MotoTrip Eastern Mediterranean

Et 39-dagers eventyr av Razvan & Ioana Les mer

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MotoTrip Eastern Mediterranean
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Dag 6
lørdag 3. september 2022 17:27
☀️ 26 °C
Høyde: 209 m
Hellas Panagia 40.731667, 24.7340°43’54” N 24°43’48” E
Love Springs in Panagia
3. september 2022, Hellas ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Panagia is a charming, colourful village. It developed as a place where people retreated from pirates, so in the old parts, the streets are so narrow they don’t even fit a modern car.

The main attraction are the Love Springs, a group of 3 fresh water springs, in the centre of the village. Surrounded by sycamore trees with heart shaped hollow spots in their trunks and cafes, this place feels like an oasis.Les mer
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Dag 7
søndag 4. september 2022 08:49
⛅ 22 °C
Høyde: 17 m
Hellas Krioneri 40.908333, 25.43333240°54’30” N 25°25’60” E
Kryoneri camping
4. september 2022, Hellas ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
We arrived in the evening, after taking some rural roads, through the fields - tractors, stray dogs and the occasional car were the only things we met. Needless to say, the road condition between villages was “tractor smooth”.

We were met with lots of hospitality by the camp owner. She showed us to our camping spot and then went on to put her kids to bed, as it was already dark.

In terms of amenities, there was lots of space for children to play in, and enough space in the service house - both bathroom and kitchen wise. It was fairly clean, but we didn’t get any warm water, so it was quick showers this time.

Good value for the money and kind hosts.Les mer
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Dag 7
søndag 4. september 2022 14:39
⛅ 27 °C
Høyde: 7 m
Tyrkia İpsala 40.933334, 26.32833340°56’0” N 26°19’42” E
Waiting 3.5 hours at the Turkish border
4. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
During our first motorcycle tour together we were turned back from the Serbian border after missing the (tiny) booth while trying to go past all the trucks. This is also why we decided to play it safe and not skip in front, past the cars. And so we waited, and waited, and then waited some more.

Many hours later we arrived at the 4th checkpoint:
-Where are you from?
-Romania, we answered, not knowing exactly what to expect.
-Aaah, Romania, ce mai faci?
We smiled in relief and carried on.

The Turkish frontier point is something else - a tall elegant bridge on both sides, big building 20m beyond the last border control point and into Turkey, a man was barbecuing beside the long car and truck line. To the right, cows were grazing near the fence. It was a good clue to the contrasts that were to follow.Les mer
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Dag 7
søndag 4. september 2022 16:14
⛅ 27 °C
Høyde: 34 m
Tyrkia Merkezköy 40.875, 26.63666740°52’30” N 26°38’12” E
Hungry!
4. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
After the long border control wait, we were tired and hungry, so we stopped at the first parking lot we found - a shopping mall. We were surprised that even the mall, has a security check at the entrance - with a scanner and some officers.

We immediately wanted to try something local, rather then go for the easy burger and fries option.

We had an informative exchange with the cashier - we were speaking English, she spoke Turkish and understood some of what we were saying. This is how we learned what pide is - this oval shaped focaccia resembling dough, that comes with all sorts of toppings. We also learned that sujuk is a type of sausage, even if the pictures accompanying the title looked mostly veggie based.Les mer
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Dag 7
søndag 4. september 2022 18:50
☀️ 25 °C
Høyde: 10 m
Tyrkia Bağçeşme Limanı 40.416668, 26.67833340°25’0” N 26°40’42” E
Camping with a view - Gelibolu
4. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
This campsite sure has the views. It’s a very basic campground - 2 squatting toilets with manual flushing and 2 outdoor cold water showers. The ground itself was filled with all sorts of small (and larger) pieces of garbage. However the view made up for most of it and we were, after all, only staying for one night.

