Athens to Istanbul

After a few days of solid tourism it was time to leave Athens and hop a ferry to Lesvos, the closest jump off to Turkey. The all day ferry was the usual monster with cafe's and duty free etc. Lots of card games and a laptop movies later we disembarked into the night with a pension in mind. The lonely planet maps are good but highly inaccurate and not to scale. So within minutes we were lost in the back streets trying to find somewhere to stay. Eventually we were given directions to what turned out to be a completely different pension but as it was late and we were lost we stayed.

The plan the next morning was to drive to a campsite on the other side of the island and spend a night or two there before getting the ferry to Turkey in time for the Friday market. Once again we ventured off with LP map in hand and......got lost. But like always the best things are sometimes seen whilst lost. We drove down smaller and smaller roads through village squares with old men drinking tea until the road ended. Well it turned into a narrow steep dirt track with huge tire ruts and massive rocks on the road. Time to back track, with waves to the villagers, tea drinking OAPs and school kids again on the way back.

Once on the correct road again we followed the coast up hills and past cliff tops towards Mythimna, a small coastal town with a campsite and hot springs. All being a bit tired after the white knuckle roads we went straight to the beach and had lunch while the kids paddled. After lunch it was time for a bit of hot tubbing Greek style. The hot springs must have once been right on the beach, but are now covered by a whitewashed dome covered pool. 4€ each gets us into the unisex change room with a screen in one corner. "First get in the cold sea outside" we are told "and then get into the 47 degree hot pool, then repeat". We are bit worried about the kids but they love it. As do we. The pool is dark under the dome with just pinpricks of sunlight shining through small holes in the roof. It seems it is just us and one couple using the spring until a few locals show up. Still it is not crowded and everyone enjoys the radium rich waters and the calm darkness of the pool and the clear Aegean sea.

Feeling very refreshed we drive off to find the campsite.............that is closed! It's such a pretty little town that we venture further down tiny cobbled streets till we find a deserted car-park next to some Greek ruins overlooking the bay. Perfect for sneaky free camping. So we park up one corner and head to the sea-front for dinner and a little walk. Dinner is great in a tiny Dutch run place overlooking the fishing boats. Cats cats cats and more cats follow us on our walk and then the restaurant cats watch us eat. when we get back to Dotty we realise our sneaky campsite is lit up like a football pitch! Too late to move we close up all the curtains and turn in for the night.

The next day we ventured into town again to find some supplies before heading off to the main port town again to catch the early ferry to Turkey the next day. With a good mind to amble around the other side of the island we found some good local cheese and fresh bread and hit the road.

Another stop along the way we found freshly grown tomatoes and cucumber, courgettes and aubergines and a friendly Greek smile from the growers themselves.

The picnic spot we craved proved a bit more elusive as all of the roadside stops were full of beehives, that famous Greek honey has to come from somewhere!

Eventually we found a nice little spot under the shade of a pine forest. The local cheese was delicious-!!

on return to Mitilini we were left with the quandary of were to sleep again?! With budget in mind we were reluctant to pay for another Pension.

There was however, a massive car-park near the harbour with some decent camouflaging trees and we found a good park!

The ferry the next morning was our first international ferry with customs and our first time leaving the EU. We had to present Dotty with her papers and our passports and then board the small ferry to Turkey. There were about 4 cars and a bunch of locals making their way to the Turkish Village for market day.

A history lesson for everyone. The Island of Lesvos had once been home to Turkish Muslims as well as Greek Orthodox families as was the coast of Turkey that lays across the Aegean.

After the war the Muslims were herded to Turkey and the Christians to Greece and there are monuments to the families in both towns. So there are close ties between Lesvos and this town Ayvalik.

The customs experience in Turkey was something else. Our ferry arrived closely followed by another ferry that had about 20 motorbikes on board. Importing a vehicle into Turkey requires paperwork and stamps in your passport so that you cannot leave Turkey without the vehicle. We were prepared for this and the fact that we had to purchase a Visa at the border.

I waited with our passports in the cue with the children and Chris was in a separate line with the car stuff...there is it seems no such thing as personal space or privacy when crossing borders in the "Middle East".... We were pressed firmly against the desk with people reaching on behind us to deliver their own passports to the officer who appeared unfazed.

I pictured standing in the line at Heathrow or JFK waiting to be admitted into the country...firmly behind the yellow line with a good 6 feet between line and desk...it made me smile.

The market turned out to be Ridley Road on steroids. We were greeted by locals with weary smiles and the occasional hello in English. One of the shopkeepers proclaiming..."It's nice to see tourists!" After a traditional Turkish lunch which included a parade with brass marching band for Turkish independence day we set off in search of local produce.

Fresh fruit and Veg in abundance and Dotty restocked for the next few days we set off towards Asso which LP reports to be a lovely coastal town where the Turks spend their long weekends. Also a place where Plato set up a philosophy school back in the day!

So with our first real experience of Turkish roads and more importantly Turkish driving...whoh...we arrived at what did turn out to be a sleepy little seaside town....all of it CLOSED FOR THE SEASON! We bumbled down a little dirt track looking for a campsite that was sign-posted...as we rounded another corner with a sheer drop into the ocean, the road was blocked by a landslide and Chris managed to somehow turn Dotty with her lack of powerstearing!

There was a guy working on his fence and having a bit of a giggle at us and so I asked him if there was camping and he said no..then moments later was on his phone and announced "Follow me..." so we dutifully followed him through an old rusty gate and into a tiny patio which must during the season serve as a lively meeting point for travellers. Dotty filled the space but we were welcomed to the 'family camping ground' and the very dusty and rundown facilities pointed out. On the plus side there was spectacular ocean views-!!

