Turkey 2010 via the Balkans

PREMISE: the idea for this trip was first launched by Eva while we were on the way back from Russia last summer. At first there wasn't much conviction but little by little, reading the diaries of the other campers we decided to set off on an adventure. After the demanding trip to Russia last summer, our group, formed purely by chance, proved to be compact and cohesive, fully confirming the statement that had closed last year's diary, namely that the most beautiful thing about that experience was the friendship that had sprung up among us. Participants in the adventure will therefore be: Aurelio and Eva from Carmignano with their Giottiline, Arnaldo and Gabriella from Milan with their Elanagh, Gianni and Dona from Rome with their Hymer and finally Ivano and Ale (the writer) with Davide and the faithful Zara (German shepherd) from Genoa in a Moncayo 773.

When we're in Antalya we'll be joined by Francesco and Alessandra, also from Genoa, who will join the group for the tour in Cappadocia and Istanbul from where they'll fly back; this year

Sunday 15th August What a terrible bloody wake-up, the alarm didn't go off when it was supposed to! We're ready on time anyway. Today we've got a lot of road ahead of us and two borders to cross, the destination is Belgrade at Camping Dunav in Zemun (on the outskirts of Belgrade). The rest area in Gorizia is practically one km from the border, which you cross with no break in the city, you only realize it because you see the sign and beyond it the writing changes language. We join the E70, the highway that will stay with us all the way to Bulgaria. In Slovenia you have to buy a Vignette, there's a weekly or a monthly one. We got the latter, we'll need it for the trip back too. The very well-kept highway winds through mountain scenery and meadows. Pretty villages with well-tended houses make it clear that people must have a decent standard of living.

The crossing from Slovenia to Croatia takes place at the border since Croatia isn't part of the European Union. Here, the further you get from Slovenia, the more you notice that the situation is more run-down. You come across sadly well-known names like Banja Luka and Sarajevo. We reach the Serbian border, right around lunchtime, we're lucky and the line is minimal. We get through after a quick document check, they don't search the vehicles at all and they don't even ask for Zara's documents. It'll be the same for all of us, only at Dona's do they ask if we're in a group and where we're going, when they hear we're heading to Turkey they wish us the best of luck! We arrive in Belgrade, actually in Zemun, around 3 p.m. Finding Camping Dunav is a real undertaking. The address you find on some sites is totally unreliable, don't go to Cara Dusana 49 because there's no campsite there.

When you get to Cara Dusana you have to turn left where there's a Garden centre, carry on a few km then you come across a scrawny little sign "Autocamp Dunav", from there you turn right onto a paved lane and after about 1 km you're there. The campsite is very spartan, the facilities are what they are but it's the only one in the area. For three of us for one night we spent 20 euros, with electricity which we really needed for the air conditioning.........it's very hot! We had the usual big meal together and again tonight it's early to bed, tomorrow Sofia awaits us, another border and part of the road that we know isn't the best.

Monday 16th August The night wasn't the best, we perhaps made the blunder of choosing the pitches closest to the exit facing the campsite bar. A group of French people, very well fuelled with beer, made us part of their conversations and laughter well into the night until Arna and Gianni's patience ran out....... We set off early towards Sofia, the driving is good, the outskirts of Belgrade are sad with big apartment blocks, along the way fields and woods alternate without anything particularly noteworthy. We reach the border with Bulgaria around lunchtime, we've got about ten cars ahead of us, a customs officer sees the campers and waves us to move over and go ahead, they quickly check the documents and we proceed towards the Bulgarian barrier.

We'd read about thorough checks and a sort of disinfectant bath that they put the vehicles through, currently it's no longer in force, they only checked the documents and proof of green card insurance, in five minutes all three of us were through. Once in Sofia, where we'd planned to stop, we decide to push on in one single stretch towards Edirne. The shortest road takes us across the border with Greece which we cross in the usual five minutes without any lines, and then with Turkey where we spend a few more minutes registering the campers on the drivers' passports.

We enter Edirne as it's getting dark, the Muezzin is calling to prayer, we admire our first mosque!! The city is very pretty, there are some very scenic roundabouts, I've always envied the French ones, now I'll envy the Turkish ones too!! Finally we find Camping Grande Omur (gps N 41.62018° E 26.6394°) the lady who runs it is very kind and helpful even though she only speaks German, we spend €17 per two-person unit, for us three with Zara, €25. The day has been tiring so it's early to bed after a quick dinner....the torment of the mosquitoes begins....... Tuesday 17th August Up to today these have been pure transfer stages, today's is the beginning of the real tour. We leave around 9 from Edirne towards Gelibolu where we'll board the ferry to cross the Dardanelles strait.

When we get to the port the sailors wave their arms to get us quickly onto the ferry, we're lucky to have caught it at just the right moment. We spend 37 lira (Turkish lira) per camper, that is about €50 in total. The crossing is calm and lasts about twenty minutes. The captain, happy to have us on board, takes us up to the command bridge, telling us all sorts of things. As soon as we disembark we set about changing our euros into Turkish lira. The value is about half so a bit under 2 lira for 1 euro. We reach Troy (Truva) at lunchtime, we immediately find the campsite we'd chosen, "Troia Pension e Camping" (gps N 39°57'22'' E26°15'1''). The place is very nice and the managers are very helpful and kind, the archaeological site is about 500 m from the campsite. Since it's very hot, 41 degrees, we arrange a ride with a minibus that costs us 7 lira in total.

