I shared this note on Facebook. “23 countries, 15000km, more than a month, two motorcycles and two middle-aged men. Upper European Tour. I love that saying "die with memories, not with dreams". I've dreamed all my life. I tried last year but I had to return from Vienna because of the coup. My daughter would also come to Italy, but she could not. Well, I'm leaving tomorrow with a new route and new excitement. Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Lükemburg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece and of our country Turkey. I'm going to go, see, meet, eat, and come back with lots of new stories and people. ”
The next day our plan was to make the Transalpina pass and stay in Sibiu. We woke up early and left. Our expectations for Transalpina were very high. Meandering roads, mountains, landscapes, bears, nature. Great expectations can cause disappointments, our first impression was not what we expected. But Sibiu was very impressive. We encountered a medieval European town. We made a reservation at Hostel Pangea in Sibiu The hostel was right in the center of town and we could have easily found it.
Wouter and his wife Adina run another hostel in Sibiu. His name is Janssen Bed and Breakfast. If you go to Sibiu, you can stay in one of these two places and tell my love. After Sibiu we set out early for the Transfagarasan crossing. It was a lot of fun and a very nice ride at the beginning. The weather was partly cloudy, warm and still. Approaching the mountain and the landscape was very beautiful. The asphalt was very good for motorcycles. Watch the video on the right to see the beauty of the scenery.
The fartest destination of this trip is the northernmost tip of the continent, Nordkapp, Norway. Round trip is about 15000 km passing through 23 countries for 38 days. Great excitement. With Erhan Metin. Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, (Belarus * did not take due to visa, we could not go to Russia, we changed the route) Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary , Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Greece and Turkey. Great preparation, great plans, great excitement and we set out on July 13, 2017.
I cut all my hair to make it comfortable in the helmet. For 38 days I took 30 underwear, 30 T-shirts, summer and 4 season motorcycle suits and many other clothes with me. I brought half of them back still ironed :)
The first stop was Edirne. After staying there for one night, we entered Bulgaria at the Hamzabeyli border crossing early in the morning and rode straight to Shumen. There was a monument we wanted to visit. We arrived in Shumen by noon.
We visited the monument for about an hour, there we met a group of people, among them some spoke Turkish, but I think they were Bulgarian Turks. They understood that we were Turkish, but they did not give much face.
Then we went on the road and in the evening we settled in the house we rent in Bucharest, Romania. That evening we were very tired and made about 850 km road and we had got up very early in the morning. We went to sleep after a snack. The next day we wandered around Bucharest and in the evening we had dinner in the old town.
We parked our motorbikes and took our belongings to the room and completed our check-in. We were very hungry and we asked the help of the Hostel staff for a proper place to eat. Dorina, the owner of the hostel, helped us. The hostel was right in the center of the city, on the right side of the hostel was a very pleasant cafe. She also offered that we could have a drink in the hotel cafe after dinner. Dorina's husband was an artist and the hostel was adorned with his work all over, created a pleasant ambiance. We went to a cafe nearby for dinner, it was very crowded. A middle- aged woman with a 7-8-year-old girl wanted to sit next to us because there was no empty table in the cafe. We invited them, and during the conversation, we asked the woman whether she was her granddaughter. But It was her daughter. :) She had a late marriage. We were very embarrassed but the woman said “don't worry” that happens very often to me. After a pleasant chat, we got up and went to the hotel bar. It was very crowded, we went aside for a drink and sat down. Meanwhile, Dorina, the owner of the hotel, was chatting with a group of 7-8 people and came to see us and asked if we would like to join them. It was a pleasant opportunity for us to socialize and we joined. We had a very pleasant chat and a fun evening. Wouter Janssen and his wife likened me to Paulo Coelho. I said, "Yes, I am him." Paulo Coelho jokes all night. It was a very nice evening with very nice people.
And this was the moment when Transfagarashan killed us off. We had not got wet like that before. we had moments It was not only raining but raining cats and dogs. Water got into our helmets, we got wet from our feet to our hair. It was a very impressive experience. This is the way down from Transfagarasan.
We went down from Transfagarashan to Curtea De Arges. It was a small town as far as I remember but it had a great cathedral. When we got there, we had nothing left dry on our bodies. We stopped in a gas station to change, we asked for an empty space, we wore dry things. Here we met Atti Veri. Atti is a German and traveling on his bike. I've added it on Facebook and I'm following him. He also rides a lot to see new places.
