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Vagabonding
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Vagabonding

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    At Emin's in Seki

    19 april 2024, Turkije ☀️ 20 °C

    Before the trip, I read 'Vagabonding' by Rolf Potts, who has travelled to many countries as a travel writer. The book gave me some inspiration for what travelling can feel like: wild, unplanned, adventurous, off the beaten track, full of surprises.
    It was my desire to immerse myself a little in foreign cultures, to interact with others, to connect with other people in a short space of time.

    I have not yet managed to create this adventurous feeling reliably and permanently, but in recent months I have managed to do so more often and the more foreign the cultures become, the greater the chances of exciting encounters.
    The key to this is travelling with enough time, with an open mind, with little planning and off the beaten track. (I believe total immersion in the adventure also requires leaving out all kinds of distractions and 'anchoring': If one were to forgo books, music, contact with friends and everything familiar it would be true immersion).

    Now I've ended up here in this small mountain village called Seki. The village is 60 kilometres from Fethiye in the mountains. There's not much here and life seems to be centred around the village square.
    I'm the only non-Turkish person here and I think it's great. My English doesn't help me any more and when I order something I never know 100% whether I'll get what I want. 🤷‍♂️
    I go to Emins Té every morning. It's not really called a café, as 99% of the drinks served are tea, so I call the shop Té in reference to the cafés that serve coffee.
    I am greeted with curiosity, work a little and watch the older men play Rummikub. (I never thought it would be so easy to find a games café).
    It won't be long before I'm playing a few rounds myself. 👍

    There are old Renault 12s and light Mondial motorbikes driving around on the roads. The Renaults were built in the early 70s and the Mondials look like they could be from the 80s. Today someone drove into the café on his tractor.... 😂

    From nightfall onwards, I hear nothing. Nothing? Well, there's this one nightingale that sings the whole night through for me.
    Instead of sheep I count her verses. 🎶    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    Beyköy, Turkey

    20 april 2024, Turkije 🌬 13 °C

    I actually wanted to go to a different Beyköy, namely the smallest village in the region with only 25 inhabitants. The Beyköy I ended up in even has two cafés, making it far too urban for my taste. 😤
    I give it a go and order a çay while I make a note of my recent experiences in my diary.
    Ha! It takes less than 10 minutes before I'm involved in the first conversation. 👍

    "Bonjour monsieur" someone calls over to me. 😳
    In no time at all, I'm sitting at the next table and the Çay loosens our tongues. The conversation picks up even more speed when Ali, who lives in Stuttgart and speaks German, joins us. A short stay turns into a two-hour conversation and my desire to master the language better for my next visit grows 😊.    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    Three days of Highlights

    26 april 2024, Turkije ☀️ 26 °C

    The forest of Karamanlı is exactly what I was looking for: an oasis of peace, a patch of nature and not too far from the city. Today I set up camp for the next few days and will be working a lot again.

    Day 1
    I roll into town. According to Openstreetmap, the place is a wasteland - not even the streets are correctly mapped, not to mention the supermarkets, banks and restaurants. Perfect for me, as there's a good chance that no tourists will stray here.
    I mark a few important points on the map and look for a place to work. I quickly find a café in the centre, but it doesn't look quite right - it's almost a bit too new and I'm looking for something more shabby, some small place with two or three tables or something. Well, after all there are tables with Rummicub all over the room so I stay.
    The first Çay is quickly ordered and a table is placed against the wall with the power socket. Here we go!

    The heavy bike in front of the door is a real eye-catcher here and I watch the prospective customers with amusement from my vantage point.
    Every now and then I am greeted in a friendly manner, approached a few times and then invited for tea. At first we exchange only with a translator, then Mustafa joins me and we switch to English.

    People come and go and are briefed, followed by countless rounds of Çay. I feel really involved, almost like being with friends. In the evening, I give a little guitar concert and then explain that I'm going to disappear into the forest to spend the night, which is greeted with amusement by the crowd.

    Day 2
    I enter the café. Hamdi, the owner, is delighted and arrives with the first cup of tea. He asks if the night in the forest was good. 😄
    I work while Ali, the café owner's father, pushes his grandson around the room on his tricycle.
    In the early afternoon, most of yesterday's group are back again.
    The boys teach me a new version of Rummicub and one Çay follows the next (you have to know that the glasses are really small!).
    In the evening, I set off again - some of them start giggling again because I'm going into the forest - and one of them warns me about the wild boars. I take the warning in my stride and reply that I usually go through the forest singing so that the animals notice me. General laughter follows. 😄
    The sun has been gone for a while and I only reach the edge of the forest in the twilight. I can just see a few small ones and two fairly large shadows and hear the animals panting. 😨
    I slowly hurry backwards and continue to sing - for the pigs and myself.

    Day 3
    Today is anything-can-happen day. It's not something I decide - it just happens - the great experiences often come all together.
    Today I HAVE to do laundry. The trousers already smell a lot like a cuddled street dog and there are hardly any unworn textiles left.
    So in the morning I wash the clothes by hand, hang them up in the woods and drive into town.

    There, I am welcomed by Hamdi with the first Çay and get to work.
    The teacher Musa comes into the café and shows me round his school. He shows me the staff room, the meeting room and introduces me to his colleagues and then - the absolute highlight - to his class. The kids are just as excited as I am and are simply beaming. It's a great feeling to stand in front of such a group of young people. If I had more language skills now... that would be great.