Entry to the site costs 15 lira, obviously what you see isn't anything spectacular, the ruins certainly aren't as scenic as those of other sites, but we're happy to have been in the city made famous by Homer's Iliad and, whether the story is true or fictional, it's still nice to be able to say we've trodden in the footsteps of Achilles! On the way back, we buy two bags, one for myself and one to give as a gift, tonight we'll have dinner at the campsite restaurant. The dinner at the campsite's home-style restaurant was really excellent, they served us a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers; then a dish with meatballs, rice, aubergines and potatoes that would raise the dead and finally some very fresh watermelon.

The night was anything but quiet, for a long time we heard a drum being played that came and went who knows how, then at dawn we were suddenly woken by the muezzin yelling at the top of his lungs, dogs barking.....well, let's not even go there..... Since we were awake we set off very early towards Pergamon. Wednesday 18th August We arrived in Pergamon in the morning and visited the ruins of the city that stood on the hill overlooking modern Bergama. We decided to skip the visit to the Asklepeion because we were exhausted from the heat, we grab a couple of sandwiches and set off again towards Ephesus. We noticed that from Edirne the road we're travelling is all being widened with major works that will make it better than a highway. We'll take the highway anyway for a long stretch to Selcuk, at the toll booth we unexpectedly pay 3 Turkish lira (that is €1.50) incredible.....

At Ephesus we immediately look for the campsite, we've decided to take half a day's rest by the sea, we'll go to the excavations tomorrow morning hoping to visit them at a more human temperature than yesterday's at Pergamon. The campsite where we stopped is the Dereli, nice and right on the sea. The beach is sandy and the very choppy sea makes the water not clear. We still have a refreshing swim, the water is very warm and Zara enjoys it enormously too, swimming with Davide. We have dinner under the eucalyptus trees, the mosquitoes torment us (what a pain....I'm being massacred despite the Autan). Quiet and very hot night, we're grateful for the moment we decided to install the air conditioning.

Thursday 19th August The site of Ephesus is magnificent, we arrive at the car park and leave the camper in the shade of the eucalyptus trees, today we won't bring Zara with us, we'll leave her on guard with the 12-volt fan on and in the shade of the plants. One of the nice things about this holiday is the fact that Zara has always been welcome everywhere, beach included. To our questions about whether it was possible to bring her we've always been told "but of course!!" We get taken to the upper entrance, so we can do the visit going downhill, by the horse carriage; we spent 30 lira per carriage. The coachman also takes us to see the cave of the Seven Sleepers, a site where legend says seven Christians were walled up alive and came out two centuries later. A place of worship and burial was built there.

The entrance ticket to the site of Ephesus costs 20 lira and we decide to make use of a guide since there are many things to see and on your own you risk getting scattered. The guide costs us €40 which we pay directly to him, he's a likeable elderly gentleman who speaks decent, perfectly understandable Italian. With him we manage to follow a route that lets us see all the most interesting things. The city is divided into three main parts, the upper one, the place where all the administrative and government complexes were, with the beautiful Odeon theatre; then through a beautiful colonnaded street we reach the middle city, seat of the social life of Ephesus, with the shops and the great Library of Celsus, the third in the ancient world after Alexandria in Egypt and Pergamon.

Finally the lower part of the city was the one adjacent to the port with the great public theatre (the Odeon was reserved for notables and nobles). The visit ends and we return to the camper, not without having bought some splendid peaches and very sweet figs which we devour for lunch. We skip the visit to the ruins of the temple of Artemis because the heat is becoming unbearable, well over 40°.

We set off again towards Bodrum where we'll stop at the Zetas campsite in Gumbet, the place is very nice, it has a beautiful but very crowded beach, so no swimming for Zara even though the manager tells us it's allowed. We leave her in the shade of the eucalyptus trees with the air conditioning on full blast and treat ourselves to a refreshing swim. The campsite is decent, the use of the wicker parasols and the sun loungers, all strictly with their own mattress, is FREE, something absolutely unthinkable back home where they charge you even for what they don't give you. Gianni has a problem with the camper and has to find a mechanic so we'll stay for the whole of tomorrow. After dinner we take a stroll around the little town of Gumbet where the campsite is and browse its shops, I should teach my colleagues what they do here too.....

you barely get near a shop window and someone immediately rushes over to get you inside...... for those of us with more northern habits, this behaviour leaves you a bit taken aback. Even along the road when they saw our convoy of campers coming, from the stalls people would wave their arms to get us to stop and buy their products, on two occasions we did, buying melons, watermelons and figs all excellent and at very good prices. Friday 20th August While Gianni and Dona went to the mechanic with the camper which for a few days has been making a not at all reassuring little noise, we lazed about, prepared the fruit for lunch and wrote this diary. Once they came back (without having been able to sort anything out) we went to the sea and had another nice swim. Today, when the temperature is a bit less boiling (yeah right...), we'll go and visit Bodrum and its castle.

We took one of those minibuses called DOLMUS paying €2.50 per person, inside it's infernally hot, the thermometer reads 43°, we can't wait to get off. We need to change euros so we go into a bank, the wait is very long but luckily there's air conditioning and this lets us cool down a bit. The little town is very nice and lively, full of shops, you can tell it's the classic fashionable seaside place. In the port numerous sailing ships and yachts of considerable standing are moored. We walk along the quay to get to the Castle which we want to visit and which houses the underwater archaeology museum. Entry costs the usual 10 lira (I'd say it's a standard rate, aside from a few exceptions) per person, it's definitely worth spending it, everything is very well kept and beautiful to see. From the castle you also get a splendid view of the whole bay.

