Post Tour update. Another 'Tales from the Saddle' will be back on the 28 July 2014.

It's nearly 3 months since I've got home from my tour of Eastern Europe with Peter and Len.  During this tour I got the chance to meet some amazing people, visited some incredible places and not surprisingly got taught a few lessons in life from my riding partners.

I put a couple of photos together of some of the more memorable moments on tour.

The photo above is of myself & Peter my cycling buddy for the entire 4 months.  I must say we had an incredible time. Very patient and caring, but terrible joke teller.  I've strongly advised Peter not to enter the next installment of 'Australia's got talent'.

The 2 guys in the photo above are of Peter and Len.  Regardless of our differences I did enjoy Len's company for the last 3 weeks of the tour.  There is one thing I can say about Len, if you needed something in life he would be there to assist.  Very generous heart.

Then there was Maurice and Mary from Brisbane.  They helped us during the first 3 weeks of the tour and we did have many laughs with both of them. They played a big part in making our holiday a fantastic experience.

Now there were the relatives from northern Italy. From left to right.  Myself, Betilla, Graziella, Tony & Giancarlo.  They took the title of the most hospitable people of the entire tour.

The family above owned a small bicycle shop and the local school in a small town in Bulgaria.  We arrived late in town and couldn't find one hotel to stay at, so I went to the bicycle shop to ask for help and they then allowed us to stay in one of the classrooms overnight. Best free accommodation on tour.

Now Peter is a big promoter of the mighty Wollongong, and during one of our encounters at a local market in Bulgaria, Peter found a group of kids to share his knowledge about our town. It's a shame he gave away all his stickers in one day.

Every campsite we stayed at we always hoisted the Australian flag. That's probably why no one came near us.

During the trip we climbed some serious mountains that in some cases took hours to climb in some pretty intense heat. My favourite was the climb out of Kotor in Montenegro.  A climb of 1700 metres in 21kms. That was a tough morning on the bike.

And finally perhaps the best moment on tour is hoisting the Australian flag for the last time.  Arriving back in Istanbul after riding 5800kms was just one big adrenalin rush.  We made it in one piece, overcome sickness, huge mountains, met some amazing people, and it was a walk in the park.

Stay tuned for the next installment which commences on Monday 28th July 2014.  Now this trip is one hell of a challenge.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Walking the streets of Istanbul. Time to go home.

As you all know, I love to sleep in.  Peter woke me at 8.25am just in time to meet up with Len for breakfast at 8.30am.  Today we visited the Grand Bazaar and the Aquaduct. I love walking around huge markets and the atmosphere of the sellers and tourists all hassling to save a dollar or two. Me personally, I'll fight them to get them to drop the price.

Today's story are my photos.

The above photo was taken whilst walking through the Hippodrome.  These 3 wheeled vehicles are used by the council officers to ensure the safety of the tourists.

The above photo was taken of Peter in the Grand Bazaar.  He's actually thinking whether a 'Geeenieee' will pop out of the lamp if he rubs it.

The photo above is inside the Grand Bazaar.  It's an amazing place to spend a couple of hours and haggling along the way.

The above photo is of an Australian family we met in Cannakale about a week ago.  Over the past 7 days we've run into them time and time again, this time it was at an ATM in Istanbul.  You could not meet a nicer family with such well behaved children.  They come from a suburb in Sydney, not as nice as the mighty GONG of course.

The photo above was taken of the Aquaduct that run through the city over 2000 years ago.  This is in middle of the city and it appears the road system and buildings are built around it so as not to disturb this historical site. 

The photo above was taken this afternoon when we went for a walk down to the Galata Bridge.  This bridge is a huge attraction for fisherman from all ages.  If you like you can hire a rod and dangle a line at a cheap price. 

The photo above was taken tonight during our walk of the city.  It's the famous Hagia Sofia which is directly across from the 'Blue Mosque'.

The above photo was taken tonight of the 'Blue Mosque'. 

No matter where we walked today, we were treated to amazing sites.  We got to eat the famous fish sandwiches at Galata Bridge, go shopping in the Grand Bazaar, watch the sun set over the Mosques of Istanbul, and walk the cobble stone alleys back to Surahan Hotel. We've had had one heck of a holiday.  Tomorrow we will be picked up at 10.30am to go to the airport. We arrive back home to Sydney, Australia at 5.30pm.

This tour is now over.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my story, and hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I did pedaling around Europe.  A big thank you to Peter Felvus who cycled the entire 4 months with me through 14 amazing countries.