    We are back in Hamdis Té. The clientele has changed once and new conversations arise. Mustafa comes by and we take a trip to the reservoir and skip stones.
    In the distance, you can see the cut-up hilltops that now characterise this region. Marble has been mined here for a few years now. Some companies have bought the mining rights and are now cutting the precious stone from the rocks - to the detriment of agriculture and the inhabitants.

    We sit back down at a table in Hamdi's establishment, the hub of activity here in Karamanlı. A new face joins the group: Mori, an energetic farmer, wants to show me his land - and off we go.
    We drive along the country lanes in his old Ford Transit and he tells me about the crops he grows and shows me how his fields are irrigated. He offers me a cigarette, which I refuse as a non-smoker.
    Musa explains to him in Turkish that I am also a vegetarian.
    I add: "Ben eğlencenin freniyim", which means something like:
    "I'm the buzzkill."
    We all laugh.    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    Short Stopover in Çeltek

    1 mei 2024, Turkije ☁️ 22 °C

    I've already swept past the café when I hear a friendly 'Merhaba!' from behind and, after a U-turn, sit down with the gentlemen drinking tea on the veranda.
    Among them is the muhtar, the head of the village community.
    We have an interesting conversation and at the end I take a nut hammer with me as a souvenir - the hospitality here is amazing!    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger
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    The bee-eaters of Burdur

    4 mei 2024, Turkije ☁️ 16 °C

    Well, well - it can be fun in the big cities after all! Burdur definitely deserves a few more days of attention. The place I found by the lake is teeming with rare and common birds and is a beautiful piece of nature. Here I come across the bee-eater, which has long been on my ornithological wish list. A beautiful animal.
    Near the town hall, I enter Mustafa's café and find a great place to work and watch the local Rummikub games at the same time 😀
    Next door is Hassan's snack bar, which conjures up a delicious breakfast for me, and I have a great chat with him.
    A few days go by - I pack up the tent in the morning, eat breakfast, and commute to work in the city. I work there for a few hours, have a chat, pack up, do the shopping, and roll back to a spot by the lake.
    One day, Hakan, Hassan's brother, comes up to me and taps me on the shoulder. He holds out his cell phone to me and I read: "Aren't you tired?"
    He taps his cell phone again: "Why don't you go for a walk? There's a park over there. Take a break and after that, you'll have new thoughts again." Wow. I take this tip - and also his later tips
    for other places of interest - with thanks.

    Another day, Hassan and his son help me to organize a great tablet within a few hours. The next day, I sit down with the salesman who helps me set it up. We have a small breakfast with tea and while I familiarize myself with the device, he is available to answer any questions and reads a bit of my travel blog =D
    I haven't had such a relaxed purchase in a long time - cheers to this Ottoman business tradition.

    It's time for me to move on and Hassan wants to prepare another breakfast for me tomorrow. "I'll fry some meat for you." ( he knows I'm a vegetarian )
    I reply: "Okay - hide it under the eggs and in the vegetables" - and we both laugh.    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    Hospitality

    8 mei 2024, Turkije ☀️ 21 °C

    I have not yet reached my stage for the day and am stopped on the road. I don't miss the invitation to meet Ali and his family and I'm already standing in front of the house and enter.

    Everything about the flat is exciting - after all, it's not every day that I get a glimpse into their private lives. As is usual in mosques, the entire floor is carpeted and shoes are left outside the door. The furnishings are sparse, in contrast to the usual European houses and flats, which seem overcrowded to me. Everything is very functional and it seems as if the practicality of things is decisive.
    The farmhouse dates back to an earlier time, as you can see from the small window frames.

    There is no furniture in the hallway - in contrast, in German hallways there is always a place for the landline telephone. Rural areas seem to have skipped this technological step and gone straight into the mobile phone age.
    There is exactly one socket in the wall in the corridor and as I will be using the translator many times today, I leave it charging. It's at chest height and the mobile phone cable doesn't quite reach the floor, so we leave it dangling and go into the kitchen.

    It has a square floor plan, an estimated 16 square metres, and I immediately notice the fire pit, which is actually in use. Next to it I discover a bag of animal dung to light the fire. In the corner are old paint buckets that now have all sorts of other contents. There is a small kitchenette with a washing machine and a sink.
    A few pictures of family members and ancestors hang on the walls and there is also a picture of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk - fitting, as he is regarded as the father of modern Turkey.

    We sit on the floor with a large tray of bread, butter, cheese, eggs and vegetables in the centre and enjoy our meal.

    Then we take Ali's electric cargo trike to his garden. He shows me all the fruits growing there and teaches me their names. We record a few videos for his social media channel.
    I'm encouraged to eat all the fruit. Everything tastes sour to bitter 😂 (especially the green almonds, of which I have only ever tasted the core in its final form).