On the way back to the campsite we stop at the fruit market, there's a young guy who speaks a bit of Italian and is very happy to sell us his fruit and the peppers that tonight we'll have with fusilli. At the campsite we invite the manager to dinner, who gladly accepts and while eating tells us many things about the habits and life of the place; he also introduces us to a camper from Istanbul who gives us some tips on things to visit and who calls his nephew to ask if he's available to give us a hand. We're very struck by the cordiality and kindness of the Turks who have always gone out of their way whenever we had problems or simple requests.

Saturday 21st August We leave early for Pammukale, when we're about twenty km from the destination the sat nav sends us straight onto a dirt road with the result that I go into a panic. We'll later discover we weren't the only ones to do it! After driving back and forth to figure out how to get into the Sehyr campsite, an attendant waves his arms to show us the entrance.

It's very hot here too, the guides, however, recommend getting taken to the upper entrance and visiting the site going downhill, at the campsite we find a taxi that takes us for 10 lira. The entrance ticket costs the usual 10 lira for the pools and another 10 for the archaeological site of Hierapolis. The latter turns out to be extremely disappointing, only a tiny part of it has been excavated, the sarcophagus museum can only be visited by paying a further ticket and we don't think it's worth it. They let us see the ancient pools, they're beautiful but to be able to get in and swim you have to pay another 25 lira each (for two hours).

So we decide to go down the famous cotton castle, the choice is definitely a good one!! You can only walk on it barefoot so as not to damage the limestone concretions, swimming in these pools is a very pleasant thing, we gave ourselves a good massage with the clay found on the bottom........to think that the same treatment in a wellness centre costs a fortune!!! We bask for hours in this natural water-spa until sunset when the blinding white of the limestone turns orange and the water flowing down takes on the appearance of a stream of gold.

It's an unmissable spectacle!!!! At the campsite we meet a group of 16 Italian campers travelling organised by a tour operator, in Istanbul they stayed at London Camping, so it exists!! They also tell us they did the dirt road, one of the group chirps that it was a little trifle compared to the 600 km he'd tackled the previous year going to Samarkand. Sunday 22nd August We'd planned a two-day stop to visit Pammukale and Hierapolis but since to go and swim in the ancient pools we'd not only have to pay the entrance to these, but also pay again for entry to the whole site, we run away as fast as we can! Our destination is Kas at the Olympos campsite. We get there in the early afternoon after crossing a large plateau at 1450 m altitude. Along the way we buy, at the usual stalls found along the road, cucumbers, tomatoes and melons.

We stop at one of the many fountains to stock up on very fresh water, nearby there's a seller of roast chicken. Dona is a bit sceptical about how well cooked they are but she'll have to think again. We stop for lunch along the road, polishing off all the chickens in an instant (and if there'd been more....), shortly after a picturesque local family stops next to us and starts setting up a little stall selling something we don't understand. We offer lollipops to the children who thank us numerous times. We arrive at the Olympos campsite in Kas in the early afternoon, it's a small campsite with a small but well-kept beach. We have difficulty getting in because of the Roller Team of an Italian (of course! ) who has planted himself in the way just to put up his satellite dish. The sea is clean and the people kind, they ask us if we want to have dinner with fish and we book dinner.

In the evening they have the table set right on the sea for us, they bring us a delicious grilled fish with a side of vegetables and potatoes, a melon hollowed out with ice cream inside and local beer (Efes) all at about €15 each....delicious dinner, priceless setting! Monday 23rd August Unfortunately Gianni has a problem with the fridge, as the gas isn't working properly it won't start unless connected to 220v or while driving. For this reason we decide not to stop and see the town of Kas but to go straight on to Demre, with this heat we can't afford to have the fridge out of action. We have a bit of trouble finding the "Demre e Lecco" campsite (gpsN36°13,479' E29°59,408') marked by a sign with the image of Father Christmas. We make a mistake and end up at a campsite (so to speak) on a sandy beach, there are hook-ups but it's very isolated and not what we were looking for.

After driving around a bit, we finally manage to take the right side street, the place is really nice and well kept, marked by a nice green lawn and on a large pebble beach, ideal for Zara too. While Gianni, Arna and Ivano fiddle with the gas we go and have a nice swim. The beach is immense and there must be no more than about ten people on it! The sea is clean and the use of beach equipment absolutely free (in Italy they should learn), only later in the afternoon do they come and ask if we'd like something cold to drink, obviously we accept and take the opportunity to ask if it's possible to have a vehicle to visit Myra and a boat to go to Kekova. They assure us of both and we spend the day in total relaxation.

Tuesday 24th August Today is Gabri's birthday, in the morning two taxis, arranged by the manager, came to pick us up at the campsite to go and visit the site of Myra and the church of Saint Nicholas. They'll be practically at our disposal for the whole morning, we agreed a price of 50 lira (25 euros) per taxi. So we head to the site of the rock tombs of the Lycian civilisation, they're a truly remarkable spectacle. Shame that none of them are accessible and you have to settle for admiring them from below. The theatre is magnificent too, but the whole site has a somewhat scruffy air and it doesn't deserve it. This somewhat scruffy air of things, at least up to today (with the exception of Bodrum castle) is a constant.

In my opinion these sites should be enhanced more, it's also true that restorations must cost a considerable amount, not easy to sustain even while charging the entrance ticket. The church of Saint Nicholas is very interesting even though getting close to the sarcophagus is almost impossible due to the immense line of Russian tourists, chanting in prayer, who dutifully want to touch it and, obviously, each say their own prayer. We also manage to change euros at the bank and do a bit of shopping at the supermarket, this afternoon relaxing on the beach and dinner, based on excellent fish, at the campsite restaurant. Tomorrow a boat trip to Kekova. Wednesday 25th August This morning they came to pick us up to take us to Andriake where the boat awaits us for the tour we'd booked.

