ANCONA IGOUMENITSA BY SHIP (CABIN BOOKED FROM THE MINOAN WEBSITE) CROSSED GREECE IN 1 DAY, FROM THE NEXT DAY TURKEY TOUR WESTERN COAST WITH A BIT OF SEA RELAXATION, CAPPADOCIA, ISTANBUL THEN GREECE AGAIN WITH A STOP IN THESSALONIKI AND SHIP DEPARTURE FOR ARRIVAL IN ANCONA
STUNNING TRIP FROM EVERY ASPECT (LANDSCAPES, MONUMENTS, PEOPLE, CUISINE)
The time has finally come for the most exciting trip, the one with the most uncomfortable and most dangerous means of transport: the motorcycle Since your site on several occasions has been an excellent starting point for organizing "do-it-yourself" trips or rather "do-it-ourselves", this year I decided to write the account of our experience which I hope can be interesting and perhaps useful for anyone wishing to visit this wonderful country SUMMARY Departure: AUGUST 7, 2010 Return: AUGUST 22, 2010 Motorcycle: DUCATI MULTISTRADA 2010 Total km traveled (including trip): 4500 54 hours of travel in 15 days Total overall cost: 3500 euros Price of fuel at the time of the trip: about 1.90 euros/liter (3.34 TL) Euro/Turkish lira exchange rate at the time of the trip: 1 euro = 2 Turkish lira
We had booked all the hotels from Italy, on one hand this choice doesn't allow you to stay an extra day in a particularly interesting place but on the other hand (having limited days) it allows you to keep to the set stages and not waste time looking for hotels upon arrival at your destination. Anyway if you have some flexibility with the days available go ahead confidently because you'll have no trouble finding a place without booking: in tourist locations hotels and guesthouses are well signaled and moreover there are tourist offices almost everywhere that provide information on accommodations and availability.
State roads have asphalt that is not always reliable in the sense that it is very slippery and made of sharp, very coarse gravel that often comes off the ground. In many places the asphalt is completely absent due to endless road works: in these cases you are forced to do even several consecutive km of "dirt road" thus with great dust raised by trucks and inevitable slow and jolting pace as well as, in some cases, you are forced to travel on freshly laid liquid tar with consequent splashes on motorcycle and occupants. There's a lot of police around so watch out for speed limits and in any case it's better to go slow since in 90% of cases the transition from paved to unpaved road is not previously signaled!!! We were absolutely astonished by the absolute amiability of the Turks.
Especially in the inland areas, we met people of such frank kindness, of total affability and helpfulness, at times even embarrassing. It was a plunge into another dimension: no hurry, lots of smiles and chats even understanding little or nothing. It's always time for a tea, and, something that made me think a lot, never anything, not even a bite of bread, is conceivable to be consumed standing up.
Day 17 Aug 2010
DEPARTURE AUGUST 7 FROM ANCONA, SHIP AT 4:30 PM BUT IT LEAVES AT 9:30 PM MINOAN LINES JUNIOR SUITE BOOKED BY EMAIL WITH THE COMPANY…IT'S A DREAM, DOUBLE BED WITH COTTON SHEETS..BATHROOM WITH ENORMOUS SHOWER, WINDOW AND TV… AUGUST 8 WE DISEMBARK AT IGOUMENITSA AT 1 PM… AND OFF IN THE DIRECTION OF KOMOTINI NEAR ALEXANDROUPOLI. HIGHWAY TO DESTINATION A2 IGNATIA ODOS FREE AND BEAUTIFUL, WIDE. SMOOTH WITH TRACK-LIKE BIG CURVES..WE COVER 680 KM IN ABOUT 5 HOURS. WE PASS THROUGH MOUNTAIN AND PLAIN LANDSCAPES. BEFORE THESSALONIKI… THE THERMOMETER STARTS READING 40!!! WE ARRIVE IN KOMOTINI AT THE CRIS & EVE HOTEL BOOKED THROUGH BOOKING. (excellent quality-price ratio) THE TOWN IS VERY NICE AND THE CENTER FULL OF TOURISTS STROLLING, WE HAVE DINNER IN A TAVERNA (24 EUR.)
