robintrip

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Last blog of 2018

Had a good couple of days in Izmir. Bike in it’s box and ready to fly this pm.

Going to start reacclimatising by watching Man U v Chelsea- suspect it is going to be a long winter.

Izmir is not an architecturaly beautiful town as the entire Greek and Armenian quarters ie most of the town were burnt in 1922 but it is in a spectular setting in its bay and with excellent waterside parks, ferries, cafes and bird reserves. Today appears to be an autumn market a large number of stalls along the sea shore selling mainly melons, pomegranates jam and honey - there are also about 20 bouncy castles all in a line which is quite a sight.

Went on a day trip to the tourist town of Cesme to see its Genoese castle yesterday. The town was full of flowers and it seemed like mid summer.

This years trip: 1150 km (10500m) in 14 cycle days. The trip so far 5535 km in 94 cycle days.

There were some long windy sections between sites in Greek and Turkish Thrace but overall a fantastic collection of historical and scenic sights and now l have reached ancient Ionia the sights will revert to being closer to each other.

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Izmir feribot

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Izmir Agora - currently a jigsaw puzzle but it was the largest in the classical world and they are planning to restore it over the next 10 years - suspect it will be quite a challenge

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Cesme castle hiding behind vegetation

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Final day of cycling

Eski Foca to Izmir

70k 350m (a few k were on a ferry)

Made it to Izmir😊😊

It’s a growing city with 4m people so wondered how easy it would be to cycle in - in fact it was incredibly easy. From about 20k out there were perfect cycle ways that led to the ferry across the bay and then a cycle way on the famous Kordon to the hotel.

The first cycle way went past about 5k of salt flats with more than 500 flamingos and many other birds - just one twitcher watching with a telescope.

Fantastic feeling coming across on the ferry.

Flight home is on sat night. The task for tomorrow is to try to find a bike box.

Won’t blog every day but on Friday or sat might post some pics is Izmir

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Sky scrapers getting close to the flamingos

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The start of Izmir’s cycle ways about 20k from town

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A Persian tomb carved from a single rock on the road from Foca - they were here for 200yrs before Alexander this must be one of their most westerly monuments

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Morning light at Eski Foca

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Cycle day 12 Bergama to Eski Foca

91k 500m

2 classical sites with Byzantine & later fortifications on them,

Fantastic days cycling with the best coastal scenery since west Albania.

First half of the day very unremarkable on hard shoulder of a dual carriage way but did have wind & gradient with me so made good progress.

Then arrived at Aigai a modern petrochemical port with 100,000 popn had been concerned about how to navigate through it. On the outskirts I came across a brand new red cycle path that went straight through the town centre. Outside the townhall I was stopped by 4 traffic police on bicycles- I wondered what I had done wrong but in fact they wanted to know what I thought of their new cycle path and buy me a cup of Turkish coffee!

Had not intended to visit ancient Kyme but the police insisted I did so went on a smooth cycle way straight through the petrochemical plant (several security checks). The usual beautiful mixture of columns, deciduous trees and blue sea but 100m to the right was a petrochemical plant and 100m to the left a massive container port - I think the ancients would be surprised if they came back.

Also amazingly a eurovelo sign with maps of how to get to Izmir and beyond and a statement saying that Izmir was a European cycling city (I thought I was in Asia)

Then a fantastic 20k of empty road through pine forest with beautiful blue bays (some military areas which explains why they are so unpopulated)

Then Eski Foca quite a culture shock, warm, many tourists of different nationalities, many Pan Mediterranean restaurants, dingies and yachts sailing, a pirate ship and Viking longboat?

I went to the tourist office to get a map and asked ‘do you speak English’ he replied ‘quite well how about you?’ so I put google transate away.

I am sure purists would be dismayed at the lack of pure Turkish ambience but at the end of a days cycling it was nice to have all facilities easily to hand.

Ancient Phocea was a very important town its colonies included Marseille and Cadiz and it has a fine double harbour surrounded by peninsulae and islands so you can’t see the open sea. The hotels have been built over most of the ancient remains but there is a picturesque Genoese castle,

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Eski Foca many pan Mediterranean restaurants and Genoese windmills on the hill

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Mediterranean blues

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The coast is not quite straight

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Eurovelo sign mentioning it is 8000k to Cadiz (but some would be by ferry from Lesbos to Athens) and Byzantine wall of Kyme made from classical stones with 21c port in the background

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Another day of rest in Bergama!

Both locals and the internet said that it was unlikely that any hotels would still be open in Candarli - the planned next stop. It’s mainly a resort for Turkish holiday makers and has a short season.

So decided to visit by bus and have a slightly longer ride tomorrow. Friendly hotel owner drove me to Bergama bus station and I was soon there by minibus.

Definitely very sleepy feel but a nice pancake cafe and a well restored castle that was shut but good external views.

In the pm went back up Bergama acropolis with difficulty I managed to find someone to give the cable car money to - they just don’t expect non group tourists.

I then walked slowly down really good to see the sights again when I have already worked out the history and geography

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Gozelme - one of my 20 words it’s Turkish pancake filled with either potato or cheese. Living off it rather than dodgy kebab.

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Looking down from the acropolis theatre - one of 4 theatres in ancient Pergamon but this is the steepest theatre in the classical world