The "boat" is a large motor cabin cruiser and the captain is assisted by his son (see photo above). As a first stop we visit a large cave which we barely enter, with crystal-clear water and dreamlike colours, then he takes us to a beautiful inlet where we have a marvellous swim; when we set off again he takes us to visit the ruins of Simena, a city that stood on the island of Kekova, this was once joined to the mainland but a great earthquake made it sink into the sea. From the transparent bottom of the boat you can still see the vestiges of it, amphorae and many other objects. We then went to the village of Kekova to visit its castle, you can only get there by sea or along a mule track. The place is really beautiful and there are many little artisan shops where we bought some very nice objects at good prices.

After seeing, again from the bottom of the boat, the wreck of a ship we entered a very sheltered bay where, while we had a refreshing swim, the captain and his son prepared a first-rate little lunch based on grilled fish, tomato and cucumber salad and fried potatoes. To finish, melon and watermelon. After the fateful Turkish coffee we set off again to enter an inlet deep as a fjord where the water, unlike all the places where we'd swum, was freezing cold. This is because numerous springs flow out of the rocks on the sides. For this splendid day we spent 450 lira all inclusive (lunch and taxi service to and from the campsite) between seven of us and it really doesn't seem much to me! The captain, Mr Cimen, on the way back absolutely insisted on offering us coffee at his house, introducing us to his family and offering us the exquisite figs from his trees.

We ended the evening at the campsite, where the owner went out of his way to get us the address of the campsite in Antalya (since we hadn't managed to find the gps coordinates) where we'll have to wait for Ale and Fra to arrive. At the "Demre e Lecco" campsite we were very happy, the only downside being the cold-only showers but with the scorching heat we've had that's fine too, we spent 75 lira per camper for three nights. We found kind and helpful people, if you want to go there remember that the sat nav (at least our Becker Z 99) takes you to the main road then you have to turn at the sign for the "Limoneda" restaurant, once you've found this just carry on for about 200 m and you'll immediately notice the sign with Father Christmas dressed as a lifeguard.

It's a place we'd absolutely recommend if you're in the area, definitely better than the one in Kas both for the size of the beach and for the structure itself. Thursday 26th August We set off in a leisurely fashion and head towards Kemer in search of Cirali where according to the Rutard guide the Green Point campsite should be, we find the place but no sign of the campsite, all the ones we come across aren't suitable for the height of our vehicles (we're 3.10 m), there are trees that are too low, we find a place to manoeuvre to turn around. We get through, Arna with his Elnagh instead gets stuck in the sand and to get out he has to shovel a lot, then we try putting mats underneath to get some grip, in the end he manages to get out of the quagmire with great effort and a good deal of sweat and exasperation. We run away like hares to look elsewhere.

Of the campsites marked on the guides or on the map that the Turkish embassy provided us with before departure (which therefore should have been up to date), not a trace. We stop to have a sandwich for lunch looking for but not finding a place with a bit of shade, it's 44 degrees and it's suffocating. Finally, when we were by now discouraged and tired also because of various ups and downs, including the breakdown of the motor that lifts Arna's external step which after getting stuck in the sand wanted to round off the day nicely, and the collapse of our central light fitting, at the end of Beldibi we see the signs for the Mandalina Camping.

They place us outside again because of the height, but they give us the 220v hook-up, on the facilities (toilets and showers) better to say no more, the cost is 35 lira per camper (excessive compared to what's offered and in comparison to Demre), they don't even ask us for documents and don't give us receipts, but for tonight that's fine. We're on the beach and can relax with a nice refreshing swim and if afterwards the shower is rusty and the water ice-cold we don't pay it any attention. On the beach we notice a boat proudly on display with a very particular name.........in Italian the meaning is unmistakable, but what can it mean in Turkish??? We have dinner with a nice, very tasty Kebab in a little restaurant where the custom is to leave a written message on the walls, a custom we obviously respect too, then off to bed. Tomorrow Antalya awaits us.

Friday 27th August Today we're going to Antalya and it's Gianni's birthday, how lovely! This year we've celebrated two birthdays on the trip! Yesterday's suffocating heat leads us to choose to visit the Upper Duden waterfalls, the site is really beautiful and I recommend, if you're in the area, not to miss it. A very evocative cave passes behind the waterfall and allows you to see an incredible spectacle. Everything is very green and gives a sense of coolness that we very much appreciate given the tropical temperatures of these days. Still seeking coolness we decide to go and visit the Saklikent ski resort at 1750 m. Also marked on road signs, it's about forty km from Antalya, the road is certainly not the best and we wonder how such a popular place doesn't have a better kept one like those we've come across up to now (these Turks have an incredible struggle to go skiing! ).

As we pass we arouse curiosity, as often happens. At the top it's certainly not as cool as you'd expect at that altitude, at least it's not humid and you just need to stay in the shade to enjoy a decent coolness.

We have lunch and after a bit of regeneration we go down in search of the Denizer campsite (which seems to be the only facility capable of hosting us). We find it at the start of Antalya (that is, entering Antalya coming from Kemer, you turn right just before the BP service station). The campsite would even be nice if it were well kept, it has two swimming pools but everything has a very dilapidated air and the neglect is particularly noticeable in the toilets, decaying and rusty structures.....but the convent only offers this........in the end what matters to us is being able to be connected to 220v to run the air conditioners and have the possibility of emptying the cassettes. Everywhere we've been up to now (and I'm talking about campsites) we've never found the drain for grey water which we've always had to empty onto the ground.