We pitched the tent and went for a walk.Les mer
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Dag 7
søndag 4. september 2022 19:56
🌙 24 °C
Høyde: 14 m
Tyrkia Gelibolu 40.406666, 26.67333240°24’24” N 26°40’24” E
Evening walk through Gelibolu
4. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ 🌙 24 °C
This was our first stop in Türkyie and we were still very spongy - absorbing everything and taking it all in. One thing you immediately notice is the contrast between the nicer (more touristy?) areas, like the promenade area close to the sea, and the inner part of the city. There’s also some sort of military everywhere - a training camp, an urban settlement, the military seems to have a strong presence here.Les mer
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Dag 8
mandag 5. september 2022 12:20
⛅ 24 °C
Høyde: 10 m
Tyrkia Çanakkale Deniz Müzesi 40.148335, 26.440°8’54” N 26°24’0” E
Çanakkale Castle was closed
5. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
It was a short drive from Gelibolu to Canakkale.

We stopped close to the castle, looking for an appropriate parking space. A gentle old man, the kind that looked like he could star as Geppetto or an adviser in a play, walked out his shop and tried to help us. He only spoke Italian, which we know little of, but we made it work in a mix of Italian, English and Turkish.

A few minutes in he whistles to a man up the road - the one who owned the nearby parking space. We pull up in a space he indicates, marked my blue stools that had their paint chipped off and go off to see the city.

The castle was closed, and we ended up walking up an down the streets for a while. It’s also when we stopped to buy a local sim card so we can better use the internet.Les mer
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Dag 8
mandag 5. september 2022 14:20
⛅ 26 °C
Høyde: 26 m
Tyrkia Troy 39.956669, 26.23833339°57’24” N 26°14’18” E
Troy archeological site
5. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
This is a two part museum - first and outdoor one, based in the old city of Troy. This one also houses a Trojan Horse sculpture. And a second one, indoor, that has more relics and items found during the excavations.

We were fascinated to learn about the ten layers of the city - the fact that this citadel was built and rebuilt time and time again and all of that stands to tell a story in its ruins is impressive. Some of them are visible in the second photo.Les mer
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Dag 8
mandag 5. september 2022 17:02
☀️ 20 °C
Høyde: 148 m
Tyrkia Assos 39.492878, 26.33338739°29’34” N 26°20’0” E
Charming streets in Assos
5. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Lots of beautiful corners, all the way up to the ancient city.

🧔It's nice to see that in Türkyie there so many old Dacia cars (especially the wagon ones), in Romania you don't see them so often anymore.Les mer
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Dag 8
mandag 5. september 2022 17:28
⛅ 26 °C
Høyde: 221 m
Tyrkia Assos 39.490887, 26.33674639°29’27” N 26°20’12” E
Assos Ancient Site
5. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Assos was a small, rich town, mainly due to its geographical position.
It’s most know for the temple of Athena, built on the highest point, so it was visible from sea. Athena was the protector of wisdom, unmarried women and its symbol is an owl.

The city became known for hosting Aristotle. After leaving Plato and his school, Aristotle established here and married the adopted daughter of kind Hermias, Pythias. He became the leader of the philosophers and, together with them, made remarkable observations in zoology and biology. He left the town after King Hermias was killed by Persians.
He fled to Macedonia and became Alexander the Great’s tutor.

Today’s Assos was windy and it took a lot of leg work to visit it all.Les mer
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Dag 8
mandag 5. september 2022 19:48
☀️ 20 °C
Høyde: 5 m
Tyrkia Kadırga Koyu 39.488335, 26.36666739°29’18” N 26°22’0” E
Rüzgar camping
5. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
There’s an abundance of campings in the region, we chose Rüzgar based on its reviews (and gut feeling?). It was well maintained, had clean toilets and hot water in the showers. The owners spoke little English but we got along just fine.Les mer
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Dag 8
mandag 5. september 2022 21:23
🌙 22 °C
Høyde: 4 m
Tyrkia Kadırga Koyu 39.488335, 26.36833439°29’18” N 26°22’6” E
Walk and dinner on the Kadirga beach
5. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
We went for a walk. The little town felt close to being deserted - there were still some open restaurants and people having a bite in them, but it was otherwise quite empty.