    In the evening, I spend time with his father, who watches a bit of telly with me. Wow. I don't understand the language, but pictures are worth a thousand words. In Germany, some things are not shown in too much detail for good reasons, but for this news channel there's no stopping a motorbike accident being shown. The video is too short, the narrator hasn't finished yet. So it is shown again. Then again in slow motion.
    In case anyone missed it, the accident is shown again, enlarged and with a huge arrow so that nobody misses the impact. 😐

    Then the family arrives and we sit together on the floor in the large living room and eat. A large dining cloth is spread out again and there are lots of small bowls of goodies, bread and soup, vegetables and the familiar green almonds, which taste much better with a little salt.
    We have a great evening (especially with Cemi, the local imam, who could also pass for a comedian with his witty manner). 🤭

    I feel like part of the family - and as I lie in bed in the guest room, my eyes quickly fall shut after this eventful day.    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    Sagalassos

    9 mei 2024, Turkije ☁️ 14 °C

    I'm standing on the Lower Agora, one of the city's main squares, and somehow I can't comprehend that this place was supposed to have existed thousands of years ago.
    The first settlements in this area date back to 8000 BC and Hittite documents point to a similar mountain settlement around 1400 BC. At the time of its conquest by Alexander the Great in 333 BC, the city was already in full bloom.

     People have lived, loved and hoped here. Children ran through these streets playing. Traders sold their goods, festivals were celebrated. All that remains are stones and broken pieces.

    I have visited a few archaeological sites but the size and condition of the site is impressive.    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    A Day with Aunt Şükriye

    12 mei 2024, Turkije ☁️ 16 °C

    Today I was invited for tea and more at breakfast. A friendly lady appeared behind me and spoke to me. She wanted to know if I wanted to come round for a cup of tea. Conveniently, she lived right next to the playground. So she was able to show me directly where I needed to roll to after breakfast. No sooner said than done - I was now sitting outside her house on a small bench. They had even laid out an extension cable for me so that I could work 😄 but I found it more exciting to talk to the family, watch the birds they had there and everything around me and let the day come to me.
    Instead of work, it's çay and entertainment today.
    Yasin takes a look at the bike and when I tell him that it needs a bit of repair, he won't let me stop him. 🛠️🔩The kickstand is fixed, everything oiled. The lamp, which has been broken for four months, gets a bracket.
    They won't let me spend the night in the tent and a friendly neighbour offers me an empty flat.
    Before I leave, Yanis and his mum come out of the kitchen with a large food parcel and strap it onto my porter. Fruit, sweets, walnuts (which is fine, I still have the hammer I was given), a bag and a rain jacket. 🥰
    Shortly before I leave, a pair of chicks hatch. Tiny, these little quails.

    I roll out of the city with Yasin - he on his Mondial, me on my bike. We take a look at his apple trees and I taste ripening almond kernels for the first time, which are still liquid in their green skins.
    He also has an apple cold store and we take a look at the huge cold rooms in which tonnes of apples are stored. He gives me a big bag of apples which I somehow manage to get on my bike and then roll off into the distance. I don't know how the bike carries it all, but it rolls.
    Gelendost covers about 20% of the Turkish apple requirement and today about 3000% of my daily requirement 😁

    I roll and roll and can hardly get the laughter out of my face at my first break. I manage to save about 100 bees from swimming and finally find my personal guardian angel Ramazan, who has stopped to make sure I'm okay and don't need any help. Germans are like brothers to Turks and he offers to help me with any problems, from finding my way around to official matters and difficult situations.

    I am not a tourist here, I am among friends.    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    Beyşehir

    14 mei 2024, Turkije ☀️ 17 °C

    I've been eating apples with walnuts for a few days now. The huge mountain of food is slowly diminishing and I can also treat a few people to something healthy from Aunt Şükriye's food bag.
    The place to sleep in Beyshir is great. I drive here every evening and pass the dog packs that sound the alarm every time I appear on the horizon. Day by day, some of them become more trusting because they have realised that sometimes there is some cheese. One remains stubborn and continues to bark, while all the others scurry around me wagging their tails.😮‍💨

    Beysehir is home to the best-preserved wooden mosque. It was built in 1296-1299
    by Esrefoğlu Süleyman Bey during the rule of the Seljuks and is definitely worth a visit. The swallows liked it too, they happily chased each other in it.

    At night, my tent is lit up by a car headlight and I stick my head out of the tent.
    I don't understand the words and I can't make sense of the gentleman's intention. I offer to pack up my tent, which he firmly denies and gets out.
    He shakes my hand and introduces himself as Suleyman. After an invitation to çay, he drives on to the lake. It's funny - I suppose I would have been chased away in Germany.    Meer informatie

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReiziger

    Konya

    20 mei 2024, Turkije ☁️ 26 °C

    I've made it as far as Anatolia!
    From now on I'm further west than ever before. I've been to Turkey before, but only to Belek, a tourist centre. The holiday was nice, but there was absolutely no cultural exchange to speak of, because we spent our days at the breakfast buffet in the morning, by the pool in the afternoon and in the bar in the evening. Times are changing. 😊

    Just had a nice chat with Mohamed at the hostel reception. I asked him about the ingredients for breakfast and he looked deep into my eyes and then said in a whisper: ‘Breakfast is - he cleared his throat - and got even quieter - bad’. He said he couldn't speak out loud and nodded his head in the direction of the surveillance camera. I nodded knowingly and went on my way. I found my favourite breakfast at Sofi's around the corner - a delicious omelette with cheese and vegetables.

    There's a Turkish proverb that says: ‘May the pears fly into his mouth roasted.’ It means that someone is very lazy. I'm not that lazy when I sit and work for hours in Ümit's Té, but the dough rings still fly into my mouth when they're fried. Every day the seller comes round and brings them to the table. It's marvellous.