Saturday 28th August Today we devote the day to visiting the old city. By bus we get to the centre and from here on foot we go down towards the port. Everything is really lovely, the little alleys, the shops, the people! We all make purchases, Dona and Gianni buy a beautiful Marmaris ceramic plate and we follow suit, Arna and Gabri buy a very valuable Kurdish carpet. On top of that we clean out several little shops of souvenirs. In one of these that sells foam objects we ask for advice on where to eat. The very kind manager closes the shop to accompany us to the "La terrasse" restaurant. At first we're very taken aback, the place really looks like one of those where they fleece tourists but he claims not to judge by appearances and he's right.......

The terrace where we have lunch has a splendid view over the bay where you can also see the Lower Duden waterfall (the one that plunges directly into the sea), there are myriads of boats taking tourists to admire them. We have lunch based on fried calamari which they serve with a heavenly little sauce, there's no shortage of little focaccias, various salads and fruit. The bill is about 180 lira (about 90 euros) and there are seven of us! In the afternoon we continue our tour of the city, continuing to do various shopping, in a perfumery I buy various boxes of hair dye, identical in brand and type to those I normally use but which here cost almost half of what they cost back home; together with Dona I buy some very cute slippers with upturned toes and, again with upturned toes, some delightful house slippers.

In the bazaar they also let us taste some very strange lemon crystals that have to be dissolved in water, never seen before!

They also have soluble teas in the most varied flavours, we buy pomegranate and apple ones. We're really tired, we take the bus back to the campsite, tonight we're waiting for our friends to arrive. Ale and Fra land right on time (23.30) and take a taxi to the campsite, everyone is asleep; we and they have had a full day though in different ways, Davide snores and practically doesn't even hear the commotion that Zara's tail makes in celebration at the friends' arrival. Sunday 29th August We wake up calmly and do all the necessary introductions since Ale and Fra only knew Arna and Gabri. Today we begin the approach to Cappadocia, the stage we'll do will take us to Beysehir. The road climbs gradually taking us to truly high passes (up to 1800 m) and settling anyway always above 1200 m.

It's hot anyway and we cross kilometres and kilometres of land cultivated with wheat, by now harvested, which has the air of a golden steppe with rare and sparse trees. We go to visit that marvel the Cedar Mosque and since it's early also the site of the Hittite pools, a natural spring with the vestiges of pools and baths, very interesting. In this place our vehicles arouse the curiosity of all the inhabitants of the surrounding area who flock in crowds, surrounding us to look at us as if we were penguins in a zoo.

This makes us very uncomfortable and doesn't allow us to fully enjoy the beauty of the place, so we turn back, and return to Beysehir to look for the stopping point we'd read about in the Vivicamper guide. Unfortunately that place no longer exists, the sign is still there but they're building a block of flats there! Continuing along the same road for a couple of km you find, on the right, the ADA campsite. It's a restaurant (closed for Ramadan) that has a lawn where it allows camping and provides the 220v hook-up. At present nothing else, though it's building the facilities (toilets and showers) so in the near future it will certainly improve.

Monday 30th August We set off towards Cappadocia stopping at the Sultanhani caravanserai The building is majestic, a large courtyard surrounded by walls in which warehouses open up and what were common meeting places, a large stable in which up to 300 camels could be sheltered (oops, dromedaries! ) In the centre a small mosque. Shame that the various rooms that make up this building, often rich in valuable ornaments, aren't adequately lit and that the guide, though endowed with great goodwill, speaks only very halting English. We stop along the road for lunch and arrive at the Kaya Camping in the afternoon. Entering Goreme is like entering a dream, I've just arrived and I already realise that this is one of the most enchanting places on earth.

From the campsite you enjoy a splendid view over the valley below, the facility is finally adequate: clean and well-kept showers and toilets, a laundry which we use immediately, a beautiful swimming pool we dive into for a refreshing and relaxing swim. Towards 18.00 Mr Mehemet Cingil arrives, whom we had phoned announcing our arrival. He's a very kind and helpful person, he explains well the programme he has prepared for us, they'll be three very intense days with the advantage that we'll be able to leave our vehicles parked.

Tuesday 31st August

This morning we woke up early, hearing strange noises like puffing, we went outside and while the sun was rising we witnessed the incredible spectacle offered by about forty multi-coloured hot air balloons sailing over the valley...The most extraordinary breakfast of my life!!! With Mehemet as our guide today we'll visit various things starting with the Goreme Open Air Museum. It's a spectacle of incredible beauty (and this impression will repeat itself very often in the days to come).The open air museum consists of a large monastic complex carved into the rock of the pinnacles known as fairy chimneys. It consists of various churches carved directly into the rock and painted with frescoes of remarkable beauty, alongside there were dwellings, kitchens and refectories. The largest of these churches is the one known as the Buckle church.

The whole valley is the result of a reworking by wind and rain on layers of rock (of volcanic origin) with different densities and hardness; the result of a unique spectacularity! We take a walk in the Valley of Love and then go to visit a state school where the art of knotting carpets is taught and silk is made (you see the whole cycle from cocoon to colouring). We admire works of great value and in the end we all get carried away buying at least one carpet per family. They point out to us how in hand-woven carpets the colour changes tone depending on how they're turned, they explain that this characteristic guarantees that the carpet is hand-knotted, in industrial ones you don't see any difference.