We tried gözleme for the first time. It’s this light dough with different fillings - we got cheese and potatoes, the only non meat options.

We stopped for second tea and desert at the camping’s restaurant. The only desert they had was warmed up sesame halva. We enjoyed this new way of serving it. Couldn’t really finish it as it was really sweet, even with the side slice of lemon we got.Les mer
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Dag 9
tirsdag 6. september 2022 14:44
☀️ 28 °C
Høyde: 328 m
Tyrkia Traianeum, Pergamon 39.133333, 27.18333339°7’60” N 27°10’60” E
Pergamon Ancient Site
6. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Pergamon was a city that stood the test of time and was part of several influences. The greek made it a major cultural capital, but it was Hadrian, during the roman period, who made it a metropolis. There are lots of ruins giving a glimpse of the city that one was.

“During the Hellenistic period, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon in 281–133 BC under the Attalid dynasty, who transformed it into one of the major cultural centres of the Greek world. Many remains of its monuments can still be seen and especially the masterpiece of the Pergamon Altar. Pergamon was the northernmost of the seven churches of Asia cited in the New Testament Book of Revelation”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PergamonLes mer
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Dag 9
tirsdag 6. september 2022 17:57
☀️ 28 °C
Høyde: 21 m
Tyrkia Çığlı İstasyonu 38.492271, 27.06465738°29’32” N 27°3’53” E
Izmir traffic
6. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Really bad timing for passing through Izmir. Not sure if the traffic is always this bad, or we simply happened to get there during rush hour, but we took forever to get to the other side. The traffic was chaotic - mopeds cutting through, lanes narrowing and people coming together from all different angles. I, Ioana, was relieved when we finally made it through. Rãzvan seemed to be enjoying the slalom more though.

I was also impressed by the two women selling pastries from their car, on the side of the road. They were both reading, as no one was there at the time.Les mer
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Dag 10
onsdag 7. september 2022 10:50
☀️ 24 °C
Høyde: 184 m
Tyrkia Yeni 38.214695, 27.04469538°12’53” N 27°2’41” E
From South Africa to Türkyie and beyond
7. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Soon after we arrived at the camping we met Ian and Debbie, who are also traveling by motorbike. Their round the world adventure started in March, in South Africa. Since then, they made their way north through Africa, then Iran and now Türkyie. They travel in segments, which we too believe to be the most sustainable for of longterm travel.They got stranded here, waiting for some replacement parts, for the motorbike.

We spent a lovely evening and shared stories late into the night. Connecting with other travellers, hearing their stories and sharing kindness is one of the best things touring brings to you.

Since they were to stay here for at least 2 weeks, they even began helping Mustafa with gardening and landscaping. The morning we left everyone was hard at work, preparing the ground near the pool for sprinkles and a new lawn.

We made notes of each other’s recommendations, shared contacts and hugged goodbye. We’ll see each other again when they reach Romania, next year.Les mer
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Dag 10
onsdag 7. september 2022 10:51
☀️ 24 °C
Høyde: 184 m
Tyrkia Yeni 38.215, 27.04538°12’54” N 27°2’42” E
Izmir Oksijen Camping
7. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Izmir was too urban and we didn’t want to be in the city. We didn’t anticipate it would be a problem finding a camping. It took a bit of anxious searching on google maps before we found Mustafa’s Oksijen Camping, a short drive outside the city.

We called the owner when we were already standing outside his gate. Mustafa is an excellent host and his camping is an oasis. Tent areas area sheltered by almond trees, there are tents and caravans to rent, and every camp spot has an outdoor shelter with a table and an electrical plug. The bathrooms are clean and there’s warm water. There’s also a small kitchen with a fridge and a washing machine for guests to use.
We took advantage of it - showered and did all our laundry.