The next stop was Kiev. We moved from Chisinau to Kiev. Ukrainian customs were very troubled. They opened and closed our bags 3-4 times. They got us wait a long time. Then we were asked to fill out a form in Russian language, but no explanations in English. “How can we fill?”, we asked. They asked 50 Euros from me and 30 euros from Erhan. When we asked why, they said it’s for filling the form. They were asking for bribe. They also stated that there are English forms at other customs 300km away. It was a joke. We resisted a little, but then we had no other logical choice. After riding an empty road about 10km from the customs he arrived at another custom office again and seriously re-checked us one more time. We really got tired and upset. We finally got out of the customs, but we started riding on such a bad road that we can't tell with words. The asphalt was very old and falling apart but under the asphalt was concrete old road. The asphalt is riddled with holes everywhere and we are constantly falling into the pit and we have no chance of escaping and drove like this for 80 km. It sounded like the bike was torn apart. Suddenly, the side bag broke. The plastic parts that holds the carriage were broken from the bottom. I tied it up with a rope. There was strange sounds coming from the suspension. At the end of 80km we took a highway. Our morale was so bad that we stopped at the first gas station where we saw the people and civilization. Then we relaxed a little.
We reached Kiev in the evening on Sunday. We moved to the hotel and I started looking for a motorcycle mechanic on the internet. I want to get the suspensions and the bag repaired. Because there are more than 12000 km to go ahead. The suspension could somehow be repaired but the aluminum bag was difficult to fix. I found a lot of mechanics on the internet, but I was interested in a garage called Only Metal Cycles because they were making custom motorcycles. I thought they could make my side bag and I wrote a message on facebook pages. Half an hour later, he texted his number and said, "Call me." When I called the garage, it turned out that someone who spoke English very properly. I told him the situation, he said come to garage on Monday morning. I was so glad.
Transparent, sharper bends (better to watch in HD). As if Earl Dracula's demon caught our souls, we started to rid in racing mood. However, it could be enjoyed sightseeing. Don’t know the reason but the road and the scenery motivated us to ride fast.
We went on riding the same day and reached Brasov. In Northern Romania, as if it has not changed since the Middle Ages, the ancient appearance of buildings and streets impress people. As we approached Brasov, we passed Bran Castle. The place of Vlad the Impaler, or the well-known Count Dracula. But we didn't go in, just in case :) We only stayed one night in Brasov. The next morning we set off for Moldova Chisinau. We generally took intermediate roads from Brasov to Chisinau. It wasn't our choice but navigation choose it because it is short. It was a long and bad road, but scenic, passed by villages, towns and couldn’t ride fast. It took too long to reach to Chisinau.
Transfagaraşan soft bend passes
Transfagarashan assessment with Erhan on the right. Erhan put an end to the point and he said “ Those who don’t ride here in Transfagarasan yet can not claim to be a good rider.”
We saw a big and beautiful cathedral in Curtea De Agres and we wanted to visit. I parked the motorcycle at the entrance. At that moment, a bride and groom and with their families walked past me to the monastery. And I was in riding clothes, and very sally. As soon as we met eye to eye with the groom to be married, I looked at his eyes directly and said seriously, “Are you sure you want to do this?, You still have time to think one more time. It may be too late if you get in. Think again.” He was stunned, shocked and his eyes opened wide, and then he thought I was joking and murmured something meaningless and went a way. I walked after them, they stopped at the monastery door with a small ceremony, I was rocording video, and at that moment he saw me again, pointing with his thumb, he entered. So we went in and witnessed their wedding, but I'm sure he’ll never forget me. He’ll remember me every time he has a problem with his wife. :)
We only spent one evening in Chisinau, as we arrived late, we didn't have chance to travel much. Two of our only memories were that we sat in a cafe and everyone in the cafe was very beautiful (women) and the other was a sticker bargain. A few sellers were selling stickers at a market in the center of Chisinau. As I recall, They asked 130 Moldova Lei for each. I wanted to give 300 Moldavo Lei for 3. But I'm surprised no one accepted. Bargaining is what we used to do in touristic places. A seller came to me who had gone to Antalya and said “ın Antalya you ask 1 euro for each, here 3 of them is less then one euro and you still triyng to make a bargain.” I was surprised to learn that then Moldavian Lei is not too much against Tl. Turns out I was working that hard for 3-5 cents. Embarrassed very much.
We transit pass Lthuania to Latvia, Riga. By the way, we were heading north, we were sure of it, but the sun was always ahead of us. We expect to see it on the west. The nights got shorter and the days got longer. I wondered how many parallels of latitude up we went. There was something weird, and it was getting colder.