It's a real drain on the wallet, luckily they'll send us the carpet (which they had us sign on the back to be certain we'll receive exactly the one chosen) just in time for Christmas, it'll be the gift we'll put under the tree! We're anyway certain we've made a good purchase, certified and with a state seal. After having lunch (excellently) in a BUFE where for 10 euros you can take all you want in whatever quantity you like, we go to visit a ceramics workshop where you can see the whole production cycle. Here too there are truly valuable pieces and with proportionate prices, but we've already made our purchases and for today that's enough! I limit myself to a few little souvenirs. We return to the campsite after having stopped to book the hot air balloon flight that Gianni Gabri Arna Davide Ale and Fra will do tomorrow morning.

Iva, Dona and I will stay to admire the spectacle from the ground. The price of the flight among other things isn't exactly cheap, it goes from 110 to 150 euros per person. Tuesday 1st September This morning the alarm went off at 4.30, the organisers of the hot air balloon flight will come to pick up our friends at 5.15. At 6.00 after receiving breakfast they'll take off in flight and return around 8.00 after seeing the sun rise over the valley. It must certainly be a unique spectacle!

Around 10 the minibus driven by Mehemet's likeable assistant, whose Turkish name means "Black", will come to pick us up. Today's main destinations are the underground city of Kaimakly and the Hilara valley very well known for its natural beauty and for having been the set of one of the films of the first Star Wars series. The underground city is something particular and very evocative, of the eight floors it's made up of only the first three can be visited but they still give a sense of what it must have been like. You can't get your head around how people could live like that, even though the security needs of the people who lived there can be understood. Large stone wheels served as doors and once closed I defy anyone to get in. Inside there are about 5000 rooms, kitchens, warehouses and large chimneys that ensure air circulation and an almost constant temperature.

An immense engineering work if you think that it was all excavated by hand. In the afternoon we visited the Hilara Valley, a large canyon that the river has carved into the volcanic rock, there's the contrast between these vertical walls of a particular reddish colour and the intense green of the vegetation growing on the valley floor, along the watercourse. Here too you can admire various rock churches, some would be marvellously frescoed, but their state of conservation isn't the best especially because of the usual stupidity of the graffiti writers who run riot here too as in every other part of the world!

The walk lasts a couple of hours, we find coolness at a very cute refreshment point, with tables and benches in the middle of the river, we have a couple of "Efes" and some Turkish coffee paddling our feet in the fresh water together with the ducks. On the way back we see the Pigeon Valley with its dovecotes which, as Mehemet had explained to us yesterday, are used to collect the guano that is used to fertilise the vineyards. We enjoy the splendid panorama and finally visit the "castle", a large formation completely excavated and used as a dwelling. We also admire a formation that because of its shape resembles a dromedary, and take photos.

Before returning

Wednesday, September 2 Today's program is rich as well. In the morning we'll go to the Songali valley, famous for the artisanal crafting of dolls. The valley is quite far from where we're camped, but we still have the minibus with the faithful "Nero," who speaks a little English and anyway has a very likable and completely understandable way of communicating.

The place is truly enchanting; as soon as we arrive we notice a family busy sewing and decorating these dolls; they are extremely kind people and they invite us to sit in their home. The girl who speaks a little Italian (learned from the tourists) is truly very beautiful, with enchanting green eyes, and is incredibly sweet. Their workmanship is so fine that all of us buy more than one item: little dolls, gloves, and slippers. We continue our visit of the valley along a route that takes us to see some rock-cut churches and the old village. Some children come up to us showing us more little dolls; we can't resist their little faces, so we buy from them too..............Christmas presents are guaranteed!! In the afternoon we head back toward Goreme following a different route and see the fairy chimney formation known as "the family."

We return to the campsite; tonight we conclude our stay in Cappadocia by going to see the ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes. Before the ceremony we have dinner at a local place where we taste the famous "pide" and a characteristic dish baked in a wood-fired oven inside single-serving clay pots that are broken onto the plate at the moment of eating; the meat soup that comes out is delicious and the way it's presented is original.

The ceremony takes place inside an evocative caravanserai, completely restored. We're told that we won't be able to talk or applaud because during their dance the Dervishes, followers of Sufism, enter a trance. Our impression is that what we attended was not a true ceremony but a demonstration of one; they didn't seem to be in a trance to us, but it was interesting nonetheless and served at least to give us an idea of this philosophy. At the end we were offered a drink that Mehemet explained is prepared on special occasions. Very good!! My opinion is that these three days are worth the entire trip; Cappadocia is almost the land of dreams, all these formations that seem to have come out of a storybook...... the gnomes' houses...... beautiful! Mr.

Mehemet Cingil (+905323530849, in the photo above with Nero) organized everything for us in the best possible way, and I believe I'm doing him a favor by sharing his phone number; he speaks excellent Italian and has remarkable culture; he allowed us to spend fantastic days without moving our vehicles, and the Kaya camping was the best by far of those we've used up to now. Thursday, September 3 We decided to skip the Hattusa stop and head straight to Istanbul. The road is long, although it must be said that up to now the Turkish roads have been absolutely up to the task. We take the main road that runs alongside the great salt lake of Tuz, which appears like a mirage with indescribable colors; it's impossible to resist stopping to take a few photos.

What threw us, perhaps also due to tiredness, was the impact with Istanbul traffic. We had set the coordinates for the Kennedy Caddesi parking lot (after the fish market) that Ms. Anna from the Vivicamper guide had recommended to us. Entering Istanbul we sat in a 30 km traffic jam, with people passing everywhere, on the right, on the left, diving into the middle without signaling, not knowing the right-of-way............ As I say, maybe the weight of the nearly 700 km we had on our shoulders played a part, but we arrived at the parking lot hysterical!! That parking lot would be very convenient since it's practically in the center, a stone's throw from the main monuments, but it's certainly not suitable for anyone wanting a minimum of quiet or services. There are people coming and going for much of the night, you hear the traffic of Kennedy Caddesi, and it has no type of service.