Stay tuned for the next installment of 'Tales from the Saddle'.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Bandirma to Istanbul. We've come full circle.

Today's the day we caught the fast cat ferry from Bandirma to Istanbul. We left the hotel around 9am and headed down to the harbour for the 30 minute wait.  Once the ferry arrived it wasn't long before the cars and incoming passengers had alighted and we were allowed to go on board. We loaded the bikes onto the ferry and went upstairs and took a seat on the lounges. When I looked around the ferry there was only about 50 people on board a ferry with a capacity of over 1000 tourists.

I was really excited for the day to come around.  Not wishing for the tour to end, but to come full circle on a tour that started 4 months ago, riding 5700kms, and carrying 45kgs of gear.

The photo above is Len and Peter waiting at the Bandirma harbour this morning waiting for the ferry to arrive.

 The photo above is inside the ship with the bikes tied up for the 2 hour journey to Istanbul.

The above photo was taken of Peter and Len during the ferry ride today. I think the boys were a little tired today after a couple of drinks last night.

After  2 hours the ferry pulled into the Istanbul harbour, and all we had to do now was get our bikes off the ship, and ride up to the Blue Mosque.  We ride along with all the traffic and then started the climb up through the back lane where we reached the  Hippodrome. From the Hippodrome I knew we were really close and I could see the minarets of the Blue Mosque just up ahead.

As we peddled to the end of the Hippodrome, it was a sharp right and we were HOME.  It was such an awesome feeling to have achieved what we had set out to do so long ago. In total we rode through 14 countries, climbed over 50,000 metres and never had 1 flat tyre. Our bikes held up and never let us down.

The photo above is the route we took on this tour.

When we reached the 'Blue Mosque' it was time for the photographs.  I love these photographs at the end, it really symbolizes what this whole trip was all about.

 The photo above is myself at the finish line, Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey.

The photo above is Peter and I with the world famous Australian flag that travelled with us for the past 4 months. We stayed for a while taking more photos and then we all made our way back to the Surahan Hotel where we'll be staying for the next 2 nights before we fly home on Tuesday afternoon.

When we got to the hotel we were given a fantastic room with a nice garden out the front and plenty of room for us to pull our bikes down.  We had to dismantle our bikes and put them back into the boxes we brought with us.  We had arranged for the Marmara Guesthouse to look after the boxes whilst out riding, and to send them to their sister hotel, Surahan Hotel for us to pick up upon our arrival.  The boxes were at the hotel, so now it was time to start cleaning and dismantling the bikes.

I gave mine a quick clean and put it into the bicycle box and used a heap of bubble wrap to ensure it didn't suffer any damage during the flight. After having caught the ferry, riding to the Blue Mosque for photos, finding our new accommodation, pulling down and packing away our bikes, finally it was time for a shower and shave. I think I was developing an odor.

By the time everyone had worked on their bikes and cleaned up it was time to eat.  We found a restaurant around the corner and had a meal which was pretty good but the service was terrible.  We still had plenty of time to head back up the Blue Mosque and walk around the city of Istanbul. This place was full of tourists in the peak holiday time 4 months ago, and nothing had changed today, plenty of tourists everywhere.

We did have a look at a couple of shops, but it's tomorrow I do my shopping.  Not sure what I'll buy, but I'm sure it will be fun doing it.  Back to the hotel for a relaxing evening and reminiscing on a marvellous achievement by all of us.

The tour is not over yet, we may have finished the riding but we still have some things to do before we get on that plane at 1.30pm Tuesday 15 October 2013.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Biga to Bandirma. The loop is just about to close.

Today is the penultimate day of riding before we finish at the world famous 'Blue Mosque' Istanbul tomorrow. We started from this site in June 2013 and I can think of no other place to end it.

We left the Kosdere Hotel Biga, around 9am for the 73km ride to the harbour town of Bandirma on the Sea of Marmara.  The ride started with no wind and a road that once again had a great shoulder to ride on.  At times the road disintegrated to where we were riding on a rough road with a good drop off to keep us on guard.

We stopped for morning tea at an all male tea house and just hung with the old men of the town taking in the experience. Occasionally one of the men would ask us what we are doing and where we were going, and each time they would praise us for our courage and strength. Usually all my friends think we're anything other than stupid wanting to ride a bicycle through Europe and having to work hard everyday. That's something some of them know nothing about.

We were moving along pretty good today, probably because we knew this was our last real ride of the tour.  Tomorrow's ride will be about 2 kms from the harbour up to the 'Blue Mosque', and then roll down the hill to the Surahan Hotel.