    Shortly before I leave, I watch the whirling dervishes of Konya. They belong to the Mevlana order, which was named after the mystic Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (1207-1273).
    He is one of the most important Persian-language poets of the Middle Ages and a central figure of the Mevlevi order, a brotherhood of Sufis.
    They try to reach ecstasy and transcendental states by performing gyrations. One hand is always directed upwards to receive the divine blessing and the other hand points towards the earth to distribute it. Today, however, nobody goes into ecstasy.

    What I find quite funny in Turkey is that I receive a text message from the government every few days. Sometimes it's congratulations on Mother's Day, Ramadan or sporting events, and once there was a request to donate blood and an invitation to a wedding.
    I didn't go to the wedding because I thought it was inappropriate to turn up without knowing anyone.
    I didn't go to the blood donation either. I have a big heart but there's always not enough blood in it. 😛    Meer informatie

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    Çatalhöyük

    1 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 28 °C

    Anyone who knows me also knows my gaps in historical knowledge. For me, a visit to a normal museum has to start with the basics: what is it all about? What time period are we in? What will I learn?

    When visiting the Neolithic settlement of Catalhöyük, my lack of historical knowledge does not limit my ability to learn much this time.
    Overarching geopolitical contexts simply don't play a role here and even if I were asked for a date, it wouldn't matter if my estimate was 1000 or 2000 years off. :D

    What amazes me is the timeline of human civilisations shown at the beginning of the museum. All the great empires are represented here - you read names like Sumerians, Hittites, (they were once mentioned in the Bible, weren't they?), the Egyptian pharaohs, the Han dynasty, the Mayans, the Merkel era ... but they are all far off in the ‘near’ past.
    In the photo you can see the orange ray that describes the civilisation that Catalhöyük built. The Sumerians follow a few thousand years later and then all the names of the others far behind. :o

    At that time, people began to settle down and combined the familiar methods of gathering and hunting with sedentary eating methods. Animals were domesticated and crops were cultivated.
    At the height of the settlement, several thousand people lived here. Remarkable, if one remembers that the total estimated world population at this time is around 5-10 million people.

    The town was made up of many rectangular houses and had no streets. People moved from one roof to another and entered the houses via roof hatches. The life of the settlement probably also took place on the roofs.
    (I think this could be an inspiration for modern urban planning - we've already lost the streets to cars, so at least we could open up the roofs to pedestrians ;) )

    Inside, there were lying areas, a fireplace and the first household items - people decorated their homes and painted the white walls with symbols and pictures. The houses were reused several times and stood for an estimated 400 years - in between, people may have moved and then taken the remains of the deceased buried in the ground with them - an unusual custom from today's perspective, but people wanted to be particularly close to their ancestors back then.

    Back then, people must have really fought against superhuman monsters, because the murals always had a scale on them. ‘Animals on the wall are bigger than they appear!’ :O

    Inspired by the millennia-old tradition of sleeping in solid walls, I also find four suitable walls to set up my bed in tonight.    Meer informatie

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    Çok sicak! / Heat 🥵

    3 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 32 °C

    The proverbial weatherman is lying boiled on the ground today. It's 31 degrees, the sun is beating down and drawing hard shadows on the ground. There are 45 kilometres behind me and the mountains ahead.

    I find a particularly playful pack of dogs and indulge my play instinct once again. Marvellous! 😁
    I spend the rest of the day simmering away in the shade and warming up inside with one çay after another. Friendly villagers sit down with me, we talk all day and exchange ideas. I've almost got the hang of the translator, but unfortunately it's still a bit complicated.

    We have a few beers in the evening, but unfortunately I turn down two invitations to stay - the migratory bird has to move on...    Meer informatie

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    Cappadocia!!

    5 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 31 °C

    Arrival in the highlight of Turkey: Capadocia!
    The heat continues and has forced me to get up earlier. I get used to it and from 8 o'clock it's as warm in the tent as in an oven anyway, so I get out of my sleeping bag and prefer to spend the time outside where the wind is blowing.

    Shortly after my supermarket shop, a young woman jumps out of the car and speaks to me. That's how I meet the hitchhiking duo Robin and Natalia, with whom I end up on the edge of a cliff right next to the balloons.
    I am woken up at the crack of dawn by loud fans. The balloons are being filled with air. Shuttle buses roll up and disgorge their human cargo at the launch site. The balloonists giggle and cackle nervously. One by one, they climb aboard and take off.
    A few wedding couples remain behind, not wanting to miss out on the scenery, a few ladies in red dresses (I count about 7) who are perhaps still searching, and of course us travellers.
    I hike through the gorges for three days - three days with different and amazing rock formations in front of me.
    As we prefer to get a good night's sleep, we retire to rock caves in the evening, which are very well air-conditioned.

    The area on which these highlights are concentrated is smaller than expected: there are only a few small tourist villages and the gorges in between that attract people. Everything is super easy to get to by bike - that gives it plus points in my rating!

    I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, which I'm sure everyone has seen a thousand times - just without the bearded catweasel ;)    Meer informatie

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    Derinkuyu

    8 juni 2024, Turkije ⛅ 25 °C

    Historians and archaeologists disagree on whether the underground city of Derinkuyu was dug to protect it from attackers or from adverse climatic conditions. What is certain is that I definitely visit it today to protect myself from the climatic conditions. 😁

    Whatever the cause, the city is impressive. The caves were only discovered by chance in 1965 and it is estimated that only a fraction of them have been uncovered.
    It is uncertain how many people lived there and estimates vary widely between 3000-50000 inhabitants. What is certain, however, is that it was possible to live down there for some time.

