On the way home

Day #48

Wednesday, June 17

From Istanbul to Yeniciftlik

Country: Turkey

The usual routine starts all over again: getting up and packing. And even though everything now has its fixed place, it still takes quite a long time to get everything done.

Everything has to be packed as compactly as possible.

I need the remaining space for food.

In between, I keep munching on my muesli whenever I mention food.

And then comes the crucial question: how do I get out of here?

My GPS shows me a route, but the bike path is 3 meters above me, and there is no access.

Until I see two locals in front of their apartment door with a racing bike next to them.

Perfect, they should know.

So he helps me, commissioned by his English-speaking sister, to find the way through the alleys to the bike path.

The next hurdle is that I have to cross the highway.

Going up is doable, but the elevator on the other side is under repair, so I have to shoulder my bike and carry it down.

Finally, I can ride nicely along the promenade and enjoy a wonderful view of the water, the countless anchored freighters, and watch the city shrink behind me.

At least the high-rise buildings, since I basically stay in built-up areas all day.

It’s a global city, and everything near the sea is built up.

It gets exciting when I reach the E5.

Definitely not something to get used to.

One could still compare it to a highway—without a shoulder.

As this is my route, I have to somehow fight my way through.

Every entrance and exit, even the multi-lane ones, is crossed.

It’s adventurous, and still better than riding between the lanes.

Slowing down cars works for now, but then come the mopeds that squeeze through everywhere quickly.

A chaotic mess, and I am right in the middle of it.

When I pass through Büyükcekmece, I take the opportunity to shop.

At the checkout, I catch words like ... Alman ... and it’s obvious that they are talking about me.

The other customer is a Turkish-German from the rat catcher city and has bought property here to spend his retirement by the sea.

Completely understandable.

He talks about cultural difficulties and other challenges while I stash my stuff away.

On the way, I can sometimes even see the sea through the houses, and eventually, I find a place to take a break on the beach before moving on.

I am curious about how and where I will find a spot for my night’s rest today.

In the evening, it resolves itself quite simply when I ask a few locals, and I find a nice spot on the beach.

I am a bit unsure about what they are saying since only one speaks broken English, but the word camping is quickly figured out, and