When we got back the bag wasn't finished yet, but he was working on it. Aluminum parts were cut and welded to replace the broken part. In the meantime, his friends came, we met Alex Kalash and Oleg Lavrov. The repair was over a little later, we were to leave. I was happy, I was ready to pay as much as he would ask. I asked, how much do I have to pay? He said you don't have to pay a fee, but if you want to, pay as much as you want. I was surprised. I insisted “I have to pay and you tell me how much I should pay.” He repeated, that there is no standard fee for my work, after all, you are traveling, he said do not pay if you do not want to pay. I said no, I will. He said you could pay 50-70 euro and I paid 70 euro. I was so impressed with the sentence in you don't have to pay anything ”.
The next year, I went to Kiev again, took some gifts of the kind he would like. He wasn't there, but I left to his wife. There are many good people all around the world, especially if you are a motorcycle rider. If you fall into Kiev, if you have a problem with your motorcycle, remember Only Metal Cycles and Yuri.
It took a long time to move from Belarusian customs to Poland, and on the way rain started and we had to wait in a long queue for Polish customs. We couldn't stay in Lublin much, we came to the hotel late at night and we left for Lithuania in the morning, and we took a picture when we met a part of Lublin University on the way.
It didn't take long to move from Riga to Tallinn Estonia. We settled in a nice hotel and wandered around the city. The places where European culture is dominant come to be ordinary for us. There is always an old town ve and generally there are entertainment centers. A big cathedral. Churches. Historic bars and similar foods.
The next day we went to the harbor to get tickets. Ticket booths are not open all day time, they only open at certain times. It was closed when we went and not many people were around. Only a man was arguing with the security guard. We would ask the security guard when the booths opens, but the discussion took long. We waited. In the meantime, I was chatting Erhan. A little later, the man arguing the security guard came to us, holding a bottle of beer. “Are you Turkish?” He asked in Turkish. We were surprised. “Why are you arguing” we asked. He missed the ferry with 1 min. He said the door was closed, he asked the security guard to open it. He didn’t and the ship was gone. We said you'd go tomorrow. The hotel he said a lot of money. Everything here is expensive. He said he wanted to be detained. At the police station, the beds are free, and they pick up and bring back here in the morning. Food is free. Our eyes opened with surprise. He's trying to get arrested so there's no expense! After a while, the police came, arrested and took him away.
The next day we boarded the ferry, the weather was good and we went up to the top deck and enjoyed the trip. We started to travel by ferry and while moving away from Tallinn, watching the wav
After a 1.5-hour ferry ride, we arrived in Helsinki, Finland. The view can be seen on the right as the ferry docks.
Everything is expensive for dinner, let's get ready pizza, we thought we'd cook at home, but for some reason it was a bit harsh. Erhan's pizza review “There is a cutting board in the kitchen and I realized that the board made from poplar wood is more flexible than our pizza.”
We arrived at Tornio between 9-10 in the evening. We went to the shops to buy something at 10.30, all the shops were closed and the streets were empty. Nobody around, but it's like a day time. I even looked at the street when I woke up at 2 o'clock at night, it was still not night dark. It looked as it it never got dark.
We woke up a little hard the next day . Because our biological clock is out of order. I needed to change engine oil. I found a Yamaha service at Tornio. Craftsmanship 70Euro. Only oil change. It didn't take 15 minutes. I could change by myself but felt a little lazy. Destination Norway and Nordkapp. We would have achieved our goal and we would start riding on our return route.
I left the hotel early in the morning. We had come to Kiev on Sunday evening and we haD the euro and dollar but we didn't have Ukrainian money. I found Only Metal Cycles garage very difficult because navigation led me to the garden of a factory. I thought it can't be here, I turned around in vain. Nobody speaks English, so I called the garage again. I described the factory, they said okay wait, someone came from behind the factory and took me. Turned out their store is somewhere behind the factory. We met Yuri. Very hot blooded, long hair on top and woven. Very sympathetic, speaks English very well, I explained the situation. He got on the bike and rode around. The front fork he said, a screw in the middle was loosened and after 15 minutes it was over, repaired. I couldn't believe all those sounds were made by a loose screw. He said he would do the bag, but it would take a long time. He said, "Take the motorcycle, go to city, rode around and come back in the afternoon and take the bag." I was so happy that all my problems were being solved. I said okay, but it was 9:30 in the morning. I said I'm not in a hurry. I spent some time in the garage, it was. and interesting place.