    The small, shoulder-width tunnels lead deep underground.
    Below, there is everything a city needs: Storage rooms, stables, living and communal areas, churches and more.
    The city was closed off by large stone gates.

    Dozens of these cities were built in the region and it is assumed that not all of them have been found yet.    Meer informatie

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    The day of laughing Childs

    10 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 26 °C

    I start a little earlier today to escape the heat of the day. In this part of Turkey it's now usually over 27°C and even if the heat isn't so bad due to the wind, it's more fun to get a bit of fresh air.

    My route takes me through a small canyon. ⛰️⛰️
    While the landscape above is rather steppe-like, a river has created a small and peaceful paradise. A great spot for camping!

    I did not have a flat tire for weeks and changing it only takes 20 minutes. The nearby water sprinklers regularly spray me with water, which makes the heat more pleasant.

    During my lunch break, a couple of kids come up to me and we have a really nice chat that ends in test rides on my bike. One of the boys even does better than me on my first few meters. Maybe I've convinced the next offspring to cycle today 🤭

    The children leave and are replaced by a group of young people. They also want to know a lot and then pose for a photo. They want me to do a wolf salute. Knowing what it means, I leave out the greeting.
    They want to invite me for a cup of tea and I accept. Then they take me to the party headquarters of the MHP, an extreme right-wing and arch-conservative party. 😓
    Portraits of Atatürk and the party's founders hang on the walls. Behind the large desk sits a man my age, perhaps the local chairman. Half the kids are around 13, the rest around 17.
    We have Çay and baklava. I can easily avoid the questions that revolve around politics. I don't think there's any point in having a discussion here, the opinions are too different for that.
    I think it's a shame that I'm once again being presented with the typical (memorized?) opinion that there are only terrorists in eastern Turkey. What a nonsense.
    The meeting leaves me perplexed and somewhat hopeless because I can already see the next generation of children growing up with hate images in their heads.    Meer informatie

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    A dream is shattered

    11 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 19 °C

    Ever since I saw the immensely high mountain peaking the anatolian plain, I've been super excited. I want to get up there!
    I spend the day preparing:
    Gathering information, checking the route, planning and buying food.

    It's 3900 meters high.🏔️ 🤩
    The air gets thin from 3000 m upwards, so I might as well get a few hours of altitude training in. The route is strenuous but not technically demanding and I'm in very good shape.
    This is going to be an adventure!

    At the end of the day, I get into position and ride up another 1000 meters - to 2200 m above sea level. At the beginning I'm still having fun and ask the mountain if it has any more up its sleeve - a 9% gradient won't stop me!
    An hour and a half later, I concede a draw to the mountain and use my breath for pedaling rather than for complaining 😄
    After two and a half hours (exactly my estimate!) I arrive at the top pretty exhausted and see how the sunset bathes the whole plateau in an orange-red color.

    I roll up to the person I want to entrust my bike to the next day when I climb the mountain.
    I'm sitting with Mehmet in his container and we talk about our families, his work and our lives. Two dogs scurry up and down in front of his container and get an idea of my 17,500 km adventurous ride while they sniff at my bags. 🐕🐕

    The evening before the ascent, I report to the police, who guard the mountain and register the climbers for safety's sake - and don't get clearance. 😔
    The latest regulations say you have to apply for a permit. This would be possible in Kayseri (27km away and 1200m lower) from tomorrow. And I would need a guide anyway. 🥺

    The end of the story for tonight: I made a detour that lasted several days and had to carry food for a whole company up the mountain today. 😩
    The brief dream of the brilliant view and the experience at this altitude with a mega view of the Anatolian plain has been shattered.    Meer informatie

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    Animal Zoo

    12 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 18 °C

    I open my eyes in the morning - and the first thing I think of is the mountain that is out of my reach 😕

    A noise attracts my attention A pack of squirrels is marauding and plundering through the prairie, not even stopping at my property.Meer informatie

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    Seljuk medicine

    12 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 32 °C

    I roll down the mountain at a monkey's pace and convert the potential energy that I painstakingly built up yesterday back into kinetic energy in no time at all.

    The cool mountain air is replaced by the warm city air. Despite the many parks in the city, there are still plenty of tarmac or stone surfaces that store and reflect the heat very well.

    I meet Bruno again (we know each other from Konya) and we visit the Seljuk Museum. I particularly remember the great achievements in the field of medicine at that time. Even back then, illnesses were understood holistically as a combination of physical, mental and environmental aspects and treated accordingly. This is how the first hospitals (also called "House of Health" / "House of Healing" at the time) came into being. Mental illnesses were also treated back then - not by exorcising devils or other comparably fruitless methods as in Europe, but by means of music and aromatherapy, for example.

    The sounds of water or instruments were used, for example, to calm or create feelings. Concerts were regularly held in the houses to improve the healing process.
    Very interesting approaches for today's medicine in my opinion ;)    Meer informatie

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    🚂 to Divrigi

    14 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 31 °C

    Bruno and I take the daily 🚂 East Express from track 9 3/4 in Kayseri and cover the distance of 260 kilometres comfortably within 8 hours.
    It could be a bit quicker, but in the end we're glad that we're travelling more comfortably than on our bikes.

