Greece and Istanbul
Thursday, May 5 around noon we got off the boat in Igoumenitsa. We thought we had plenty of time to get off the boat, but were called away because the boat had to go on to Patras. So there was still some rushing required.
In Greece, in the city, the roads are very dusty and therefore also very slippery. After that we drove on lovely mountain roads to the Vikos Gorge.
This is with 500 meters the second deepest canyon in the world (they say). It is not at all touristy, we had to find where we could park the bike and then walk 20 minutes to the viewpoint. This gap is definitely worth a visit.
That night we slept in Ioannina and had delicious food and drinks in this big student city.
On Friday, May 6, we drove to the Meteora monasteries, beautiful how they built them on top of the mountain tops. Then we drove via winding roads to Paralia and found a hotel at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
On Saturday, May 7, we drove on (450km) on mostly straight roads to Alexandroupolis, again on the Mediterranean coast.
In the afternoon we were already invited by the Macedonian Warriors to come to their clubhouse. After dinner we went to the clubhouse, where we were received with all honors by the president of the Alexandroupolis chapter. Beer and snacks were specially brought in for us and we also had to taste the local drinks with the president and some members. Later, the president of the Kavala chapter also joined us. Paying at the end of the evening was waved away.
On Sunday, May 8, we were not quite fresh and got up a little later. Then drove to the border, where the border crossing took almost 2 hours. A lot of waiting and then buying insurance for Martin's bike. It was well after noon already and therefore we drove to Istanbul via the main roads. The Turks are totally unreliable drivers, they swing from left to right on the road, don't indicate direction, stop everywhere and nowhere, brake at the oddest moments and just push themselves in between everything. Fortunately, motorcycles are allowed to drive on the emergency lane (tolerated?), so we could still make good progress.
On Sunday, May 8 and Monday, May 9, we stayed at the Otantik Guest House in the old part of town, close to the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. . On Monday we did a day of sight seeing in Istanbul. What stood out was the large crowds and masses of purses and clothing, in addition to the large pile of other knickknacks.
Martin's phone did not charge anymore, so we ordered spare parts through Henk Linders and Rik Linders who happened to arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday, May 10, for work. We picked up the parts at the airport and drove on.
After the afternoon at the repair, it turned out that probably nothing was broken, but that the charger did not have a good ground. After this was repaired, the charger fortunately worked properly again. Because of this delay we were only able to drive 200 km today. We will try to make up for it tomorrow.