I was so hungry I wanted to get something to eat and drink. Unfortunately, the surrounding markets do not pass credit cards, do not receive euro or dollars. They said go to the bank and cash it out. I turned back to garage. Yuri asked me where I went, I told the situation to him. He said, "Come” and we went together, he bought me donuts from the store and coffee from the peddler outside. My motor was being repaired, my stomach was full, I was very happy. Time passed a bit and I returned to the hotel, I woke up Erhan. We wandered a little together. In the evening we bought a ticket to the Depeche Mode concert and returned to Yuri’s garage in the afternoon.
Riga is a very beautiful city, colorful. The spire towers add a distinct beauty. For some reason, the most beautiful one among the countries that left from Soviet rule. Others have not been so colorful and aesthetic. Of course, this is probably due to local culture and circumstances rather than the Soviet regime.
Children everywhere children, they do not distinguish the language, the race or the religion. Discrimination is taught by traditional culture and education.
We traveled from Finland to Norway for a long time parallel to the Swedish border. There is no door between them like customs etc. We recorded the video on the left at the exact border point on a bridge with the Swedish border in Finland.
Also nature is spectacular, as it is told, everywhere are lakes, thousands of lakes, lush nature and flatten. Never forget the mosquitoes. Incredibly it falls 1000 mosquitos almost each cm cube. When breathing, they get into your mouth. And below the Norwegian border.
The concert was very nice. People were entertaining. They just had fun. I had never listened to Depeche Mode before, but I liked the performance very much. After Kiev, our route to Belarus, we woke up in the morning prepared and set off. After a few hours of travel, we reached the border. Erhan and I handed over the papers. We started waiting. After the passport control, we were waiting for customs procedures. Soon after the officer returned, he gave me my passport and said you can continue. He said “you can not enter because you do not have a visa” to Erhan. What visa! I am an American citizen! Erhan said. but the officer replied “You need a visa because you are an American citizen! I had special passport so I hadn’t need visa for Belarus. We were surprised. We asked another easy. way to enter, but it's futile. He said “you can go and get a visa from Kiev but it would take at least a day or two. Then we changed our course. We decided to turn around Belarus and move on to Riga and Latvia over Poland and Lithuania. Later, we realized that we could not even enter Russia. Russia wanted visa from both of us. We then re- updated our route to Helsinki Finland by ferry over Tallinn, Estonia.
Of course I also took the opportunity to hang out Erhana. American citizenship did not work everywhere. My special passport was more valid, Great people, Great State! :) The rejected American citizen can be seen on the left.
We had our first meal in Helsinki in a market area, the plate we bought at a booth in the market was close to 60TL. It was quite expensive. We encountered the first Scandinavian reality in Helsinki. Everything is very expensive. We rented a house, and because the options were so expensive, we rented the most suitable one. We didn't pay attention, the house was 50km outside the city.
When I was chatting about the trip with Erhan in Izmit, he asked me how many liters of your tank. I answered 19 liters. Take 1 meter hose from the hardware store, he said, we will transfer from my tank if gasoline runs out on the road. His own tank is 32 liters! I said it wouldn't be necessary, with a tank of gasoline, the bike goes about 300-350 km. Surely a petrol station would be that distance I said, we laughed. After wandering in Helsinki, Erhan disappeared in the middle of the ring road. When I realized that Erhan did not come after a while, I stopped to the left of the road and waited. I would go back, but I couldn’t ride the opposite way. Then he appeared on the horizon, but Erhan was pushing the motorcycle. I was surprised. I waited and thought that the motorcycle broke down. I asked what happened. He said he ran out of gas. I started laughing with laughter. I asked if you have a hose. We laughed together. Out of gas! :) Despite the BMW has the two cylinders, it does not burn the gasoline but drinks it liter by liter. The photo on the left shows a poor Bmw rider out of gasoline. I had a lot of fun, burned the wheel, took a tour around. Erhan had a one-liter thermos, I bought him gasoline from the village nearby and went on to the house we had rent.
Different sections from Erhan's camera. Roads and roads. From early in the morning to late in the evening. we rode day and night on the way north. After Helsinki, our direct Nordkapp destination is only 1500km away, so we planned to spend one night in Tornio. We would make about 750 km and we wanted to reach Nordkapp in the evening the next day.
On the way to Tornio we found an interesting open air museum. An old bell-making workshop has been converted into a museum. Hundreds of large and small bells are on display.
We are passing through such beautiful places that it is a natural wonder. Human is affected by green and the wonderful color of water. It seems like a fairy tale geography but the mosquito density has increased too much. We can't even stop and breathe. I'm not exaggerating as soon as we stop all over us, nose, ear, mouth. I don't like mosquitoes. I'm not taking off my helmet, but they're getting in. The weather is very cold. I never expect so much fly in the cold.