It costs 25 lira per camper regardless of the occupants. Tomorrow morning we'll ask the tourist office for information about London Camping or see about moving outside Istanbul. Friday, September 4 We went to the tourist office across from Hagia Sophia; even if you have some need, DON'T GO THERE; we were greeted by a woman who decided to look up from her computer only after several minutes and various "ahem ahems," and to our question about London camping she pronounced it CLOSED (while a group of 16 Italian campers supported by a tour operator had stayed there fifteen days earlier).

To our question about the Kennedy Hotel (which we'd been told sometimes hosts campers in its parking lot), she gave us the wrong address, all with an annoyed and smug air. She was the only rude person we met in the entire trip. Moral of the story, we went off to visit the things we wanted to see. Tonight we'll go to Kilios on the Black Sea at the Mistik Camping, about 35 km outside Istanbul.

The first thing we visited was Hagia Sophia, the great church, first Christian then turned into a mosque and now a museum. The dome is magnificent and keeping it standing must have been an undertaking; inside you can see the original mosaics, and it seems strange to see Christian images coexisting with Islamic symbols. Afterward we went to visit the Basilica Cistern, what a splendid place!! The colonnade topped with Doric capitals is reflected in the water, and plays of light make the setting very distinctive and full of charm; the Medusa heads that serve as the base for two columns in the innermost part of the structure are beautiful.

We have lunch with the characteristic breads sold at the stalls in front of Hagia Sophia and then head to the Blue Mosque. The building is majestic from the outside; we have to wait before entering because it's prayer time, then, after taking off our shoes and putting on a veil (we women) or a skirt (the

Sunday 5 September The minibus that was supposed to take us to Istanbul has arrived but the music has changed, this morning it seems that the agreed price is not for having it at our disposal for the whole day but simply to take us and come back to pick us up in the evening. Since that wasn't the agreement, we decide to do without it and go down with just one camper, parking on Kennedy Caddesi. Like good Turks who respect the rules of the road in their own way (seat belts are out of the question, helmets would be mandatory but nobody wears them, three of them ride on a scooter and a whole other series of various oddities....) we too adapt and with our camper registered for four we go down to Istanbul, nine of us plus Zara.

It's a dreadful day, it's raining for the first time. We park near the fish market, the catch on display is extraordinary and since it's almost lunchtime we sample the fish sandwiches, a local specialty.... deliciousssssssss. Given the rain we go to visit Dolmabahçe (at least we'll be indoors.... too bad so many others had the same idea!), the palace that was the seat of the sultanate and also used as a residence by Atatürk. It served as the seat of government until the capital was moved to Ankara. I won't even try to tell you about the magnificence inside, go and visit it. The only slightly annoying thing is that the visits are compulsorily guided and that the guides speak only in English, a bit limited considering the hefty ticket you pay.

When we came out it had stopped raining so we took a stroll on the Galata Bridge and in the nearby spice market, real and lively life, a shame it was almost closing time. At the end of the day we accompanied Ale and Fra to the airport. From the motorway, near it, we see the illuminated sign of London Camping and we really feel taken for a ride by that goose of a tourist office! Whether or not this facility lives up to expectations is another matter, the fact is that it exists, somehow it works and it's being used. Monday 6 September We return to Istanbul (again all in one camper, but today there are seven of us.... improving!), today we'll dedicate the day to Topkapi. Having bought the entrance tickets to the palace, we contact a guide who speaks Italian, as we had done in Ephesus. This allowed us to avoid being scattered.

The friendly gentleman explained quite a few things to us, got us the supplementary ticket that you have to pay to visit the harem, saving us the queue. Then we went to see the Treasury, the guides say that you also pay a supplementary ticket for this but currently that's not the case, entry is free. After admiring the magnificence on display we went out tired and hungry, the refreshment point inside Topkapi is very expensive, indeed outrageously expensive, so we got the usual sandwiches from the stalls outside.

We walked until we reached the Grand Bazaar, making a tactical stop at the CIGDEM pastry shop, I won't even tell you what was in the window............

We ordered some sweets that were mega portions, Coca-Cola and Turkish tea, seven of us spent 35 lira (17 euros, practically nothing considering what we had wolfed down!). We tasted their jellies, nothing to do with the ones we had bought in Antalya, in the sense that these are much better, we bought at least two boxes each. The Grand Bazaar is very beautiful but, in my opinion, very touristy and not very real, it gave me the impression that it's not frequented much by locals, unlike the one we had been to yesterday. We did buy some souvenirs anyway. Tuesday 7 September Tired of the Istanbul traffic we escape towards Edirne, we had passed through at the start of the trip but it was too late to think about visiting it, it had made a good impression on us and so we take advantage of the opportunity. We return to Camping "Grande Omur", one of the best among those encountered on this tour.

We take the bus that goes to the centre, we go to visit the mosque,

it has a beautiful spiral minaret, very particular and never seen before. In its simplicity this mosque pleased us almost more than the much-vaunted Blue Mosque. Then we went for a stroll in the pedestrian centre. This little town, to tell the truth, we like very much, there are fountains everywhere with refined and scenic settings, strange for what should be a provincial town. Many of our administrators (read mayors and followers of every political stripe) should humbly learn! We browsed the shops, we went into a shoe shop, nice stuff and decidedly good prices. There are seven of us and we buy eight pairs of shoes, the shop assistants are profuse in their thanks, they're happy and we're even happier. I bought three pairs of leather shoes spending half of what I would have spent in Italy and it's like that for everything.