    The journey takes us along a small river and we get a foretaste of the scenery to come. Behind the window panes we see bare hills rolling by. Today, for once, we are sitting in an air-conditioned railway carriage and are not (yet) struggling in the heat.

    An animal market is taking place in the city due to the upcoming festival of sacrifice and we have a few amusing conversations with the traders.
    On recommendation, we visit the large mosque in the town with its ornate door frame and learn a little about the significance of the place for the Seljuks.

    Tomorrow we will continue our journey, this time only one stop, to explore a special highlight of this area.    Meer informatie

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    Black Canyon to Kemaliye

    14 juni 2024, Turkije ⛅ 30 °C

    We are following in the footsteps of Flo, Julie (2 🇫🇷) and Amelie 🇩🇪 - a group of cyclists who cycled through here months ago. They met in Turkey and spent a few weeks together before going their separate ways again.
    Bruno has been very fascinated and inspired by J+F and so we find ourselves on the roads that the trio took to cycle along the Euphrates.

    We are the only ones to get off in Çaltı. There is no raised platform but we are helped with our luggage. The train departs and moves the cabbage on the tracks one last time, proving that this station is not one of the busiest in Turkey.
    A friendly man comes to us from the station shelter and tells us that we shouldn't drink the water from the fountain. Instead, he offers us his drinking water and, fresh and soaking wet, we set off on the dusty track.

    The route first takes us 350 metres up the mountain via steep hairpin bends, where we work up quite a sweat - at around 30 degrees. At the top, we find a mountain of gold and other precious metals next to the road. (The lab confirmation is still pending, but we took samples with us to be on the safe side).
    (Dad, if you're reading this: I'll ask at the border if export is allowed! 😀)

    Then it's all downhill and after a fast descent we find ourselves at the entrance to the Karanlık Canyon and the tunnel, which has been connecting Kemaliye with the environment since 2002 and has become a highlight for tourists.
    We roll (slowly) through the tunnels for several minutes at a time and need a few hours to cover the short distance, as there are plenty of views and the air here is very pleasantly cool compared to the air soup out there.

    Kemaliye is touristy but stylish. Everything is nicely decorated with standardised wooden signs for the shops, flower boxes are dotted here and there and Atatürk stands on the small central square overlooking the idyllic village.

    Bayram, the highest Islamic festival, begins tomorrow. It lasts four days and commemorates Abraham, who was supposed to sacrifice his son Ishmael to prove his faith. Ishmael was spared, but a goat was sacrificed.
    Shops will usually remain closed and only reopen after a few days. One side of us is happy about the good supply and that we don't have to store food for several days - on the other hand, the situation shows us that even for the highest, four-day festival, only a short business break is possible. The shops have to keep running.

    Our family-run campsite is situated on a slope overlooking the small town and both banks of the river. The evening we arrive, a young woman is celebrating her birthday and we join in the celebrations with cake 🍰 and traditional dancing.

    The local restaurant serves good food every evening and the waitress is so quick to clear the table that I call 'stop' the first time to keep my half-full ayran.
    From then on, she always peeks over my shoulder with a smile to see if the cup is empty 🤭    Meer informatie

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    Confused negotiation with the police

    18 juni 2024, Turkije ⛅ 32 °C

    It's hot again today, just like always. 🤷‍♂️Wir get up early and do a lot of kicking and sweating - same old story. The body has got used to it and at some point it's no longer uncomfortable, you have other things to worry about 😂.

    In the late afternoon, we look for a place to sleep and roll up to the town mosque. Flo and Julie (🇫🇷) have camped here on the lawn of the mosque and we would also like to spend the night on consecrated ground.
    An elderly gentleman greets us and shows us the meadow behind the mosque. Ideal. We sit with him, chat for a while and wait for the imam to make a decision.

    A man in a shirt and waistcoat arrives. We have no idea how imams dress here, but this could be him.
    He talks to our companion and then leaves.
    Our companion sits there and stares into the distance. Finally, I ask about the outcome of the conversation.
    He has no idea either and tells us to contact the police. 🤷‍♂️

    We trudge off to a branch of the police. Two passers-by are briefly asked for directions. They stop an expensive car and point out the driver. He nods and will probably take us there.
    Two kilometres further on, he drops us off in front of a well-secured base.

    There they suggest a campsite 7 kilometres away and in the opposite direction. Not impossible, but we already have an 80km stage tomorrow. 😬
    I remember that someone once recommended a 'really nice' campsite in a nature park. It was already dark and the campsite in question was 25 km away and 300 metres above me 😱. But it was really beautiful. Drivers estimate these distances differently. The well-known rule 'objects (in the mirror) are closer than they appear' doesn't apply when cycling 😄 .

    We bring up the municipal mosque; they would have referred us to the police.
    We are at a loss. Everyone is lost in thought. A policeman suggests we could spend the night behind the mosque (Yes! Please!🙏). There is disagreement.
    It's quiet, everyone is thinking.
    One of the policemen brings up the idea of the mosque again.
    They say 'yes, maybe we can do that'.
    Meanwhile, Bruno is told to phone a friend of a policeman and explain the situation again. This has happened to us before, the Turks seem to have relatives and friends in every region (no wonder with this openness and hospitality!)