Finally, we reached the camp area which we set 15 km before Nordkapp. But we got very wet and very cold. In Facebook, I shared “We came but there is no such a freezing, such a fog. I put Erhan put it in the microwave to dissolve, 200 degrees 4 min. :) Luckily, my dress is Akito. The weather is 9-10 degrees, but the with fog it is felt +4 and on the bike it is -4 ".
I don't need to say we're too tired. We've been on the road for almost 17-18 days. In the last 2 days, we only rode motorcycles and slept where we would stay. The weather was very cold and rainy. The fog was too dense, we couldn't see ahead. We wanted to go to Nordkapp the next morning. But the local people said "you can’t see anything, don't go there in the fog". They said "check the weather report” but we had reserved 2 days and we would go there somehow. We prayed that the air would open and the fog wlould go away. Skarswag is down.
1 liter of gasoline is 2.2 euro, ie 16.5 crowns. I prepared the Greek salad and Erhan prepared the salmon. Salmon is cheap here. Greek salad is easy, cut large pieces. It would be delicious if we had olive oil and cheese. We realized that the fog wouldn’t go so we decided to go to Nordkapp.
This is where the sun doesn't set for a while in the summer. The sun descends to the horizon and rises again, naturally does not rise for a while in the winter months. To sum up, it's not for us. :)
In the meantime, we stayed in the camp here and 500Tl per night. Just the bed. No breakfast food etc. We're in Skarswag and we wanted to go to the market and get something, but it was incredibly expensive. It's not about the money, it's about being staked. Bread 15 TL. It's more expensive than salmon. We bought and cooked salmon and made a Greek salad.
These were my feelings when I left Norway. “We were not very happy in Norway. We couldn't see the sun, our clothes didn't dry, we couldn’t eat enough, we didn't see the sun that never set on the horizon, nor the crumbs of the northern lights. YOU LOST NORWAY, I WILL NOT COME AGAIN. :(
The next day we left for Sweden, but we had a plan to stay at a campsite right on the border. Especially in Norway, after every roadside “deer can be seen” sign, we surely met reindeer. They wrote it wrong. It's not a possibility, it turns out. They should write “Reindeer will pop out”. Right after we left Nordkapp emotionally, I was riding watching the landscape, while Erhan was riding his motorcycle 100-150 meters in front of me. Suddenly I realized that I was going to hit Erhan from behind. I hit the brake, but I couldn't stop crashing into his backpack and falling . A herd of reindeer suddenly jumped off the road, Erhan braked suddenly, but I was late to notice. I did not have anything serious but the plastic coating on the back of the headlight cracked. One of the side fairings was crushed. Erhan's side bag was crushed and cracked on the edges. We had to tidy up and taped and continued on.
There are so many reindeer! Single, herd, young and old. We look at them as if saying, "Why are you on the road,” and they look at us as if saying, "Why are you here?" Tunnels are like fear tunnels. Norway built many tunnels instead of passing through the mountains among the fyords. The longest was seven miles we saw But some of them are in very poor condition. Stones drilled but not coated by concrete, water drips and some are pitch dark.
Erhan and I lost each other in Alta, Norway. Since Erhan's phone is off, we can't reach each other. I waited but no. I'm back on the route we've come again, no. I was worried. In the end, I continued. I thought he knew the campsite and could find it by navigation. There's a police point at the border but it's not customs. I asked the cops whether they see a biker passed. They said they didn’t. I said I'm worried and asked whether they can call the hospitals, and ask if any accident record? They called the hospital and police station in Alta, no accident records. Glad he didn't have any accident at least. If he passes, I said to the cops “please tell him I'm going to the campsite”. I came to the campsite. We knew the campsite was on the side of the road, but it was somewhere inside. I went to the camp and did the necessary document work, I explained the situation to the camp owner. He phoned to the previous police point and found out that Erhan passed the point. Good news! I set out again and met him. We came to the campsite, by a lake, made of wood. Very nice view. The number of mosquitos was terrible. We can't stand outside. Luckily, they don't go in.
In the morning we met Roberto Shelana. He's Turkish. He works at the hotel and is interested in us. We give our credit card information when booking at hotels. Automatic charge, when we come to the hotel no one in the reception. We get the keys and the bill in an envelope left for us. We stayed on our own, and we left. Self service hotel system.
