We had originally planned to spend two nights at our Greek idyll on the coast…..to warm up….relax on the beach etc….until we got there.
So we decided to move our rest day to the beach in Turkey instead!!
We opted to make this a relatively short day….for we were unsure quite how the entry into Turkey was going to work.
A good run through Alexandroupolis….and then we headed for what turned out to be one of the longer stretches of off-road track. It was great…and the sort one would normally hare along…but with a fully loaded bike, we were a lot more cautious…for the fear of broken gear is ever-present!!
Quite tricky in places…and numerous fords….and it was with some relief that we got back on the road…and our first sign for Turkey…but 5kms away!!
We rode over the motorway which ran to the border…..carefully studied the map and thankfully found a second road running parallel which would take us there!
We stopped in the nearby village of Peplos for food (55km without breakfast…we were starving!)…where a guy was sitting in front of his house which had a big “Pizza” sign in front! All closed he signed….but then he jumped into his car to take us to the only open restaurant nearby! It was a great souvlaki sandwich.
And then PANIC! Iain had just discovered that vapes are unavailable in Turkey. (So weird really…one of the cheapest places in the world for cigarettes, hookah places everywhere…and they ban vapes!). Anyway…. major stress ensued! And he was soon off…to the two wee supermarkets in the village…to the service station….even a trip to the neighbouring village…all to no avail.
There was a big duty-free shop at the border…and I was confident they would come up trumps so was trying to calm an increasingly grumpy lad!
So we set off for the border. Lots of military presence around. And just before the border…..a big shop and cafe…and VAPES! So Iain all but cleared out the place for his ten days in Turkey…and relaxed!!
A slow exit out of Greece (I never really understand why countries care who leaves – criminals aside!…but some do!). And then a 2km no-man’s land….as we crossed the bridge into Turkey…and a very grand border set-up! But lots of military….guns….razor wire…all slightly unsettling! But Turkey and Greece have never been the best of mates.
More slow queues entering Turkey…
……and then we were in! Welcome to Turkey! And no option but to ride the motorway!
And a five km hop to Ipsala where we had booked a hotel for the night. After time spent getting cash and SIM cards…it was 5.30 before we checked in…and that after such a relatively short day!
Another weird hotel…all but empty. Opulent but unmaintained. Glass lifts even (out of order)….and a general feeling of dilapidation…even though it is probably not even ten years old. We had to ask for toilet paper.
We wandered off to find food (the promised hotel restaurant not operating!): the first few places did not serve alcohol…so it was a bit of a walk…until we we found a great wee place, with cold Efes and good food! (No English…but we were able to just point at at tasty morcels in their glass fridge which were then barbecued on hot coals!). A new tongue-twisting “thank you” to learn…..: “Teşekkürler”..which seems to have a sort of “j” ending. But it is the least we can do! Not quite up to the Albanian level of difficulty…but a bit tricky!!
Ipsala felt like a strange town. A border town. A brief stop.
Tea-sugar-e-dream and roll all the Rs 🤣🤣🤣
Hahaha I remember an hilarious interaction with a Turkish guy who kept saying to me “it’s like tea sugar – edderam” over and over. I hadn’t the foggiest what he was on about until I realised he was teaching me how to say thank you…!