Click the link below to the map from our GPS to see where we have ridden for the day.

2015 04 28 Sile to Istanbul

28th-30th April 2015

Sile to Istanbul

It has been full on for the past  few days, starting with the white knuckle ride through the Istanbul traffic on Tuesday.  For awhile there I was wishing we had never left the peaceful village of Sile.  Once we had reached our motel and had tucked the bike away all safe and sound we got into the swing of things.

We leave Istanbul tomorrow and we have only done half the thing we wanted to do.  Not to worry, that will give us an excuse to come back one day (after our numbers come up :)

A typical Turkish breakfast in peaceful Sile.

The ever present cat & chook fighting over the breakfast scraps.

First thing on the to do list, the Blue Mosque.

This picture is for Kev Turner in particular, it is the three eggs way up in the ceiling of the mosque.
Next one to be ticked off the list, the Cistern.

The sideways Medusa.

The Spice/Egyptian Market & Grand Bazaar were amazing but got a bit crowded at times and it got to stage where you couldn't see anything.  I also wanted to hang a sign around my neck to let everyone know that I didn't want a carpet.

We went on a half day cruise today along the Bosphorus.  Went  under the  bridge that connects the Asian & European sides of  the city and is also the bridge we rode across on the way in.  Along the way we also saw some familiar sites. 

 HMAS ANZAC

There seems to be a picture around every corner of this very busy city.

Near the spice market.

Terrace bar of the 4 Seasons  Hotel (the old prison). 

The new Mosque 

 

And last of all our motel for the last three nights and some of the view from the terrace bar.

Click here for link to the map from our GPS to see where we have ridden for the day.
2015-04-26-Kutayha-to-Sile

26th-27th April 2015 Kutayha to Sile

Well yesterday started off pretty good.  
A nice breakfast at a local bakery, a nice ride on some good roads, a pleasant stop to fuel up and have some tea but then.......Zumo (the GPS) decided to take us through the mountains on every "busted arse road it could find" was Maurice's description.  It wasn't because of the switch backs (hairpins) or because they were narrow and had trucks coming the other way but because the road surface was atrocious.  Oh I forgot to mention it was raining so the roads were wet.

Kutayha Motel

Kutayha Motel

Kutayha Motel

Anyway the positive side was that the country side was gorgeous and in the end we ended up in Sile which is a small town on the black sea.  One of the best things about it (other than the lighthouse) is we haven't heard any Australian, American or English ascents. Which means only local tourists which is perfect and the slow pace is giving us time to chill before hitting the  big smoke of Istanbul tomorrow.

Our motel in Sile and some old chook  with a good looking rooster!

Some of the sights around Sile.

We both think this could be an option for our next road trip :)

Click here for links to the maps from our GPS to see where we have ridden for the day

 Bodrum to Pamukkale GPS map 2015 04 24

Pamukkale to Kutahya 2015 04 25

24th-25th April Bodrum to Pamukkale to Kutahya

After a nice ride from the seaside town of Bodrum up through the mountains we reached Pamukkale.  We hastily unloaded the bike and headed to the terraces.  Once you reach the white section you have to take your shoes off and walk bare feet up the slopes.  The blue of the warm thermal water is incredible and well worth the effort of the climb.

Once you reach the top you can walk around the ruins of the city, take in the museum (which we did) and go for a swim in the thermal ancient pool (which we didn't, although it is suppose to make you look 10 years younger and cure all your aches and pains so maybe we should have:) )

Then of course there is the walk back down.

Today we rode to Kutahya and found a small motel in the middle of town.  They don't have a car park so naturally we parked on the footpath.

Directly across from the motel is a cafe where we managed to get a decent flat white coffee, so we had a couple each.

 Full of energy from the caffeine hit we walked up the road and found the local markets.  The fresh produce here makes the Adelaide Central market look second rate.  All the  food looks fantastic and less than half the price!

Olives anyone?

And of course there is always at least one Mosque within walking distance.