(written by Dave) Today we have been enjoying our last day in Turkey.  Edirne is a fantastic city.  As noted yesterday, Edirne’s population has been shrinking over the past couple hundred years.  The grandeur of days gone by is evident in all of the 400 and 500 year old mosques, markets and other historical buildings.  … Continue reading Turkey summary and update from Edirne

(written by Dave) First a quick report on the concert last night.  Yes, we could hear it from our room but it was not too bad.  Either that or we were just tired.  It started about 9PM, an hour later than advertised but that’s how it goes with big stars I guess.  We never did … Continue reading Riding with friends from Luleburgaz to Edirne (78/15,663k, 760m)

(written by Nancy) Even with our long naps yesterday we both slept hard last night in our very big hotel room.  I guess that once the adrenaline from the ride wore off we were both very tired so a good night’s sleep was just what we needed.  Breakfast this morning was a full-on buffet affair … Continue reading Beating the rain on Youth Day – Silivri to Luleburgaz (90/15,585k, 685m)

(written by Dave) We are safe in Silivri but what a ride it was to get here.  We’d read a lot about today’s route in fellow cyclists’ blogs but we could never have imagined how crazy the D100 traffic was going to be. We were up early, eating the pre-packaged brekkie that the hotel folks … Continue reading Surviving Istanbul traffic to Silivri (74/15,495k, 650m)

(written by Dave) That’s it, we’re done – tomorrow we leave Istanbul – no really, we are going.  Today would have been a great day to depart as the morning dawned bright blue skies.  Tomorrow the forecast is for a chance of rain (which would make a good excuse to stay another day, especially if … Continue reading Wrapping up Istanbul

(written by Dave) We almost didn’t post today as we spent the morning planning the route ahead and that is never very exciting, even for us.  But then I thought I should make a few notes about dinner last night with my cousin Bruce and later our boring day turned into a very interesting afternoon.  … Continue reading 400 year old New Mosque in Istanbul

(written by Dave) Our teeth are clean and thankfully no big issues.  If anyone is looking for a good dentist in Istanbul we’d recommend Dr Elif Gϋndϋz.  She is a fluent English speaker, trained in Vienna and has her own practice in the Nişantaşi neighborhood (easily reachable by dolmus from Sultanahmet).  She seems very skilled … Continue reading A trip to the dentist and brekkie, Turkey-style

(written by Dave) Today we visited the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market, plus a bunch of stuff in between.  First up was the Grand Bazaar.  The Grand Bazaar has been trading in the same location for several centuries.  If the walls could talk…  We had been warned to be ready for a real rugby … Continue reading Bazaar day in Istanbul

(written by Nancy) First night in our pension went well so I think we have landed a decent spot to rest for a few days.  We heard a bit of excitement on the streets about 10:30 last night and suspected it was a result of the big football (soccer) match finishing up.  Sure enough, this … Continue reading Mosques and Mother’s Day in Istanbul

(written by Nancy) Our ferry didn’t leave until 11:30 this morning so we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before packing up.  The ferry port was only about a 5 minute ride from the hotel but we decided to head down there early just in case there was any issue with getting the bikes … Continue reading Into the big smoke – Yalova to Istanbul (4/15,421k, 20m, 48k by ferry)