Stage 45: From Tekirdag to Istanbul

Weather-wise, it would have been smarter to go to Istanbul with Andrea and Lotfi a day earlier, but the rest day in Tekirdag was good. On December 4th, I cycled the nearly 150 remaining kilometers to Istanbul almost non-stop in the rain, so there were no photo stops along the way! The ride mostly followed the main road, and I struggled to navigate in Beylikduzu and Avcilar, which didn't exactly boost my motivation. However, in the last kilometers along the 'Kennedy Caddesi', the coastal road in the southwest of Istanbul, there was actually a bike path! The road was completed in 1963 and dedicated to John F. Kennedy after his assassination in the same year.

Initially overwhelmed by the size of Istanbul, it wasn't easy to find my hotel without mobile data. For the first two nights, I wanted to stay near Lotfi and Andrea, who had settled in the popular and touristic district of Sultanahmet. After the exhausting stage, there was only a good dinner five meters away from the hotel in the evening.

The next day, I had arranged a big sightseeing tour with the crazy Italians. Since their return flight was already booked for December 6th, they wanted to visit the main attractions in one day. We started in Sultanahmet, passing by the famous Blue Mosque (which is unfortunately currently being renovated) to Hagia Sophia. Although it has been in use as a mosque again since 2020, there are still many Christian symbols and wall paintings from the Byzantine period inside. Despite the conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1453, they were not destroyed. We then continued to the Topkapi Palace (only from the outside for now) and then crossed the Galata Bridge heading north along the Golden Horn. Of course, we couldn't miss the Galata Tower, and afterwards we wandered through narrow alleys in Beyoglu and later along the famous shopping street 'Istiklal' to Taksim Square. This central meeting point and the adjacent Gezi Park became symbols for the government-critical protests in 2013 that took place throughout Turkey. After a small lunch, we continued to the Dolmabahce Palace (again only from the outside, as Lotfi and Andrea didn't have time). In the afternoon, we took the tram from Kabatas back to Sultanahmet. The two of them were busy for a few hours packing their bikes into boxes for the flight. Later, we had dinner in a small restaurant in Fatih away from the tourist hotspots. Of course, Baklava was not missing for farewell!

On December 6th, I wanted to visit the main attractions again with professional support. So I went on a Free Walking Tour with a meeting point at the German Fountain, right next to Hagia Sophia. In over three hours, we received many insider information and tips for further exploration. The guide, Pinar, was great and offered another tour with a boat trip in the afternoon at a very good price. During the break, there was just enough time to bring my bike and stuff from the hotel to a hostel in Fatih and rush to the meeting point for the second tour near the Yenikapi Port. This is where the famous Orient Express makes its final stop. We were only four people on the second tour (including Pinar), so it felt like a private tour, and we could ask many questions. However, we had to share the boat with a larger Spanish tour group. The boat took us from Yenikapi to the Golden Horn, then back and north to the Bosphorus Bridge. On the way back, the timing was perfect for a beautiful sunset over Istanbul. The ferry stopped in Uskudar on the Asian side. From there, I could spend some time in Asia with the other two participants, Moukhtar and an Indian who lives in the USA. We tried Kokorec (sheep intestine), which wasn't necessarily my favorite. In the dark, we took the public ferry back to Karakoy and then walked across the whole city to the hostel in Fatih. It was an eventful day, and the boat tour with lots of information was particularly exciting!

The next day was rainy, but I managed to visit the archaeological museum near the Topkapi Palace. The museum displays many artifacts from earlier high cultures (Sumerians, Babylonians). There is also a large collection of sarcophagi, especially the Alexander Sarcophagus (4th century BC).

Then, on the following day, I finally went to the Topkapi Palace. For a long time, the huge complex was the residence of the sultans and the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Mehmet II had it built after the conquest of Constantinople. The complex of buildings and the garden were impressive, but unfortunately, only a few tourists adhered to the ban on taking pictures inside (not to mention social distancing and the mask requirement...). The palace also houses significant relics of the Prophet Mohammed (sword, turbans, etc.), but my highlight was his beard hair! Even though it was strictly forbidden, people, including Muslims, were still taking pictures of them. In the afternoon, I went on to the less touristy Museum of Islamic Technology and Science. There are many fascinating apparatuses and models from the time when the Islamic world was a pioneer in astronomy, medicine, and technology. You can easily spend an hour there.

Later in the evening, things went downhill for me. Apparently, I had eaten something wrong. In the following days, loss of appetite, fatigue, and gastrointestinal problems were on the agenda (no further details at this point). I could still visit a few places in between, such as the Grand Bazaar with the Spice Bazaar and the Rustem Pasha Mosque. On the 10th, I wanted to change my location again and dragged myself with the bike and luggage to the vicinity of Taksim Square. Since there was no improvement in sight, I could only do the standard tourist program there (writing postcards and buying souvenirs).

The planned home vacation over Christmas and New Year came in handy. Instead of street food, I only dared to eat dry biscuits and pretzel sticks. At least the constant tiredness was gone. So, on the day before the flight, I locked my bike, including most of the bags, at a small storage rental place in Sisli (the rental agreement was only in Turkish!) and returned to Germany with a negative PCR test. The three weeks with friends and family were very relaxing and enjoyable. The few kilos lost due to sports and gastrointestinal problems were quickly regained during the holidays.

You quickly get used to the usual comforts, which doesn't exactly increase the motivation to continue cycling. But on January 4th, I was already on a plane back to Istanbul - how time flies! This time, I took the bus from the airport to Besiktas, a neighborhood that younger locals rave about. My cozy hostel was right in the breakfast district, with lots of restaurants and bars nearby. Unlike Sultanahmet or Taksim, you don't get woken up by the call to prayer every morning here. My bike and luggage were indeed still in place, and I took half a day to clean and maintain my vehicle.

I still hadn't visited the Dolmabahce Palace, so I finally did it on January 7th. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the 'Father of the Turks,' spent his last years there. The Dolmabahce Palace is particularly notable for its huge chandeliers, carpets, and colorful rooms. Erdogan also occasionally receives guests here. Overall, I liked the Dolmabahce Palace better than the Topkapi Palace, which may have been because there were fewer tourists. After some final preparations and a last walk through Besiktas, the tour continues tomorrow with a lot of travel excitement! Istanbul remains a fond memory for me, and it definitely won't be the last time I visit.