Day Sixty-One

12/07/25 - Day Sixty-One


Later start today to get a good sleep after yesterday. Coffee and breakfast in the cooler morning sun. 45 miles to ride till we arrive in Istanbul! A big milestone, only now really starting to sink in and the excitement building. A slight anticipation in the air, due to the notoriety of the cycle into Istanbul. Crazy traffic, and stories of dangerous drivers, had piqued my interest. Many people suggesting a ferry or to metro into the city. I wanted to experience it for myself however, and Manuel was keen to give it a try too. 

Our route following the Sultans trail, looked like it wiggled a quieter path to the centre. We had no issues whatsoever really, just normal slightly hectic city riding. Nothing compared to the chaos of motorcycling out of Ho Chi Minh City or into Hanoi. I was left somewhat disappointed by it all as it was smooth sailing all the way in. There were many hills, which our tired legs struggled through, and after an unintentional nap in a park we made it! 

Passing the old city walls, plenty of mosques and vibey old streets, we arrived to the Sulemaniye Cami mosque. Just as we were taking it in a man approached us inviting us for cay tea. Ahmad, was his name, and he lead us to his place of work: Sulemaniye Cultural centre. He soon set about feeding us aswell, with Turkish delight, baklava, börek and another desert of nuts and fruit with plenty of cinnamon. He told us we had looked weary and in need of refreshment, and he was bang on! The centre was established by wealthy Muslims to teach tourists about Islam, and battle Islamophobia. They offered educational classes and had a number of converts from Christianity and Judaism. Ahmad, was from Afghanistan, and a traveller himself, having had to essentially flee the Taliban for documenting the war there. He was very kind and generous and spoke of the 4 things in life you will never regret: travel, looking after family, reading and faith. 

We chatted for a while, before a young boy came in and asked us if we were the famous cyclists! He had seen our bikes parked out front. He was very interested in them, and so Manuel offered him to try riding his. I think he later regretted it, having to adjust his seat, and nervously watching as he careered up and down the alley haphazardly. He then offered to buy the bike! Something Manuel was not prepared to do. We then went inside the mosque and saw an awesome view of the city. We took some pictures then embraced having made it to the end of Manuel's ride. We parted ways and I rode down to the ferry port to get a boat across the Bosphorus, to Moda on the Anatolian side, where my host Erinç lived. I had found him on warm showers. I sat in the nearby park watching the sunset, drinking a beer and smoking while I waited for him to reply. It was a beautiful moment - the park busy with young Turks enjoying the Saturday evening, the gorgeous sunset silhouetted the European side, and Hagia Sophia! 

As I was sitting listening to Comfortably Numb in bliss, a man approached asking for a smoke. Hussain, then sat with me and we chatted away getting to know each other, and about Turkey and its food! Another glaring example of the friendliness of these people. It was a lovely moment while it lasted, but eventually I had to pull myself away and to my hosts apartment. I was greeted warmly by Manuela, Erinç’s housemate, who took me inside where I met Erinç. He apologised for his late reply as he had fallen asleep after returning home from work! I was shown around and we chatted for a bit. They started to cook and I hopped in the shower. We ate together round their dining table. They then headed down to the beach to meet friends, but I was exhausted, plus I wanted to call my mum on her birthday! I went to bed exhausted and slipped effortlessly to sleep…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The old walls of Constantinople

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gazing out across the Bosphoros from the Sulemaniye mosque

 

Istanbul babyyyyy

 

 

 

It was a honour to finish off Manuel's ride with him!

 

 

 

Cheeky bit o’ refreshment

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. James RoyallSeptember 3, 2025 at 4:28 AM

    You've cycled out of Europe! Amazing you made it to Istanbul – is this where the adventure begins? ;). But your still in the land of Bureks – great cycling fuel! It'll be interesting to see your route through Turkey (I spent my 21st birthday in Diyabakir) – surely Batman appeals! But the bigger question is the next border crossing... Will be following your progress.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So it begins...

Image
      13/05/2025 - Day One My life for the past 6 months has all been leading up to this moment, this day, D day. On the back of a tiring weekend I wasn’t sure I’d have the resources to set off on the 13th, but I made it happen (just about). I still had quite a lot to do this morning so when I finally set off it was around 3:30pm. Jack gave me a great haircut that is reminiscent of something out of Mongol or Mount and Blade : bald except a patch at the back like a horses main. Excellent. With the parents and Archie in tow, we set off down our lane and over the ford. It was a weird feeling cycling away from my house down familiar roads with the knowledge I wouldn’t be back for many months. These familiar sights are to be some of the last for a long time. It didn’t quite feel like I had gone away yet.  We had only got 4 miles when mums tyre went flat. Dad set about trying to locate the puncture as we all looked on with anticipation. Yet despite our best efforts i...
Read more

Day Four

Image
16/05/25 - Day Four I woke to my alarm at 6:30am, the ferry to the Netherlands was at 9am with check in closing 45mins before. After 5 mins of squirming around waking up I braved the chill and unzipped my bag and began packing away my things. I left at 7:20. I hope I get more efficient at breaking camp as I didn’t even cook breakfast, and that just seems like an awfully long time to be faffing around.  I cycled back into Harwich and grabbed a meal deal for the ferry, before rolling down to the port. It’s a bit of kick to cycle through places you would normally drive, like passport control and along the ramparts and onto the ferry. What was even more of a buzz was the euphoria of leaving port, the sense that the journey had only really just begun in earnest! I watched from the outside deck as we pull out of the estuary and into the sea. The journey itself was 8 hours of filling time and completely uneventful, except for being told off for lying down - how naughty of me! I was asked...
Read more

Day Seven

Image
    19/05/25 - Day Seven I struggled to wake up this morning so snoozed till 8am. By the time I had broke camp, cooked and forced down my porridge it was 9:40, so I didn’t hang about. Just before reaching Arnhem, I stopped at the Arnhem and Oosterbeek War Cemetery, commemorating the fallen allied troops (mostly British and 79 Poles) who fought at the battle of Arnhem. This was part of the wider Operation Market Garden in the area, Band of Brothers watchers will remember this. It was a powerful moment as I had the place to myself, and, ever since applying for the marines these types of things have made me more emotional.  After a healthy hit of silent reflection, I mashed the pedals once more, and soon I was sipping coffee in a sunny Arnhem square. I asked the waitress if she knew anywhere I could buy some Oliebollen (Dutch doughnuts), but tis not the season! I cracked on and crossed the river twice on ferries which will never not give me a kick. I then sat ...
Read more