AUGUST 9 SLEPT VERY WELL, WE SET OFF AGAIN TO CROSS THE BORDER AND THE DARDANELLES STRAIT. 150 KM TO THE BORDER, 4 CHECKS AT CUSTOMS AND HERE WE ARE FINALLY IN TURKEY. E90 TOWARD CANAKKALE, THE ROAD RUNS ALONGSIDE THE SEA AND WE TAKE THE FERRY TO REACH CANAKKALE. E550 TOWARD EZINE – KURCUKKUYU HOTEL HUNNAP HAN BOUTIQUE HOTEL BOOKED THROUGH BOOKING… BEAUTIFUL STONE FARMHOUSE RECENTLY RENOVATED, DELICIOUS BUFFET DINNER..LOTS OF VEGETABLE-BASED DISHES. THE HOTEL IS IN A VILLAGE THAT HAS REMAINED AS IT ONCE WAS, THE ROAD IS MADE OF STONE AND THEREFORE VERY BROKEN AND UNEVEN… THE ANIMALS AND HENS, TO MY MISFORTUNE, ARE FREE-ROAMING… LONG DAY DUE TO THE LONG STATE ROAD COVERED…BUT NOW WE REST A BIT.
RELAX FOR 3 NIGHTS AUGUST 10 WE LOOK FOR A BIT OF RELAXATION AT THE SEA…THE ROAD THAT GOES FROM KURCUKKUYU TOWARD THE NORTH RUNS ALONGSIDE THE SEA AND IS LINED WITH OLIVE TREES, THE WHOLE HILL IS FULL OF OLIVE TREES. we find a beautiful beach resort… OREN BEACH OTEL it's the beach of this hotel equipped with sun loungers, a pier for diving into the flat and transparent Aegean sea, with 25 Turkish lira, a relaxing day with cafe del mar and New York-style music, beautiful, and lunch included. AUGUST 11 after waking up at 5 due to the sheep around our boutique hotel, we have a relaxing breakfast in the hotel garden and head toward the waterfalls indicated by the hotel owner..
very hot up to the waterfalls, a swim in the cold fresh water is a must..then again relax at the Oren Beach sea, we had REALLY enjoyed ourselves) AUGUST 12 we reload the motorcycle and set off again toward Ephesus and the hotel booked for 2 nights in Pamukkale. (500 km and 8 hours of travel because zero highways) WE ARRIVE EXHAUSTED, BUT WHAT A DAY FULL OF EMOTIONS! One of the longest travel days..along the coast to Izmir, in crazy heat, the motorcycle thermometer nearly reaches 50 degrees.
We arrive at Ephesus in the early afternoon, it's very hot and we decide to undress in the parking lot and visit the site in flip-flops and shorts… we would have fainted otherwise!! the visit to the site is worth all the effort..we are left open-mouthed by the wonders that have remained intact!! We set off again for Pamukkale, it seemed close but since it's all regular roads it takes us another 4 hours and we arrive in the dark. The hotels are all signposted (hotel melrose) booked with venere.com… simple, nice and cozy.. the Turks, as throughout the whole trip, astonish us with their hospitality.
UNDERGROUND CITY KAYMAKLI
Day 213 Aug 2010
AUGUST 13 After breakfast a little stroll in the center, a snack and we return to the room because the heat is intense.. around 3 pm we decide to start climbing the white mountain… it's beautiful, the water flows and the ground is so porous that it allows you to walk comfortably uphill. The scenery is surreal!!! And the thermal water is wonderful. We reach the top at the excavations of ancient Hierapolis where there is the pool of the thermal spring, the swim is exciting… the water boiling but effervescent.. and at the bottom of the small pool only Roman ruins… dinner in town for 35 Turkish lira AUGUST 14 We set off again… a travel day heading toward Konya where we will sleep to be closer the next day to Cappadocia.
400 km of travel in 8 hours… The whole road is a provincial road, we pass alongside 2 beautiful lakes, hills and endless steppes… we encounter 2 speed cameras and logically as foreigners the fine arrives immediately!!! We eat excellent kebab at a roadside place full of truck drivers and unfortunately drink water from a pitcher… shortly after, the stomach ache begins that stays with us for a few days (with plenty of nausea and fever) Arriving in Konya we go a bit crazy trying to find the wonderful 5-star DEDEMAN hotel booked on hotels.com, 60 EUR for the room on the 7th floor with hydromassage and a dark marble bathroom like the whole lobby.