Lunch today was a nice bowl of soup at a service station cafe, and a couple of cups of tea to enjoy whilst chatting about our achievements.

We hit the road again with about 15kms to go to Bandirma to end the day's riding.  We had yet another fantastic day out in the rural areas of Turkey, waving to truck drivers, the locals in the fields and people on the side of the road wanting to show us Turkish kindness.  Perhaps other countries could take a look at Turkey and see what hospitality is all about.

We reached the outskirts of Bandirma nice and early so Peter and I stopped for photographs before riding into the centre of town.

The photo above was taken in Bandirma. We had one deadline to meet on this tour and that was Bandirma 12 October 2013, and we achieved this on time. All we have to do now is catch the ferry to Istanbul tomorrow and then the plane on Tuesday.

I took the above photo from our room looking down on the ferry that we'll be catching tomorrow.

The photo above was taken whilst walking around the fish markets later in the day.

The photo above was taken during our final morning tea on the road for this tour.  We love having a cup of tea and a cookie or 10 to help us with our dietary needs.

Once we got into town and located our hotel, it was a quick shower and down to the harbour to purchase our tickets for tomorrow's ferry. We prefer to get our tickets today instead of having to stuff around in the morning. 

When I left the hotel and went to put on my prescription sunglasses, one leg fell off.  I then had to go and try and find an optometrist to buy a screw for the arm of the glasses.  I found this old chap selling cheap glasses in the centre of the mall and tried to tell him what I wanted to buy. 

The photo above is of the kind man who gave me the broken glasses for free. 

He went through a couple of bags and pulled out a broken pair and handed them to me. I thought I could pull out one of the screws and place it in my glasses. When I went to offer him some money, he refused. Once again the generosity and kindness of the Turkish people is very humbling. 

After walking about 20 metres away from my new friend, I came across an optometrist shop and went inside.  I showed the chap my glasses, he took them out the back to repair and returned cleaning them. He handed me the glasses and once again I offered to pay him for placing the screw in the arm.  He refused to charge me, and said it was free.  Turkish kindness, amazing.

So, the end of the tour is just about here.  Tomorrow we close the loop once we reach the 'Blue Mosque'. Like all tours, they have to come to an end.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Lapseki to Biga. 62kms

Today the boys made me get out of bed and ready for breakfast at 7.30am.  I just can't work it out why we have to be up so early everyday on tour. With a very ordinary breakfast that would hardly keep a cat happy, we were on the road at 8.30am for the ride north to Biga.

Biga is a very large rural town with agriculture being one of the major industries in the Cannakale region. We had the company of hay laden tractors along the road today and some were just as fast as us!!!

Today's ride was a nice 62kms on a major highway with dual lanes in either direction and a wide shoulder to protect us from the traffic. The sun was out, and only a slight breath of wind could be felt as we peddled along.  We did have a couple of rolling hills today but nothing compared to Black Mountain in Montenegro.

 The photo above was taken by Peter from the top of the hotel this morning looking down at the Lapseki harbour.  It was a beautiful morning to start the day.

The above photo was taken by Peter during our mandatory morning tea break.  We parked the bikes near a water tap that constantly pours into a cement pit for people to use.  Our morning tea was water, biscuits, banana, orange and grapes.  The food for supreme elderly sportsmen.

We kept rolling up and down until we reached the outskirts of Biga.  Len directed us to the Kosdere Hotel and soon we had found a safe place for our bikes and a room was waiting for us.  After a hot shower and shave, we were off into town. We caught the local bus and were dropped off near the new shopping centre. The centre had all the modern shops and eateries, but more importantly it had a picture theatre.  After a snack and coffee we got some tickets to watch 'Riddick' staring Vin Diesel.  Considering we paid roughly 6 Aussie dollars to watch the movie, it was money well spent.

Back to the hotel for dinner and a game of pool with Len. Today was a great day and tomorrow will be just another day of riding to the port of Bandirma some 70kms away.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Cannakale to Lapseki.

After 2 amazing days at Gallipoli, it was time to get back on the bike and do some exercise. The Grand Anzac Hotel in Cannakale is highly recommended by the 3 of us. Great rooms, good breakfast and our wifi was excellent. Our bikes had there own area and the staff of the hotel could not do enough for us.  Even when we wheeled our bikes out through the restaurant and into the lobby today, the staff came outside to wish us well on our journey.

