On the road again😎

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

It's time. A crying and a laughing heart... 😐😊 The time with my Turkish family was wonderful, and it feels like I only arrived here yesterday. Yesterday evening we said goodbye... I'm sure we will meet again one day. They have all become my family, and I am very happy about that. But now I'm looking forward to new adventures.

Today I want to take the bus to Çanakkale. I have been invited by a family through Couchsurfing to stay there for one night. The next day I want to go to Istanbul.

In the afternoon I arrived at the Canakkale bus station. The city itself is another five kilometers away from here. I find a public bus. Due to the Covid situation, you can only travel in Turkey with a hash code. This code also needs to be stored on a card, which is used as the ticket for public transportation. First task... get this card... second task... register online for it... Third task... load credit onto it at a machine, which is usually only found at a metro station. With this card, it will be very cheap to travel around the cities. You pay between 2.50 and 7.00 TL (25 to 70 cents) per ride on public transportation.

The bus driver is so kind and takes me to the city for five TL in cash. Here I have to recharge my SIM card first, because I have no more internet. A no-go when traveling 🙄 That's done quickly... Now I am connected to the outside world again 😂

I explore the city and visit the Trojan Horse, the reason why I wanted to visit this city.

In the evening, Hakki, my Couchsurfing host, picks me up from exactly this place. He greets me joyfully in my native language. Our driver is his wife's brother. Both of them are so endearing, and we drive a few kilometers to their home. The whole family is so warm-hearted 😍 They welcome me with a delicious dinner. We have a lot to talk about and it gets late. Naciy has prepared a cozy bed for me in a beautiful room... I am at a loss for words. I'm supposed to feel at home... that's not difficult for me 😊

In the morning, a wonderful Turkish breakfast is already waiting for us with olives, cheese, fresh bread, homemade jams, butter, green salad, egg salad, and much more. Naciye is a wonderful cook.

Now Hakki and his wife have a very special surprise for me. Today I want to hitchhike to Istanbul. The weather is rainy and cold... it would certainly be more comfortable to take the bus. But I decide: out of my comfort zone... into the adventure... 😁😎 Hakki and his wife have organized a ride for me to Kesan. That's about halfway to Istanbul. Oh my God... it couldn't be better. I am just infinitely grateful 🙏❤️ I thank Hakki and his family for everything 🙏😍

The ride with their friends is exciting for me because we cross over to Lapseki on a ferry and can stay in the car. Apart from the cars in front of and behind us, there's nothing to see during the crossing 😊

In Kesan, the friends take me to a gas station on the highway towards Istanbul. Although I have hitchhiked with someone in the area of Izmir a few times during short trips, my experiences with hitchhiking are not particularly extensive. Now I am curious 😅 I stand at the end of the gas station exit with my thumb out... and I am amazed when an old Mercedes with tinted windows actually stops after five minutes. The two young men actually want to take me to Istanbul. They only speak Turkish, no English... but after a short time, one of them speaks a little Italian... and so we have a solution. My Italian language skills are buried deep in the back of my mind, but surprisingly, it works well with communication. I repeatedly realize that it is a blessing to be able to speak languages. Unfortunately, my Turkish is not that great after these five months, but it is enough for some conversation.

We have a nice ride and the two of them take me to a metro station in Istanbul.

In the meantime, I already have a contact where I can stay in Istanbul. My good friend from Selcuk has asked his cousin to accommodate me.

So I make my way to Osmanbey Metro station, from here Ziya doesn't live far away. Another challenge... how do I get the ticket for the metro. I try in vain to communicate with the ticket machine in a language I can understand... and fail miserably 😩 But in the second I want to give up, an angel stands next to me. An employee of the metro station who seems to feel a little sorry for me. After a short time, she says: 'Come...' and opens a small door for me to access the platforms. Great... this train and then one more change and I have arrived.

At the transfer station, I am not allowed to enter the metro without a ticket 😁 Negotiating with the employee at the control machines is not possible in this regard. No card, no entry 🙄 Luckily, I'm not the only one facing this issue. A nice Algerian tries to help me register my hash code on my card that I have acquired in the meantime. In the end, the employee opens the small side door for me because my card is still not usable after three registration attempts. At least I can continue my journey now. The registration finally works in my host's house.

Arriving at Osmanbay Metro station, I look for the house where Ziya is already waiting for me. He greets me warmly, and I immediately feel comfortable in his cozy apartment.

Once again, I am grateful for the past hours, during which I have experienced so much hospitality. 🙏😍