The next day we left for Umea, Sweden. Travel is even more enjoyable when the weather is nice. On the way we stopped in a rest area. There was an activity against alcoholic driving. If you promise not to drive after drinking alcohol, they offer you cookies and coffee. We have promised a thousand times. We got the coffee and the cookies. We even signed a voucher. Erhan wrote to his profile “When I found free coffee, I declared that alcohol was not in my life any more”. They took our photo to publish it in their magazines. By the way, gasoline is 1.40 euros in Sweden. We were relieved after Norway. In Norway it was 2.20 euros. In addition, automatic pumps and 100euro provision at a time and also collect the amount of fuel you receive in cash is still the problem. Our banks do not solve the provision immediately. I think there's a communication problem between banks. Automatic pumps do not receive regular end-of-day reports and our banks do not break the provision when there is no end-of-day. When you buy gasoline 5 times a day and continue this for 10 days a week 2000-3000 euro is blocked on the credit card. We reached Umea in the afternoon. They turned an old and very famous prison into a hotel, and we stayed there.
We passed through magnificent valleys and fjords. Sometimes deserted, sometimes we travelled in traffic. We went through bridges, tunnels, lakes, rivers. Sometimes downhill, sometimes upwards. Sometimes we got wet, sometimes we burned. Coffee and croissant or donuts. We stayed in hotels, campsites, hostels or homes. Sometimes we ate in nice restaurants, sometimes we bought from the market with junk food. We met a lot of new people. We saw a lot of venue, town, city and country. So we were having fun, the adventure was going on. 9000-10000km. There's 5,000 more. 20 days have passed and still have another 14-15 days. Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Greece and return home
The next day we left for Stockholm. I did not count the number of days, every day we ride 700- 750 km motorcycle. We're tired. We need to relax. Tomorrow we walk around Stockholm. I think we're going to sleep here in the evening, so it's getting dark. Then Copenhagen, Denmark. Young people in different activities in an empty space in the center of Stockholm. It was interesting. There is a beautiful amusement park on an island opposite Stockholm. We visited the Abba Museum in the same place.
We were asking for discount in Moldovia for stickers for such a small money. God damned us in Finland, Norway and Sweden, a sticker is 4 euros and have no chance of barganing. Water is 3 euros, bread is 5. We learned our lessons. I will never make any bargain with the sellers in Moldovia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosova, Serbia, Hungary and even in Greece.
The next step is Denmark, Copenhagen. The bridge that connects Sweden to Denmark "Oresund Bridge" ends in an astonishing way in the middle of the sea, but when you reach where it ends, you see that it joins with a tunnel. Copenhagen entrance and a short tour of the city.
We crossed from Denmark to Germany by ferry. Thank goodness we have received from the rain today our blessings. No days we don't get wet. We will continue our journey as amphibious bikers and we will have scales in our bodies soon :)
We didn't know about the gay festival. We went to see one of Hamburg's must-see places. We parked the bikes. We started walking, we came to an overcrowded area. There was a concert at the entrance, we stopped and started listening. Two middle-aged women in front of us, suddenly turned to each other and began to kiss, we were very surprised. We went away to avoid disturbing. At that moment we realized that everybody around us was gay. The festival is for them. We watched the gays in different costumes, demeanor and gays in confused gaze and saw everyone wandering around in pairs. They were traveling with their partners. Suddenly I realized that Erhan and I were also walking around with motorcycle clothes as a couple. I turned back to Erhan and said we had better walk alone. :) Hamburg was the place we came to ourselves. The long journey series starting from Poland was completed here. More than 10 days we rode about 700-800km. After Hamburg, the daily distances would be shortened.
Our post-Amsterdam plan was to stay overnight in Luxemburg by taking a short city tour in Brussels, Belgium. So we did. Our videos of Rotterdam below and Brussels on the left.
Luksenburg is a small city-state, but it even has an army. We parked the motorcycles and settled in the hotel. The hotel owner came out Turkish, offered us tea. We're happy. I went to get the stuff from the motorcycle, two people were checking my motorcycle. They were Englishmen. When they saw Triumph, they were interested in motorcycling as if they had seen their fellow countrymen. They’d come from England on chopper motorcycles. They were surprised to hear our course. They said “We were proud of our route from England but when we heard your route, ours was dimmed.” Then I went t back to the hotel. We relax. We went out and visited Luxembourg. As in all other cities, was an ”old city” tour. We went back to the hotel and across the street was a bar. We wanted to drink something. The British were also there. They invited us. We had a very nice evening together. Their names are Dean and Justin..
