Istanbul

We crossed the border into Turkey, headed straight for my father in law’s in Istanbul. Sariyer, Istanbul was going to be our last stop for some time, as we planned to rent a flat here and settle for a while. We stopped for the night at Semizkum Mocamp just after Tekirdag (there were almost no campsites on this stretch from Greece to Istanbul either). We felt immediately at home here: a scruffy plot of land on an unpicturesque beach; with jawdroppingly makeshift facilities; tents and caravans with extensions; little tended gardens; music playing; barbecues on the beach and big long tressle tables for everyone to eat together, and a warmth of community that you cannot put your finger on. The next day we headed straight into the metropolis of Istanbul, parking our bus in a friends car park, and ‘laid our hat’ at ‘baba’s’. Our son’s second birthday had been spent with our English and Welsh family, seeing us off on our travels, and his third birthday would be here in Istanbul welcomed by our Turkish family, who still cannot quite believe we drove from London.Okumaya devam et