There’s even a pool, but it was too late to use it when we arrived and too late in the morning before we left. Would highly recommend the place.

We told Mustafa we’re off to Pamukkale so he gave us a camp recommendation - off to Tepe camping.Les mer
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Dag 10
onsdag 7. september 2022 12:03
☀️ 29 °C
Høyde: 3 m
Tyrkia Kuşçu Dağı 37.974998, 27.25333237°58’30” N 27°15’12” E
Taking a break on a beach
7. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We stopped on a beach on our way, for a brief helmet-jacket-free moment. It’s surprising how much pressure your ears get during a day of riding. Not to mention the heat.

As in most places, the beach and the sides of the road were filled with litter. However, the people at the beach did not seem to mind. There were cars parked and people enjoying themselves. It still sets my thinking wheels in motion to see muslim women dressed from head to toe at the beach, while the men seem to be enjoying a more carefree life.Les mer
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Dag 10
onsdag 7. september 2022 13:15
☀️ 28 °C
Høyde: 6 m
Tyrkia Güvercinada 37.861668, 27.2537°51’42” N 27°15’0” E
Kușadasi Castle
7. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Kusadasi is one of the first towns we saw that felt very western and touristic. You could tell there were too many people flying in by the starbucks plastic cups found on the ground in all sorts of places.

There were 3 large cruise ships in port, so big it makes you stop and stare.

We only visited the castle and had a quick bite outside it before getting on the road again. The castle is built on pigeon island. No pigeons though.Les mer
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Dag 10
onsdag 7. september 2022 14:22
☀️ 32 °C
Høyde: 9 m
Tyrkia Arcadian Street (Arcadiane), Ephesus 37.943333, 27.34166737°56’36” N 27°20’30” E
Ice cream show outside Ephesus
7. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
We stopped for ice cream in the market outside Ephesus. If you could grab it the ice cream was free. We obviously had to pay for both.

It was very funny to see the “Genuine Fake Watches Sign”.
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Dag 10
onsdag 7. september 2022 15:35
☀️ 34 °C
Høyde: 7 m
Tyrkia Ancient Church of Mary - Meryem Kilisesi, Ephesus 37.945, 27.3437°56’42” N 27°20’24” E
The Great City of Ephesus
7. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
Ephesus was the greatest commercial city of its region and its beauty stands, even in ruins.

It is home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Its other notable buildings include Hadrian’s temple, built in honour of Hadrian’s visit and Celsus’ library.
The theatre is monumental and can host up to 24000 people. Considering women, children and slaves were not usually allowed in theatres, the population of the city is approximated to ten times the capacity of a theatre. Or so the story goes…

I was moved by the beauty of what remains of the library. It was probably my favourite ancient spot to visit. I was so happy I actually did a little happy dance.

Imagining the sea coming right up to the marble pathway leading into the city is impressive. And so is walking under the shade of the trees and imagining the world that once was.Les mer
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Dag 11
torsdag 8. september 2022 10:46
☀️ 22 °C
Høyde: 723 m
Tyrkia Pamukkale 37.939999, 29.13999937°56’24” N 29°8’24” E
Tepe camping - on top of Pamukkale
8. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Remember Mustafa from Oksijen Kamping? He recommended Tepe and we were happy we took his advice.

We arrived at the place after a scenic drive on top of Pamukkale and the surrounding areas. The sun was setting and it gave everything a rose glow that made it even more beautiful.

The owner of Tepe and his wife are lovely people, you could feel kindness even in the way they spoke. She made a traditional vegetarian dish for me, which wasn’t even in the menu, while Razvan tried Kofte, a type of meatballs.
Instead of two glasses of tea we got the whole tea pot. We’re beginners at this, but we even googled tea pots to buy at home, that’s how excited we got. We watched the sun set over the valley, had a delicious dinner and then relaxed over tea.