We hit the cobblestone alleys of Cannakale at 9.30am and soon found ourselves heading north on  the D200 the major highway to Istanbul.  We had a great road with shoulder to ride on all day.  What was even more amazing was the wind had turned 180 degrees, and was now coming from the south.  Since we had strong head winds since Cesme, we thought it would be 3 very tough days to Bandirma.  Not today, beautiful sunny conditions with a strong tailwind.

We stopped at a service station for morning tea along the way. The guys in the service station got us seats, provided tea for free, and were so keen on talking to us about our journey. It's nice to meet nice people in life.

After a cup of tea, biscuits and some fruit, we got back on the bikes to complete the final 15kms to Lapseki. Rolling hills at a fast pace had us at the Hotel Kapton around midday. We couldn't get our room for another hour, so we went for a walk and found a nice cafe to get some lunch. 

During this tour we always planned to have 1 day up our sleeve to play with, just in case we got sick and had to stay another night in a town in Turkey during the final 3 weeks of the tour. Since we've all managed to keep healthy has allowed us to have 3 short days to finish the tour.  Today was 35, tomorrow is 65 and the final day will be just over 70kms.

Tomorrow we ride to the city of Biga, but I'm not sure whether they have anything of historical importance to check out.  We'll just have to wait and see.

The photo above is from our outing in Troy the other day.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Gallipoli. Day 2.

Gallipoli

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours... you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.  

These are the famous words of Ataturk, which are inscribed on the wall at ANZAC COVE.

Today Peter and I met up with our personal guide from Hassle Free Tours in Cannakale.  Our leader was Seyhan Aksoy and he was excellent.  We were taken to the harbour in our private vehicle, boarded the ferry for Eceabat and a nice lunch was awaiting us before the tour commenced.

After lunch we travelled across the peninsula to meet up with the captain of our boat that would take us up to the dive site over the supply ship SS Milo.  This gave us a great chance to check out ANZAC COVE and the surrounding shoreline just like the soldiers did on the 25 April 1915.  We had seen it from the ground yesterday, and today we got to see it from the ocean.  It gave us an amazing perspective on just how silly it was to try and capture the Turks in this terrain.  It was obvious it was doomed for failure right from the outset.

We arrived at the dive site directly which is about 100 metres off shore where the ANZAC DAY dawn service is held each year.  It was here that many young soldiers decided to jump from their ship and try and make it to shore to avoid the hail of bullets that was coming down on them from the Turkish soldiers on top of the ridge line.  Most of the soldiers drowned trying to make the shore carrying their heavy backpacks and rifles.  I'd find it hard to swim to shore in my clothing let alone carrying over 30kgs of supplies and ammunition.

I decided against diving on the site because I still had a bit of cold and needed to be 100% for tomorrow's ride.  Peter put his wet suit on and plunged into the icy cold waters of the Mediterranean.

The photo above is Peter playing whales over the site of the SS Milo about 100 metres off the shore of ANZAC COVE.
The photo above is Peter coming back to the boat and feeling very good about his achievement. Not many Australians can say they've dived on a ship used in the Gallipoli campaign. I could see the ship clearly from the safety of the boat, and yes, I was tempted to put the dive suit on and jump in.  I'll get plenty of time to go diving when I get home.

 The photo above was taken on board the Hassle Free tours ship. 

 The photo above was taken about 100 metres off shore from the Dawn Service site at ANZAC COVE. When you visit the site, it looks so different to what you see on TV, and much smaller. The Turks are preparing for enormous celebrations for the 100 year anniversary in 2015.
The photo above is just south of ANZAC COVE.  Once again many graves can be found along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

After the boat trip, our next destination was the 80 million Lira Simulation Centre.  This centre shows the Gallipoli campaign from the Turks angle.  It's a high tech video re enactment of the landing, land battles, ships being sunk and bombs going off all over the place. You walk through about 12 rooms each showing a different side of the battle.  Peter and I were given headsets which gave an English version of events.  I was so impressed with the simulation centre and thought this topped off the entire 2 days.  I had received the history from Adem yesterday from the land, and today I had been further enriched by Seyhan whilst anchored off ANZAC COVE, and finally the simulation centre.  

The photo above was taken inside the Simulation Centre of the items on display of ammunition and pistols.

After the simulation centre we were driven back to the harbour to catch the ferry back across the Dardanelles to Cannakale.  We had another great day on tour and still have a couple more before the loop is closed in Istanbul.

Tomorrow we get back on the bikes and make our way closer to Istanbul.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.