that I love the english language, it will stay a second language for me and I write without a script – so please excuse me for my mistakes and feel free to correct me!
We got to move on now, unfortunately, and I wanted to tell you also about the events of the last days and nights and kilometers since Bergama… So I just have to leave you with the pictures and there german titles and with the assurance, that we are in the best mood, happy and healthy, for our next stages to Adana/Turkey and further to Syria and Jordania. I wish you all a happy pre-christmas-time as well!
Maik
pictures to this article: Bergama/Türkei – Antalya/Türkei : Fotos
press: Kurtulus, Soma/Türkei, 23.11.2006, „Dünya turuna cikan Alman turistler Soma’da“
Bergama/Türkei – Antalya/Türkei
Mittwoch 22.11.2006: Wie gewohnt radeln wir ein Stück bis zur nächsten Stadt um dort erst zu frühstücken. Die 60000-Einwohner-Stadt Soma ist heute unsere Frühstücksstadt. 40km haben wir schon in den Beinen. Nun aber endlich Nahrung aufnehmen. […]
weiter :: more :: mas
Thessaloniki/Griechenland – Bergama/Türkei : Fotos
Thessaloniki/Greece – Bergama/Turkey
So, we are in Bergama/Turkey/Asia now and are having a little break today, before passing some more mountaineous roads again on our way to Antalya on the South Coast of Turkey and further to Syrıa. We are happy and healthy and the weather gods and godesses are still providing best touring conditions, as you can see on the new pictures.
The two wonderful and relaxing days with Mary and her friends and family also gave us new energy and motivation for the next stages. On Monday midday we left Thessaloniki and spent 4 more days and nights in Greece. Friday morning we crossed the border to Turkey, spent there our last night in good old Europe, before taking the ferry boat across the Dardanelles, which mark the border to Asia. Since then we cycled another 2.5 days and about 230 km to here.
And again, I am sure I am telling you nothing new, the most impressing moments are the ones when you meet friendly, welcoming people along the way, often very spontaneously and of course the curiosity about how the people live here, their villages, towns and cities, not to forget the scenery, the cycling hours before sunset, exchanging thoughts and impressions with Tom…
Before I switch to chat a little with Elisa in Bogota ;) Here some of these moments I mentioned above with a bit more ‚colour‘ in a loose summary – one evening, when we asked in a greek bakery for water we got a kilo of extra sweet cookies (hmm) – then, one morning we had to stop (again) for a police control – they simply were interested in our bikes and our plans and wanted a picture – then a wonderful empty road, still very new until we realized, that they are still working on it ( a alternative road along the cars-only EGNATIA hıghway) – the afternoon when we arrived in Alexandropolis and a young man just invited us to a happy fısh and cipuro (hot stuff – a bit lıke ouzo) meal in a little kiosk-like shelter on the street – the farmer, who wanted to start working on exactly this part of the field, where we just wrapped ourselves in the sleeping bags (2-3 hours after sunset) – the friendly sheperd – the turkish man, who ordered tea for us across the street – the little young boy, who, with a big smile, brought us 2 cups and lemonade, while we had our breakfast – the young man, who claimed to be (and surely was) an english teacher and whom I asked for a little turkish lesson instead – well and last but not least our invitation for a 2nd breakfast this morning after a ‚medium-hot‘ shower on a roof terrace of the ‚Berlin Pension‘ here in Bergamo!
So now it is about time… hope to see you all back in a week or two…
Maik
pictures to this article: Thessaloniki/Griechenland – Bergama/Türkei : Fotos
Thessaloniki/Griechenland – Bergama/Türkei
Ein wichtiger Aspekt der Reise ist, dass man sich bewusst macht, dass jeder Tag ein besonderer ist, einzigartig, spannend. Dabei sind es oft die kleinen Geschichten, Begegnungen und Gesten, die uns abends in den Schlafsäcken liegend sagen lassen: „Was für ein Tag!“.
An einem Tag mit hoher Ereignisdichte erleben wir folgendes: […]
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Elbasan/Albanien – Thessaloniki/Griechenland : Fotos