    We are one step closer to a solution. We are told to get our bikes and then a solution can be found.
    I ask to clarify the situation: 'and then we take the bikes to the mosque?
    They reply: 'No, the mosque is closed.
    I am at a loss. I don't understand the situation. 😄

    A policeman calls an English-speaking friend and hands me the phone. They want to help us and ask what they can do.
    I explain the situation and that I think we can come to the police with the bikes.
    He explains this to the policeman.
    One of the policemen asks me:
    'What are you doing now?
    I understand the situation even less. 🤯
    We've just found a solution, haven't we? 🤣
    I reply that we'll get the bikes and come here.
    They confirm: get the bikes.
    Well, at least we've agreed on that. 🤞

    We get the bikes. A new face greets us at the police station and suggests the campsite again. By now I'm dreading the fact that all the policemen have changed shifts and we've lost the little negotiating progress we've made 🤣 and are experiencing the same situation as on Groundhog Day all over again. 🙄

    Fortunately, a familiar face comes out of the building. They briefly explain the situation and obtain authorisation for us to stay overnight.
    Then everything happens quickly: we are led behind the old police station and invited in for tea to celebrate the successful conclusion of the negotiations.
    Instead of sleeping on consecrated ground, we are now well protected behind the police station.    Meer informatie

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    Hospitality in Malatya

    20 juni 2024, Turkije ⛅ 38 °C

    We roll into Malatya and Bruno buys his first loaf of bread from a bakery. It's not wrapped up yet and someone invites us to a barbecue. 😄
    We roll through the city and see the result of the earthquake that shook this region a year ago.
    Many buildings have cracks in their façades and are still uninhabitable today. A large part of the population has been living in containers ever since. Some of them have been put together on many areas cleared for this purpose (former car parks?). Mini-markets have been positioned directly opposite, also housed in containers.
    We are told that every family has victims to mourn and we are shown some photos of the deceased. The anonymous statistics and figures from television and newspapers are given a face and make the story more tangible.

    Former landmarks have also fallen victim to the shocks. The former market hall no longer exists, but a new market, also made of containers, has been built in its place.
    The satellite map shows many newly built neighbourhoods. It is not certain whether the new buildings are now earthquake-proof, as the law on earthquake-proof construction has been in place since the turn of the millennium.

    Burak crosses our path, a bright man with whom I talk about religion - a big topic here. Many Muslims try to convince me, as a non-religious person, of Islam, but he conducts a very open dialogue and skilfully links topics of faith with those of morality. I would have loved to continue the discussion, but my days in Turkey are coming to an end. He also regrets that he doesn't have more time and, instead of inviting us to dinner, wants to pay for it. He offers us money, a bizarre situation as we are the rich Europeans who don't have to mourn any deaths in the family and who live in an economically and politically stable country.
    Normally I would have refused, but my gut feeling tells me that he feels a deep need and I overcome my first impulse to refuse.
    He offers to answer questions about religion and faith and we stay in touch.

    Finding a place to sleep that night is not difficult. We are shown a small park in the city centre, where it is nice and safe. A little strange at first, as everyone in Germany would turn up their noses. But the night is quiet.

    On the second evening, we have the pleasure of barbecuing with Turgut. He takes us to a nearby lake where some Turkish families have already started barbecuing. Smoke hangs in the air and hangs over the lake.
    Turgut doesn't give us the opportunity to join in. We are the guests and he wants to cater for us in the best possible way.
    As a farewell and for the train journey, he gives us the vine leaves made by his wife and a lot of barbecue food. He apologises several times for not being able to spend more time with us and that he would have liked to be more hospitable, but he is leaving that night for a family wedding.

    He takes us to the railway station, where friends of his are waiting. They turn out to be just as interested and welcoming.

    Finally we are alone and there are still a few hours before the train departs. The person at the ticket counter turns out to be very funny and tries to put in a word for us with the train staff. Actually, only folding bikes are allowed.
    As a memento, he gives me a 5Lira note with the date and his name on it - a little artefact for my travel diary.

    An official from the station staff shows us how to do it and we sleep a little in the waiting hall.
    The train arrives, we have our tickets 🎟️ and there's plenty of room on the train - off to bed and 😴.    Meer informatie

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    Final Station Kurtalan 🚂

    22 juni 2024, Turkije ☀️ 39 °C

    I open my eyes and see the landscape passing before me. It is slightly hilly and I can see many fields where people are occasionally working.
    Our compartment is well air-conditioned and looking at the landscape is a real pleasure.

    Our compartment mate Ani looks like a ranger in his khaki-coloured clothes.
    He's a funny guy and he knows how to emphasise things so well that the lack of a translator doesn't carry much weight. Outside, Diyarbakir passes by and we see one tower block after another. They are built but then only utilised to 30%. Then a new one is built. The construction industry seems to be booming, but whether the buildings will ever be fully utilised ...

    We arrive in Kurtalan in the afternoon. The heat hits us in the face and we flee to a café.

    Finding a place to sleep is very easy this time, we are recommended the city park.
    I remember the complications with the police a few days ago... 🤭

    We've just got all the shopping ready, want to buy some fruit - and are told to stay for a little tea.
    We have a short crash course in Kurdish and I learn that Turkish is no longer fully appreciated/heard. Many people are Kurdish and understandably value it.