The kids wanted to go to the beach which was just down some stairs but turned out to be not much of a beach but it seems Flynn is happy getting wet and is not at all fussy!

Somewhere along the way they managed to pick up a local dog who followed them home....as we had arrived reasonably early in the day we had plenty of time to waste and Chris got stuck into the dishes and tidying up. Down the stairs of the site descended the Postman, who looked a bit defensively at the kids adopted dog and then noticed us...how could you not notice Dotty filling the tiny space between buildings! He smiled and then proceeded to converse in very broken English about his family and our van and his age. Most of this time was spent trying to find out why Chris was doing the dishes while I sat inside and played cards with Jane. He was so sweet but he overstayed which made for awkward moments of silence between the convoluted conversation. I was doing my best not to laugh and wondering how exactly Chris was going to continue when he could not understand a word the man was saying...then as quickly as he had arrived he departed off through the rusty gate and away. We all had a bit of a giggle and smile. How amazing it is that so many people all over the world want so much to converse in English and how ignorant we are at speaking other languages.

We had just about recovered from our visit when we turned to see that Postman had returned!! He wasn't done with us yet...he wanted to tell us more about his family and his country, bless him...I think he was just trying to fill in the last half hour before knock off time! He very sweetly gifted Flynn a Walnut that he had found somewhere. And then off he went home to his family! We hunkered down to keep warm and safe!!

Another day, another drive. We found our way to the Gallipoli peninsula. A place that as children we all learned about in school. And I certainly dutifully attended ANZAC day ceremonies in honour of our fallen during WW1. It was not a place that I had ever thought of visiting but as we were so close it seemed disrespectful not to. And a chance to teach the kids about Australian history that they will soon adopt as their own. We first located a campsite that was open...and it was a campsite with caravans and everything........but we were the only people staying there. There was also a hotel in the same complex with a buffet restaurant and we elected to have dinner rather than cooking! For the entire afternoon the guilt of an entire buffet just for us gnawed at Chris, he had in mind that they were putting on the whole buffet just for us. Someone joked that it would be funny if a tour bus arrived with people for dinner...and then it did...a huge bus full of Turkish tourists who were all eating at the buffet...then when we arrived they all promptly got up and left...I don't think it was because we smelled! We had all showered that day!!

The next day we up and off to ANZAC cove. Both Chris and I were strangely touched by the eeriness of the area. The Turkish government has done well to preserve the battlefields and the monuments are well kept and poignant. We stopped to read the message from the General who had been in charge of the battle on April 25th and who later became the Ataturk and fought for Turkey's independence. It reads something like, don't worry, the men and boys who fell here are now considered our sons... It brought a tear to my eye and reminded me of the strong national pride that was instilled in us as kids.

After the drive around the rest of the peninsula we set of North again towards the Bulgarian border. We knew we wouldn't make it in one day so we pinned a spot on the map to stay for the night. Edirne, the largest Turkish city on the European continent. As we drove into town dusk was falling and the silhouette of the mosque filled our eyeline. It was quite spectacular with the red dust rising from the desert turning the sky red. Beautiful.

The rest of Erdine was quite a surprise as well. We found a cheap hotel which was nice and close to the centre of town and wondered around first the bazaar and then the market streets. We bought some great fresh fruit and yummy baklava and fresh halva. Although we clearly stuck out like sore thumbs (we did hear one American on the street) we were welcomed into shops without the touting sales pitch. The kids were showered with affection and gifts, cake, extra helpings of dinner and lots of head patting and cheek squeezing!

So another town and back on the road. Just out of town we picked up our first hitch-hiker, a young Dutch guy who was on his way to Istanbul, we were not...so we dropped him on a junction on the motorway where he could easily get a ride...and off we went to Bulgaria....

Crossing the Turkish boarder was easy...then we found the Bulgarian border...the guards were grumpy and overweight...in comparison to Turkey where we were welcomed, we felt interrogated and had to check ourselves that we were actually re-entering the EU!

Eventually we waded through the red tape and hit the Bulgarian roads...mmmm some roads they are...there are more Potholes than actual road and poor Dotty got a bit of a shake up...

After weighing up our options of what to do with Dotty we decided the best thing would be to return her to London now and try to sell her in the spring. We arrived at our friends summer house in Sozopol...fabulous to have a little luxury for a few days....and we cleaned Dotty up on the inside and removed all of the things we had collected along the way....

Our friends are going to be finding things we have hidden in their cupboards for years to come!!

Chris high tailed it back to London while the kids and I spent the week amusing ourselves in Soz....

We went to the beach and made a lot of sand castles...spent a lot of time trying to find food that we could cook...made cookies, because we had an oven, watched a lot of movies...

After a lovely week of relaxing in style...and doing lots of laundry! We packed up our rucksacks and officially became backpackers for the next 6 weeks. Our first bus ride and we are off to Istanbul....back over the dodgy Bulgarian roads and through the same border...again...easier to enter Turkey than leave Bulgaria!!

The bus was 5 hours...not too bad and a lovely surprise that there is a steward who serves tea and coffee and water and some cake which the kids loved...

We managed to survive and arrived at the Istanbul Ottogar (bus station) which was something to behold. At first it looked like a large bus parking lot and then we entered what looked like an oversized multi-story car park for buses. It was filled with parking spots with shops, barbers, restaurants, all sorts of things and it went on and on and on...we were blown away. And wondered how we might ever find our way out again! We did...and we found our way to the hotel on the public transport system which proved to be very usable!