In the morning, the families camping here made the place feel even more homey.
The water in the shower was lukewarm at best, but we really enjoyed our stay here. Lovely hosts, would definitely recommend.Les mer
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Dag 11
torsdag 8. september 2022 13:57
☀️ 30 °C
Høyde: 370 m
Tyrkia Hierapolis 37.926666, 29.12666737°55’36” N 29°7’36” E
Pamukkale - Ancient City of Hierapolis
8. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Pamukkale, meaning Cotton Castle in Turkish, is the travertine thermal pool area next to the ruins of Hierapolis. Hierapolis — “Holy City” was inhabited for thousands of years, attracting people due to the thermal springs in the area.

It had one of the best preserved theatres, compared to other ancient Cities and lots of other well preserved buildings. The main attraction are of course the pools of thermal water.

Archeological excavations are still in progress today.Les mer
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Dag 11
torsdag 8. september 2022 22:36
🌙 25 °C
Høyde: 10 m
Tyrkia Turgutreis 37.021667, 27.26666637°1’18” N 27°15’60” E
Camping really late
8. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
We left Tepe late and took our time at Pamukkale. Which meant by the time we got to Bodrum it was quite late. We also stopped by the ferry port to check the options for passing to Kos and Rhodos. This meant we had to go into town and into the evening traffic. By the time we got back outside the city it was past 9.

And so the searrch for campings began. The first one we tried had what seemed at first to be very hospitable hosts. After inviting us to park our motorbike inside, they began showing us around the place. And then came the money talk. The place was 3 times more expensive than the usual ones - the catch was that they included breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was from 9 to 11 am and dinner from 7 to 9am. It was 9.15 when we arrived, so too late for dinner. And our plan was to leave at 7, to catch a ferry. They didn’t want to budge on the price, despite admitting it’s also not possible for us to eat. We left.

The second camping we went for turned out to be, not a camping. It was a caravan and bungalow park. They insisted in us staying while they tried to figure something out, but it felt dodgy. Eventually they mentioned a friend of theirs has a place nearby where we could pitch the tent. We left.

The third place we got to was a dead end - perhaps a mistake on my end, as it was really near a beach that mentioned camping on Google, and not a proper camping.

And then finally, we arrived at the Bodrum EcoFarm Camping and Hostel. The owner was friendly and inviting, we were allowed to pitch the tent near the back of the park, to not disturb the other campers by leaving early. We had tea together and chatted with the other hostel guests for a few minutes. We grabbed dinner and went to bed.Les mer
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Dag 12
fredag 9. september 2022 08:17
☀️ 24 °C
Høyde: 4 m
Tyrkia Bodrum Kalesi 37.031666, 27.42833337°1’54” N 27°25’42” E
Morning walk and coffee in Bodrum
9. september 2022, Tyrkia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
We woke up early and left the camping. We abandoned the Kos and Rhodos idea, because we couldn’t find any campings on the map. Instead, we planned to catch a ride to Datca, to not go back on the same road.

It was early enough for us to take a walk through the marina area before the castle was open. The town itself felt too touristic, and oriented towards partying.
We tried some new varieties of local cookies with a cup of coffee, while looking out at the sea.Les mer
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Dag 12
fredag 9. september 2022 10:39
☀️ 27 °C
Høyde: Sjønivå
Aegean Sea 36.814999, 27.59666636°48’54” N 27°35’48” E
Ferry to Datça
9. september 2022, Aegean Sea ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
We were close to the ferry port. At some point I got a funny feeling in my stomach telling me we should be there, with the people already boarding the ferry. I walked the 100m over there to double check. Departures: 9 -12 — 17. It was quarter to 9.

I ran back. Razvan immediately knew we have to hurry when we saw me running. We quickly got the bike and went over there.

Things got a bit intense when he was already on the boat with the bike and I was still in the queue, waiting to get tickets. One of the men working on the boat was really upset. People behind me in the queue started yelling saying they can’t leave them behind just because the cashier is slow. Oh, but they could.

We barely made it.Les mer
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