The next day, we planned to enter Germany again from Luxembourg and reach Nurnberg via Mannheim. We're on our way. We were surprised when we reached Mannheim. Mannheim center, in all the shops, in all the surrounding streets, people sitting and browsing were Turkish. We're stunned. There are not so many Turks in Istanbul, Beyoğlu and Taksim. We left immediately to go abroad :) I hope they don't want an out-of-country fee. We went to Nurnberg and got very wet. It rained all the time. We spent the night in Nurnberg. Then Prague, Czechia. The road to Prague was very nice, but it did rain again. We're so used to the rain that without heavy rain, water fogs from cars' tires, and the high volume of water splattered by trucks, there is no pleasure in riding motorcycles: P
Prague is indeed one of the most beautiful cities to be seen. Budapest, Riga, St.Petersburg exclusive cities. They show a fascinating beauty with their historical texture and rich cultural features. We met one of my student in Prague, Musa Bektas, he showed us around. We had coffee together. We chatted. He is interested in photography and works in the IT sector.
Budapest welcomed us with its usual elegance. All its aesthetics, historical texture, smell, works of art, nightlife, elegant and warm city.
We stayed in a dorm room for 2 nights. In the city center. Total freedom. In the evening, we met with drunk students who smoked marijuana. Our next stop is Belgrade, Serbia.
Our next stop is Pristina, Kosovo. We came from a mountain road from Serbia but we found it difficult to find it because Google Map is not available. America does not recognize Kosovo as a country. It was very disturbing to see politics even on Google Map. For the first time I felt I had to install another offline map and navigation here. Luckily I have a very strong instinctive navigation system, we found the hotel using it. In Pristina, Erhan has a cousin, Memduh. Old car racer. He raised his son, and he's even racing. They run a garage, they develop their own race cars as well as car repair. Memduh took us to dinner that evening. I was very impressed with Memduh. Memduh is one of the few people. Memduh's life is full of experiences. There are many things in his life such as victories, defeats, bondage, immigration, incompatibility, return, victimization. Someone I'd like to chat with for days. But we only had a few hours to chat. I hope one day I'll have a chance to chat longer. Also the food was delicious. Erhan saw the old houses and relatives of the old country. I'm sure he's more impressed. But it was a different experience for me. I have never seen another place where so many different cultures come together and live together. They married each other, they had children, they gave Turkish names and Albanian or Bosniak names to their children. Serbs, Albanians, Bosnians, Macedonians, Kosovars all live together.
For dinner in Prizren, Erhan's cousin Kemal invited us to his home. His wife Suzi had made very nice meals, we ate with pleasure but the nice thing was to chat and get to know them. I really have to thank Erhan for wanting to come to Kosovo, otherwise I wouldn't have thought. I wouldn't know that it would be so much tutorial and nice experience for me. Of course I must thank not only to come to Kosovo, but also to the acquaintance of relatives. Thanks to them this trip was so impressive. We met Tarkan Şamdancı there. He came from Istanbul to visit his relatives. The next day we said goodbye to everyone and left for Skopje.
To reach Skopje, we had to cross the Balkan Mountains. We met Bekim and Sait at the summit. National park guard officers. They offered us coffee. We did a real adventure in the mud with some mountain descent.
We finally came to Germany. I feel like we're home. Scandinavian countries are not for me. At least their style and demeanor looks like us. We feel familiar. Germany is close to our house, we can reach home in 2 days. We had a great time in Hamburg. We came across a gay festival, which was very different for us. I have never seen a festival of this kind and crowded.
In addition, the Grossneumarkt street and the surrounding area was a complete entertainment center. We listened to live music in a rock bar. We wandered the streets. We took away the tiredness and stress of the road and the journey.
Road, Passenger and Comrade Choreography. And if it's driven towards a red horizon, it's amazing. I turned the camera back on my way to Prague. Erhan and I have been riding motorcycles for more than 10,000 km. Now we know each other's motorcycle style. I know how he behaves in different situations. We also experienced everything together. We're cold, wet, tired, have fun, stress or glad together. The trip alone is also nice, but it can be even nicer with a friend you can get along with especially well. There's no such thing as perfect agreement. Even if it's your brother, it could be a problem. They say “if you want to know a person, go on a trip with him” is really true. The important thing is adaptability, mutual tolerance and respect. Once these happen, the journey becomes more valuable. We did it with Erhan. We didn’t have so much problems except his waking up a little late :)
Our post-Prague stop was Bratislava in Slovakia. It's not far from Prague. But I think Bratislava was a bit dull because we were under the influence of Prague. We wandered the city. We had dinner, we took photos. We took the best pictures of our motorcycles here. We stayed overnight and then Budapest. It would be my second visit to Budapest by motorbike.
