A new day, a new continent: A European Summary

February 8, 2014

It was Saturday the 8th of February 2014 and I was leaving Europe (only five weeks behind schedule) and heading for Asia. After Ross had made a superb egg breakfast I said my goodbyes to my wonderful hosts Ross and Banu and cycled a couple of kilometres to where the boats leave to cross the Bosphorus. I arrived right in time to roll the bike on board just before the boat moved away. As the Bosphorus marks the border between European Turkey and Asian Turkey, this would be the ideal time to take a look back at the journey across Europe.

EUROPE SUMMARY:
Time on continent: Six months, three weeks and two days
Distance cycled: 13,233 kilometres
Countries visited: 26
Punctures: Three
Best country (scenery): Norway
Best country (cycling): Czech Republic
Best country (girls): Russia, Belarus
Best country (windmills): Netherlands
Worst country (overall): Moldova
Best cycling partner: Cherno (sorry Karin)
Best actor: Gerry
Best supporting actor: Ibrahim
Most dramatic moment: When pine cone wars went wrong
Best impression of a human: Юлия
European Rating: 8/10
Would I go back?: Hopefully

Winner of Best Cycling Partner: Cherno - "This really is too much! I'd like to thank my mum, my bike, Germany, the Nikhils, the people of Sweden, everyone who made this possible..."

On the boat to Asia. Goodbye Europe, see you in a few years!!!

Banu had told me that there was a cycle route along the coast for the first twenty-five kilometres until a place called Pendick, which is where she grew up, and she was right. It was a most fantastic bicycle path too. There were lots of parks and green spaces and people out walking along the seafront, no traffic, and completely flat of course. And it was a nice day, my bike was working properly, it was simply brilliant cycling, I couldn't believe it. All the horror stories about cycling in Istanbul and here was the best bit of cycling I'd done in months.

I was a bit confused that the bicycle lane appeared also to be an elephant lane

There were stray cats living all along the seafront

Banu had told me that after Pendick the bicycle path would stop and even having already ridden twenty-five kilometres I still had a long way to go before I would be out of Istanbul and I would be doing it on the main road. So instead I jumped on the ferry at Pendick which took me across the sea to Yalova and away from the city. It must have been my lucky day as I again got on board just as the boat was about to leave.

On the ferry to Yalova, looking at a rather ominously mountainous skyline

Given the view from the boat it wasn't that much of a surprise to find myself with a long uphill out of Yalova. After twenty kilometres I turned east on a flat road that ran through endless olive tree orchards next to a lake. It was getting late and I needed to find somewhere to camp. There was nothing but olive trees everywhere and I ended up disappearing into one of these orchards and setting up my tent among the trees, excited to think of all of Asia that lay ahead.

Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 13,299 km (8,259 miles)

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