In Edincik everything revolves around the olives. In every street there are several tractors and all people seem somehow busy with the harvest or the processing of the small fruit.
Another day we drove on the E90 in huge curves and inconspicuous ups and downs along the Sea of Marmara. Before we catch the fast ferry to Istanbul tomorrow, we turn off the big road and end up in the village of Edincik. Amazed, we drive at a snail’s pace through the unexpectedly pretty streets. Everywhere olive trees grow at the roadside and many of the houses seem very old, but are well maintained. Through large windows we can catch glimpses of small olive presses. Nimble hands are picking leaves and small branches from the olive trees to run through the press. Soon an older gentleman addresses us in rusty German and invites us to the obligatory Çay. We learn that he also manages an olive grove, the price per kilo for the raw olives is only 5 Lira (5 centimes), but for the oil 50 Lira (5 Swiss francs) are paid per liter. A slightly better price can be achieved by packing the harvest into a truck and driving it directly to the market in Istanbul.
The next morning we drive through the extensive olive forests that surround the village. The ancient trees have stood on these slopes for hundreds of years, watching the whimsical machinations of man.
The ferry from Bandirma to Istanbul feels like an airplane flight. After a good two hours, we arrive in darkness at the legendary city’s southern port. Our Warmshower hosts live in a completely different corner of the 16 million pita and so we are in for an adventurous and slightly stressful city crossing. To get to Üskündar, we first have to cross the historic districts of Faith and Sultanahmet, then locate the appropriate commuter ferry across the Bosphorus and cover a few more kilometers in the neighborhood. To top it off, we nudge our bikes up the steepest road we can imagine. Fortunately, our host Siawash waves us halfway directly into the cozy apartment and we feel right at home. The cheeky Persian dog Marley jumps up and down excitedly and the almost two-year-old Ryan watches us with big eyes. Siawash and his wife Afsaneh are native Iranians and have been living in Istanbul for eight years.
During the next three days we enjoy the very friendly little family, the beautiful autumn weather and explore the city.
We especially like Üskündar. The quarter, which is located in the Asian part of Istanbul, is lively, multicultural, modern & traditional at the same time, not very touristy and reminds us of Wellington (NZ) with its white, Ottoman wooden houses on the steep hills and the many trees and gardens. October 29th- our first full day in Istanbul- is also Republic Day and the whole city is decorated with countless Turkish flags. With fervor, Istanbulites celebrate Kemal Atatürk, the universally beloved liberal founder of the Republic. After a long day in the European part of the city, we stumble into a damp and cheerful street party with music and dancing on our doorstep in the evening. On our second day, we again take on the typical sightseeing places; however, also today unsuccessfully. We let ourselves drift as always, stroll where it seems interesting to us and spend so also times forty minutes in a sock store or let us cut spontaneously the hair.
At the “Egyptian Market” we visit a fleeting ferry acquaintance, who actually turns out to be the head salesman of “Hazer Baba” and invites us to taste his Turkish Delights. We probably go down in the history of the store as the very worst guests: drank tea, chatted, bought nothing and got a box of the sweet things as a gift.
With Istanbul we have also reached another stage destination and it is time to plan our next stage a little more precisely. In order not to have to drive for days through the suburbs, we will take the ferry directly to Yalova. From there we will drive through the center of the country to our next destination Cappadocia. Bending over the map and our map apps, we put together an approximate route for the next nearly 1000 kilometers.
After three very different days, we say goodbye to our Iranian hosts with somewhat heavy hearts.
But sitting on the bikes again and roaring through ever new landscapes is also quite excellent!
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)