Iceland: Arriving In Reykjavik

The worst was not the temperature of -6°C, but the strong wind. Within minutes out on the car park, searching for my rental car, my fingers got numb. It took me several minutes more to defrost them again and finally got my gloves out of my luggage. Lesson learned, always keep your gloves ready.

Strolling around Reykjavik, enjoying the clear morning air, the long dawn in the morning and of course some bakeries with coffee and sweets. But also visiting some landmarks as the sculpture ’sun voyager‘, the rainbow street or the famous Hallgrims Church. From the bell tower one get a fantastic view over the capital city and the surroundings. It was absolutely worth it.

A worth was also to visit the bar ‚Hus Mals Og Menningar‘ with their daily live music. You can’t end your day better than with a glass of local beer and music from ‚The Bookstore Band‘

Winter In Turkey: Gelibolu/Gallipoli

Winter in Turkey impressions #17: Gelibolu, also known as Gallipoli, gained sad notoriety after a disastrous battle on WWI with many thousands killed. In the history of the many New Zealander and Australian soldiers involved it bekam known as ANZAC day.

For me was it the end of an very interesting trip trough the history of times. But before i left Turkey, i met an very nice couple riding a Honda Africa Twin. A newly wed couple, it turned out, on their trip trough their own country. After a nice chat, i handed over a sticker, which i got from an other Turkish friend and motobiker.

Güle güle ve yakında görüşürüz. Teşekkür ederim Türkiyem!

Winter In Turkey: Troy/Troja

Winter in Turkey impressions #16: Troy is another very interesting archeological site. Already mentioned in ancient Greek by Homer. After they found the remains, the excavations shows different levels of eras of inhabitations.

Winter In Turkey: Ephesus

Winter in Turkey impressions #14: Ephesus surprised me not only with its sheer size and the huge roman theatre, but also with some incredibly well kept mosaics and wall paintings in some excavated houses. Lucky i arrived early, because i spent way much more time than estimated before. It was so amting to roam trough these contemporary witnesses from so many eras and history.

Winter In Turkey: Fethiye

Winter in Turkey impressions #13: Fethiye is known as a small fisher village with beautiful beaches. Over the years it changed to a popular holiday destination. In summer it seems to be very busy for party folks but in winter it’s quite and abandoned and many shops and restaurants were even closed for the season. Lucky i found at least a place for a good cafe before hitting the road again.

Winter In Turkey: Ürgüp

Winter in Turkey impressions #11: Ürgüp in Capaddocia and surroundings in winterly conditions offers also unique landscape. My new friend and i went around to experience this Turkish winter wonderland.

Just more random photos…

Winter In Turkey: Derinkuyu

Winter in Turkey impressions #10: Derinkuyu is famous for its underground city. My camping neighbor told me about it. And since it started to snow i gladly took his invitation for the ride there in his comfortable heated van. Beside exploring this fascinating underground city, it was also nice having a nice pal to talk to.

Winter In Turkey: Cappadocia

Winter in Turkey Impressions #9: Cappadocia

Winter In Turkey: Karahan Tepe

Winter in Turkey Impressions #7: The way to Karahan Tepe brought me to a lovely campsite at the mediterranean sea near Iskenderun, before i continue my trip along the Syrian border to Sanliurfa, near the archeological site. This was merely a week before the huge, disastrous earthquake.

Karahan Tepe is one of the oldest settlement of human history. It is around 10000-12000 years old. Humans settled here approximately 10’000 – 12’000 years ago. Just discovered on early 2000’s it’s a rather young excavation site. In winter the work is paused and many areas are covered in tarpaulin.

Winter In Turkey: Tarsus

Winter In Turkey Impression #6: Tarsus offers not only historical places like the ‚Cleopatra’s Gate‘, but i was also lucky to meet a friend there, who explained me everything about the sweet „Künefe“.