We have dinner at the hotel buffet, worthy of 5 stars with quality and variety of dishes… AUGUST 15 konya – urgup ONLY 3 HOURS OF TRAVEL FOR TODAY After the regal breakfast at the same buffet where dinner was served, we also try the honey inside the beeswax frame. We leave for Cappadocia. The difficult part is getting out of the city, as always the kindness of the Turks astonishes us, a car we asked for directions leads us out of the city. After that the road is as always well signposted and straight… we cross endless expanses of plain.. and arrive in Goreme where we have booked a cave hotel directly through their website.. it's another boutique hotel, KELEBEK
A COLUMN OF THE BLUE MOSQUE ISTANBUL
Day 316 Aug 2010
. From the hotel terraces where there were sofas and relaxation cushions and the breakfast tables, there was a spectacular view of Goreme (an open-air museum town). Our room is carved into the rock and therefore very cool, finally without air conditioning We watch Moto GP and relax before going to see the sunset in a spot where you can trek among the red canyons Dinner in town sitting on comfortable cushions, cost 24 Turkish lira AUGUST 16 TODAY VISIT AND RELAX IN CAPPADOCIA We sleep a bit in the cool of our cave room and head to one of the most famous underground cities. KAYMAKLI: 30 meters in 5 levels dug 30 meters below.. in wartime over 5000 Christians hid and lived there. Tunnels getting lower and lower, don't enter if you suffer from claustrophobia. Dinner in the center of Goreme 26 Turkish lira and lunch 24 Turkish lira.
AUGUST 17 Goreme - bolu about 600km, about 6 -7 hours Road ok at the beginning a bit uneven and broken but being resurfaced… we pass through Ankara and bypass it on the highway to avoid traffic and smog and to get as close as possible to Istanbul. We arrive in the late afternoon, Bolu is not very touristy and we struggled to book a hotel, the only one found, hotel prestige… ugly, old, with stale breakfast and smelly eggs. There is no air conditioning and since it was the time of Ramadan, even before sunrise we were woken by drums going around the town precisely to wake up the Muslims who can only drink and eat while it is dark. Dinner on the main street of the town and we walk back to the hotel..
tomorrow Istanbul awaits us AUGUST 18 bolu-istanbul The shortest leg of the whole trip (2 hours) to be able to make the most of the day strolling around Istanbul… all highway, the problem is when it ends and you can't figure out which direction to take to reach the central and touristy districts, hotel tashkonak behind the blue mosque (sultanahmet) A boutique hotel, this one too booked through their website… About 1 hour looking for the right district… only thanks to a gas station attendant who after offering us a tea and a warm sandwich offers to lead us on his scooter to sultanhamet… we were about 20 km away through nervous traffic and We wander on foot around sultanhamet and take the elevated metro to reach the new district to stroll among the most beautiful and European shops.
The historic part of the city is very touristy and the inhabited buildings are dilapidated and the well-off locals don't live here. AUGUST 19 we enjoy Istanbul… the blue mosque, the cistern, the Topkapi palace and the souk… where having room for a sea of things to buy… shoes, bags, and beautiful original pashmina scarves and pure linen hammam linens. AUGUST 20 Istanbul-Thessaloniki 780 km The Turkish highway is on average ugly, we make one last stop for a hot tea in a Turkish glass… at the border an indescribable queue… luckily we're on a motorcycle and we pass everyone… the fines were not registered so we throw them in the trash as soon as we cross customs… Greece has a spectacular highway, besides being free, and we have some fun in the very wide mountain curves we cross until Thessaloniki.
We arrive in the late afternoon at the LAZARISTES 5-star hotel booked through booking at a very discounted price.. The center of Thessaloniki is very nice and full of young people… we eat in a taverna and this time they rip us off!!! AUGUST 21 Thessaloniki-Igoumenitsa 340 km of highway… We arrive early at the port and after immediately changing the tickets and exchanging travel experiences with a nice couple from Lucca. We go for a nice swim in the sea near the port… meanwhile we also have our wonderful junior suite for the return. AUGUST 22 After a good sleep we arrive at the port of Ancona. We are happy to be on the motorcycle again because today is the day of return and the queue starts at the exit of the ship's parking lot and ends maybe toward Rimini… So in a few hours on our motorcycle we arrive home in Forli.
TRIP OVER, WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE, MAGNIFICENT PLACES AND SPECIAL PEOPLE.
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