Eastwards from Istanbul

To avoid cycling through busy urban and suburban areas of Istanbul, we took the ferry to the northernmost port on the Asian side of the Bosporus - and were welcomed by damp and foggy forests that reminded us of two things: That we had left the mediterranean climate and vegetation zone and that it is - astronomically - still winter! After a very long day with riding for several hours even in dark we finally got to the town of Şile where - on the following morning - we could enjoy sunny first view of the Black Sea.

Today - Saturday and International Women's Day - we continued eastwards on a very hilly road with numerous ups and downs across (less often along) the many river valleys that drain into the Black Sea. Final destination after ca. 95 km of mileage the town of Kaynarç.

A moist re-entry into Asia. Summergreen deciduous trees still bare.

A rather typical encounter in Turkey: Habe 33 Jahre in Deutschland gearbeitet. Jetzt Rentner. (Notice that the guy with the helmet has scored only 25 years in Germany and not even a single one working.)

Sunset before 1800 hrs. The picture proves that we are moving eastwards.