    We set off to find a quiet spot in the park - please what? 😨
    The whole park is full of people. Small groups are sitting on the grass or walking through the park, music is playing, children are playing, romping, riding and rolling around - a nightmare!
    Bruno and I try to find a quiet corner, but like two colourful dogs we attract a lot of attention and are often approached. 😬

    We have found a spot and a group of young people in tow. I'm dog-tired but try to hold a conversation at first.
    It's no use - as soon as one group leaves, the next one arrives.
    At some point, I concentrate on building up the time and only answer sporadically. We eat and are visited by two little girls who are very interested.
    We eat and offer them something.
    When we have finished, I politely ask them to let us rest and they leave us.

    Tired, I close my eyes and wake up not long afterwards with itchy feet - mosquito bites!
    I anoint my feet, fall asleep, wake up and itch again. I anoint myself again.
    The next time I wake up from the itching, I discover the beasts in my tent. About fifteen hungry beasts have made it into my tent and pounced on me.
    There's a brief massacre and then it's quiet - I fall asleep...
    ... until I wake up to a jet of water hitting my tent. The park lawn is being sprinkled. Tired, I sit in my tent and monitor the amount of water. After a quarter of an hour, the spook is over. 🙏😴

    I oversleep the next day. Bruno is already driving off because it's going to be 38 degrees in the shade again.
    The ride is demanding and hilly and forces me to cycle slowly. I keep cool by keeping my clothes wet.    Meer informatie

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    Baykan

    23 juni 2024, Turkije ☁️ 34 °C

    Tough day today. 38C and the sun. There's a lot of climbing and runter⛰️. The scenery is fantastic but the heat is sweltering. The day starts at what feels like 30 degrees and heats up to 38 degrees 🌡️.
    I take water with me at every opportunity but within half an hour it's at body temperature and no longer refreshing 🥵. Luckily they give me frozen bottles on the way. 🙏
    One person even stops and wants to know if I need food or drinks. When I say no, he wants to give me money in exchange if I don't have any! 😲

    I'm really tired and just want to find somewhere in the shade to sleep.
    They ask me if I want Çay.
    Thanks, but no, I just want to sleep.
    He persists.
    - Çay?
    - No, sleep!
    - Çay?
    - No, sleep.
    - Come, Çay!
    - Yok!

    and after the tenth "Çay?" I say yes. 😮‍💨
    An hour passes and I'm a bit fitter again, it's only a few kilometres to the town where Bruno is waiting.
    You can get almost everything you need in Turkey. But rest is sometimes hard to come by. That's why I prefer to take short power naps in front of towns, then everything is easier and you can enjoy the conversations more.

    In Baykan, I stand in the air conditioning jet of the supermarket. ❄️26 degrees, what a refreshment!

    Bruno joins me and we look for a nice garden café. We watch the thunderstorm from a safe distance. ⛈️
    We end up spending the night here too
    Room and board are all on the owner and in the morning Bruno discovers a bag of fresh bread rolls next to him ❤️

    In the evening, pleasant conversations develop with kids and teenagers aged 11-18.
    The boys are really cute. Inquisitive, friendly, very caring. They invite us in for tea and don't accept any invitation from us, not even the chocolate we want to give them when they come shopping with us.    Meer informatie

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    At the Immigration office & farewell

    25 jun. – 4 jul. 2024, Turkije ☀️ 29 °C

    Arrival in Tatvan. We sit down in a small café whose architecture and range of products make us wonder. There are hot drinks, but also small snacks, like in a small mini-market. A door leads into a large waiting hall. The concept is not right at all. 😵‍💫
    Bruno finally solves the puzzle and finds out that we are sitting in the cafeteria of a hospital. 😁

    We are invited on a tour, which I would have loved to do, but I have to go to the police. My stay in Turkey is coming to an end and I'm hoping to get a few extra days out of it.

    We make a few phone calls at the gatehouse there to identify the relevant authority. While we're standing there, a few colleagues say goodbye and after a few minutes, an estimated 30 people know about my intentions today.
    They give me a small piece of paper with the most important information. 85 days stay, request extension.
    I'm supposed to go to the immigration office tomorrow.

    Overnight stay at a family-run campsite. Many Kurdish families have a picnic there. One of the street dogs is so happy that his whole body wiggles back and forth. 😄
    I take a dip in Lake Van. With my head under water, I hear almost nothing and feel a deep sense of calm that I haven't felt for a long time. So many interactions, so many conversations every day.

    The water tastes salty and when I dry off I feel like I've been bathing in soapy water 😁 - an interesting combination!

    The next morning I want to take the dolmus (local minibus in and between the towns). A Kurdish family starts their picnic next to me and invites me to join them. How I would have loved to take this opportunity!
    The atmosphere is even more different from what I have experienced in Turkey so far. Men and women are mixed at the picnic and the perceived "hierarchy" (the differences in behaviour?) is less pronounced. Women look at you and you can make eye contact - that wasn't so easy in large parts of Turkey.
    There are so many questions in my head about the cultural differences.
    I realise that Kurdish women are fighting for equal rights and therefore have a different role in society. I would have loved to enrich this knowledge with conversations, but I have to move on.

    Unfortunately, they can't help me at the immigration office because visa matters are managed by a different authority. Instead, we have a great time having lunch and guessing ages. I'm pretty close to the truth with all my colleagues, but I fail completely with one 😆
    In retrospect, I would like to apologise to the colleague in question for making him look almost 20 years older. 🤗

    Unfortunately, this is where Bruno and I part ways. We've known each other for a month and have been cycling together through the sweltering heat for two weeks. A small, special chapter is closed. He will set off for Istanbul by public transport to slowly make his way home.    Meer informatie

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