We "girls" bought hair dyes, same brand and type as the ones we use, at half the price charged in Italy......and let's not say it's because they're worse off than us! The way things stand I'd gladly trade places with a Turk. In the evening we have the usual big table, eating the roast chickens bought in town....so good!

Wednesday 8 September

We leave Turkey and enter Bulgaria, the return journey begins. No problems at the border. We'll stop to see the Bakovo monastery, we retrace the same road as on the way there, the one with the slightly dark tunnels but very beautiful landscapes.

Near Plovdiv we turn off for the monastery where we know from the Vivicamper guide that there's a guarded car park where you can spend the night. The Bakovo valley is very beautiful and the visit to the monastery interesting. It's a real shame that the frescoes of the main church are almost completely covered by candle soot, we mention it to the guide and she explains that the church is a pilgrimage destination and lots of people come. It doesn't even cross their minds that perhaps using electric lights would prevent the damage. On the way out we get the chance to see a high prelate (judging by the big gold cross he was wearing around his neck), he makes a terrible impression on us which gets even worse when we see him screech away in a gleaming Mercedes, next to him a very conspicuous blonde in a miniskirt and ritual stiletto heels!....so much for the monk! The night passes quietly.

Thursday 9 September Today we have a pure transfer stage, we return to Camping Dunav in Zemun on the outskirts of Belgrade. This time we don't get it wrong, when we reach the junction we turn left immediately and after a couple of km we see the Camping sign. Unlike when we had come in August the temperature is decidedly different, it's 15 degrees. In the evening moreover a tremendous storm breaks out, unable to have our big table outside, we all squeeze into our camper. We extend the table, squeeze a bit and it's done, big table saved! Today's 500 km are starting to weigh on us and tomorrow we have as many planned, with a last-minute decision we changed our itinerary and decided to stop and see the Postojna caves. Gabri and Arna had already visited them and were enthusiastic about them.

Friday 10 September Tremendous morning, it's pouring rain and you can't see a hand in front of your face. We set off towards the Serbian-Croatian border. Until today we've never had any kind of problem. This time though it doesn't go so smoothly. The Serbs let us out without deigning us the slightest attention, the Croatians let us and Arna out more or less the same way, but they stop Gianni and Dona. They make them pull over to the side and practically take their camper apart. When they finally catch up with us they tell us they gave them a whole load of trouble even over medicines......who knows why. The Croatian-Slovenian border is fortunately less problematic and we all get out quickly, it has also stopped raining.

We arrive in Postojna in time for the 4 pm visit. The caves are marvellous! They're a complex of 21 km of which only three are visitable. The first two you cover on the little train while the last on foot with the guide, it's a fantastic world. Having come out of the caves we go to Predjama Castle, this too is a site not to be missed absolutely. The castle was built for defensive needs and is practically inside a karst cavity. The visual impact is remarkable. I must say that the first impression I had on the way there about Slovenia is confirmed, I like this country and it would deserve a more in-depth visit which we'll certainly put on our list. The campsite we stay at, near Postojna, is absolutely up to the occasion, it has a beautiful setting and impeccable facilities. Tonight the last big table before returning........certainly with a bit of nostalgia.

Saturday 11 September

We leave around nine heading for Gorizia instead of Trieste since we won't have to spend the night out, we prefer the less busy road via Villesse. We travel the last common stretch together, we'd like to stop at the service station before Gianni and Dona turn off towards Bologna but it's so congested that we can't stop. So we say goodbye on the fly, promising to see each other as soon as possible. The return is without hitches, apart from the ceiling light that finally crashed down on our heads. We're in Genoa in the mid-afternoon with the next trip on our minds.......Scotland wait for us, we're coming!!

CONCLUSIONS:

On this trip I learned to appreciate the kindness and helpfulness of the Turks, apart from a couple of very rare exceptions, whenever we had some need or problem everyone went out of their way. We learned to appreciate their cuisine which has nothing to envy ours, excellent fish, pide and gözleme, chicken and lamb. I advise you not to stock up on provisions; fruit and vegetables can also be bought at the stalls along the roads and are delicious with very affordable prices, the supermarkets are very well stocked, you can even find pasta, the only thing you can't find is sparkling mineral water. Meat is bought in supermarkets, don't expect the cutlets or the cuts like at home. The cost of living is decidedly more affordable except for the cost of diesel or fuels in general which is higher than in Italy, from this point of view it's a trip that costs a great deal.

Among other things it's really in contrast with the prices of goods in general, although I must say that there are quite a few cars around and nice ones too even if you do see some wrecks especially in the villages. The general impression Turkey gave me is that of a modern, secular country with great potential. If they manage to enter the European Union, in no time at all, given the calibre and the far-sightedness of our two-bit politicians, they'll certainly overtake us by a mile. The only flaw of this trip was the great heat, sometimes unbearable especially on the Aegean and Mediterranean coast (with temperatures even well over 40°). In Cappadocia although it's hot the altitude makes it drier and more bearable. Anyone who suffers from it would do better to plan a different period from the one we went in.

In conclusion I really want to thank Aurelio and Eva who set the "tone" for this trip and who I hope will be with us on the next one; I also thank the friends who shared this trip with me and my family, and it's above all thanks to them that the holiday was unforgettable! Finally I also thank Mrs. Anna and the advice of the Vivicamper guide and Mr. Mehemet Cingil who with his work guaranteed us wonderful days in Cappadocia, if you decide to go don't hesitate to contact him.

Aleivano