We did a canal tour in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We visited the Red Light area. Smell of smoke everywhere. They smoke weed in every café. It was a different experience for us. Overall we had very nice experiences. I didn't like Red Light district. There's something bothersome for me. But any idea of freedom comes to life here. We visited different museums. The video below is a video of a motorcycle ride in Amsterdam.
We had a nice dinner in Knez Mihailova Street in Belgrade. Every city has a famous street. People go to spend their free time, where the famous cafes and restaurants. Attractions similar to Beyoğlu or Taksim in Istanbul. Knez Mihailova street is Belgrade's famous street. Moreover, there are famous nightclubs by the river Sava. Freestylers are one of them. We spent a few hours at a club like Clup22 / 44 because the freestylers were closed that evening. It was very crowded, we stuck in a cramped corner, but it was a pleasant experience to watch local people having fun.
It is still possible to feel the former Yugoslavia here. Weathered city. However, a magnificent nature. Where two great rivers meet. There were more than 2000 Turkish words in their language, the remainder of Ottoman times. When they joked with their Austrian friends, they tried to annoy Serbs by saying that you are Turks. A Serb told me this. However, it is our pride to be Turkish. We met a middle-aged gentleman in Kalemegdan. He was playing the guitar and collecting money. He knew we were Turkish. He started playing "Leylim Ley" with his guitar. Nice chat and humor. We're glad to meet him. Together we sang Leylim Ley. “No money, but a lot of women,” he said of Belgrade. Of course, I expressed it decently.
The next day we moved from Pristina to Prizren. We arrived after 1-1.5 hours. As you can see from the pictures and comments I shared on facebook, it was a very impressive experience for us. As soon as we entered, we felt warm interest and love. Elvis Damka has an optician shop. Every other Kosovar with us is very valuable friends. Although they didn't know us, they greeted us and took care of us. After settling in the hotel we had tea and chatted together. Elvis had a higher education in Ankara in the 90s. His hair was long, a group of men who identified himself as nationalist took him to their chiefs. The chief accused him of what kind of species you are. Elvis’s bumpy answer is a very instructive and discerning answer that you cannot do if you teach at school for 100 years.
Are you going to teach me to be a Turk, in the heart of Ankara, without any strangers around you! You live in freedom and security that you owe to Atatürk and your ancestors. You come to Pristina or Prizren in Kosovo to become a minority in Albanians, Serbs and Bosnians. Confront the oppression, genocide and exile of all European and Christian rulers. Resist like us. Learn what it means to stay and live in that land as Turkish and Muslim. Then let's see your nationalism.
I felt completely different while listening. It was a great lesson to me. I understood and realized what they were going through. I was already under the influence of Memduh and Elvis changed my view of the whole region, culture and belonging. Thank you so much to all of you. Memduh, Elvis and everyone in his absence. Good thing I know you. Good thing you're Turks.
The world is really small. We met Muammer Yalçın in Prizren, a former student from the PhD program. He appeared in the most popular coffee in Prizren while I was drinking brewed tea with local friends. I still look diligently in my room on the potted flower he gave me. We’ll meet again in Izmit.
Üsküpe giderken kosova’dan çıktık, Makedon gümrüğünü geçince bir düğün konvoyu ile karşılaştık. Sohbet ettim biraz gençlerle :)
If the Ottomans had not left the Vardar plain, the Macedonians wouldn’t even have a play field for football. But they defeated Fenerbahce. You will not know what a big defeat was without seeing these places. I chased all Fenerbahce fans I met. If some people had not stopped me, I would have chased Fenerbahçe fans to Serbia.
We're going to the last stop before the house. Thessaloniki. We ate meatballs accompanied by delicious dried beans in Skopje's famous meatball shop. There were many Turkish tourists around us. The waiter tormented us a bit. I don't think he likes us. Or we've made life hard on him. :) Our requests and complaints are endless. On the way to Thessaloniki we passed through the plain of Vardar. We arrived in Thessaloniki a little late, we left early in the morning. There are not many photos or videos.
The next day we had lunch in Kavala, and in the meantime, we went to the sea to cool off with Erhan. And Ipsala border crossing and my beautiful country.
I made this share at the entrance. “My Homeland, my country, my home. I was born here, I hope I will die here. ”
We rode motorcycles together for 38 days, and finally Erhan and I parted ways. And my family, my house, my dinner. “Home Sweet Home”
Kocaeli Üniversitesi, Eğitim Fakültesi, Eğitim Bilimleri Bölümü 41380 İzmit/Kocaeli/Türkiye
ismetsahin@gmail.com