Today’s ride took me from Kocaeli, Turkey on the shores of the Sea of Marmara across the Bosphorus Bridge and past the Black Sea as I made my way north towards Bulgaria. I’m currently perched on a mechanic’s swivel chair in the corner of his work bay as he attends to some needed service items on Adventure Baby before I head to my lodging for the evening.

When I arrived at the Blue Pier Hotel last night, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the lodging had a luxurious swimming pool, outside lounge chairs, and steps down to the Sea right out their back yard. After checking out the accommodations, I decided to dip my feet in the frothy waters of the Marmara to celebrate my journey in Turkey so far.

My dinner at Kofteci Nuretin, a nondescript hole in the wall eatery just a few blocks away from the hotel, was a pleasant surprise. The lightly charred but moist and flavorful grilled meat was served along with a delicious yogurt and carrot sauce that seemed to be spiced with garlic and horseradish. Not to be outdone, the kaymakli ekmek tatlisi dessert provided an explosion of flavor with each bite of the moist bread dipped in honey and garnished with chopped nuts and cream.

As I crossed over the Sea on my way back into Europe this morning, I took one last look at the beautiful body of water before heading around the city of Istanbul and towards Corlu. Passing fields and farmlands and little villages along the way, I was treated to quite a few stunning views of the Black Sea to my right.

Getting set up with a mechanic north of Istanbul for some needed service ended up being a little more complicated than I expected when the first and second shops that I reached out to earlier were not available to help. After getting a promising lead on a third possibility I arrived to discover they couldn’t help me since I didn’t have a stand attached to my bike.

Thankfully the manager there took me to another shop who graciously offered to help. I’m so grateful to Turkish Facebook friend Hakki Orem for helping to facilitate this process. After Hakki conveyed the basics of the service needs, the mechanic and I were able to finish the process using translators on our phones.

The mechanic and I have shared tea together and he seems to be content with me working in the corner. As it’s 94 degrees outside and this work bay is not air conditioned, I’m happy that he has a strong fan set up to take the edge off the heat.

I anticipate Adventure Baby being road ready soon so that he and I can head off to Corlu for another evening of fun in Turkey.

All Adventures