Turkish Delight - Part 2

An overcast sky provided a cool day for the ride towards the Mediterranean Sea coast, a dual lane road with multiple tunnels through mountains proved easy riding, though a brief down pour of rain leading to a wet cold crotch highlighted my need for new wet weather gear. Upon reaching the coast I passed through several tourist towns where hotels and resorts dotted the coast line. I settled for a hotel in the small town of Kizkalesi for an overnight stop, spending the afternoon walking the town’s coast side promenade from where I could view a castle just off the coast and visit ruins of the ancient city of Korylos.

The next morning I set off under a clear blue sky, not long into the ride a bug hit me just above my left eye, it was a small insect but the needle point sting and the instant and lasting pain it inflicted caused me concern as to what it may have been. I continued on, the Mediterranean Sea view was quite spectacular glistening under sunshine, the road swept along the coastal mountain side, small towns again dotted the coast line glass / sheet plastic enclosed greenhouse banana plantations as opposed to holiday resorts occupied the land. I stopped midway to refuel my motorcycle, I also removed my helmet and noticed there was a small black stinger imbedded in my forehead, I pulled out the stinger but the pain persisted.

After a six (6) hour 400 hundred kilometre ride I arrived in the sea side city of Antalya, first order of business was to get my motorcycle to the BMW dealer for some long awaited and necessary repair work and parts replacement. As luck would have it the dealer was located on the road into the city so I called in to book some service time. The service manager at Kosifler Otto was a very helpful gentleman by the name of Bahadir, he and the mechanic asked for the bike to be left till the following morning for further diagnosis and to check on parts availability. Before I left the workshop a guy rode in on a new F800 GS, we started to chat about motorcycles and the fact he was married to a Turkish Australian woman. With nationality and motorcycles in common we agreed to meet up for a meal later that evening, I then caught a taxi to a Pensiyon (hotel) in Antalya’s old town. After settling into the Pensiyon I met up with fellow F800 rider Emrah and his wife Emely for an enjoyable evening chatting about Australia, Turkey and motorcycle travel.

Waking the following morning my left eye was swollen closed, and my forehead was also swollen, it was not a good look, an allergic reaction to the insect sting to my head was a new experience, but at least bright sunny weather allowed for disguise behind dark sunglasses for the next couple of days. After breakfast I contacted Bahadir at Kosifler Otto regards my motorcycle, it had been inspected, required parts determined, and the news was I had a two (2) week wait for delivery of parts from Germany. I then spent the weekend wandering through the Old Town, visiting the sights, walking along the waterfront and nearby parks, and also enjoying the warm bright sunny weather before the Northern Hemisphere winter set in.

 

It was not all bad news about a two (2) week wait for bike parts, it provided me with an opportunity. I was dreading riding my motorcycle into Istanbul, with a population of about fourteen (14) million people and very limited parking in the old town area for my motorcycle, I made enquiries and decided to fly from Antalya to Istanbul for one (1) week. I booked a return ticket, left my bike at Kosifler Otto and a day or two later enjoyed a short flight to Istanbul.

Arriving in Istanbul immediately reinforced the benefit of not being on my motorcycle, vehicle movement was slow and congested, the streets of the old town were steep, narrow and paved with slippery when wet cobble stones. The city though was beautiful, old town buildings, tourist sights, the water front areas along the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus all justify Istanbul’s popularity as a tourist destination.

My hotel accommodation served breakfast in there enclosed roof top café, providing a great view of the Strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia, known as the Bosphorus. The Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles strait to the southwest together form the Turkish Straits. The world's narrowest strait used for international navigation, the Bosporus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara which is connected by the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea, and thereby to the Mediterranean Sea.

 

 

The list of sights in Istanbul is a long one, my highlight and possibly one of the most impressive structures I have been fortunate enough to see on my travels is the Hagia Sophia, rather plain on the outside, truly spectacular on the inside with its huge marble columns and dome ceilings, my photographic skills or lack thereof just don’t do it justice.

 

 

Other sights I visited within walking distance of my hotel were the Old Towns former water storage and supply structure the Basilica Cistern, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia Museum.

 

 

A short ferry ride along the Golden Horn, a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus had me within walking distance of the Sultan Eyup Mosque and the city wall.

 

 

I then walked back to the old town spice market and bazaar via the Golden Horn water’s edge, a fish market and a large numbers of people fishing from a bridge. 

 

The last attractions on my list to visit in Istanbul was Taksim Square and Galata Tower.

 

After a great week in Istanbul with mostly fine yet cool weather, the final day was overcast, wet, and cold. It was good to arrive back in Antalya later in the afternoon to blue sky and warmer weather. I still had a week to wait for bike parts so after a one night stay back at the same Pensiyon in Antalya I picked up my motorcycle and set off on a short ride along the coast for a little sea side small town relaxation.