An afternoon in Sivas, staying in a cave house in Ürgüp, falling in love with Capadoccia, sunset in Ankara, discovering Bursa, güle güle Turkey, hello Greece and our epic road trip continues.

 Thessalonika, Greece, Sunday 28th May 2023  

At the Goreme viewpoint on Tuesday. That was the moment I fell in love with Capadoccia

Dear everyone.

Thanks for reading my blog and for following our epic road trip from Madrid to Armenia and back. We are returning via a different route, through Greece, Albania, Montenegro and other Balkan countries. 

Today finds us in Thessalonika on day 38  and in the 10th country of our journey with about 2 weeks to go till we are home. We left Madrid on 21st April and have seen and done so much but we are nearing the end and I hate endings. However, we have something wonderful to look forward to and that is the wedding of our youngest daughter, Olivia to Miguel, on 16th June and we must be back well on time for that. 

Today we are in Thessalonika but last Sunday we were still crossing the huge length of Turkey from East to West,  which in total came to 2600km!  That day saw us travelling from Erzurum in the east of the country to Sivas, a big spa town, nearer the centre. It was a long drive, more than  400km and over 5.5h but we took it in turns. Turkey has some great roads, many of them dual carriageways but it is so mountainous that you find yourself driving round hairpin bends or across mountain passes over 2000 metres high. The temperature goes from 5 degrees to 15, then to 10 and back to 5 and then to 20 all in a question of a few hours or at least it did last Sunday. You overtake lorries with number plates from Iran, Iraq and even Syria and you just marvel at where you are in the world. The terrain changes from lush green to dessert like surroundings in a question of a few kilometres and you feel as if you are driving on an obstacle race with booby traps everywhere hahaha. It is all part of the adventure. I can hardly believe that I have driven in so many countries and on so many different types of roads. I have never really liked driving long distance so am rather pleased with myself that I have overcome any fears and just got on with it. I could not let Eladio be the only driver. I had to do my bit and I did it and I am doing it, even over potholed roads in Armenia to that terrible border!  On this journey you feel totally out of your comfort zone and have to be prepared for anything and everything. One thing I cannot take though are the typical Turkish loos hahaha and if there was no alternative then I just looked for a private area nearby to squat. I refused to go into those stinking toilets which I can never be prepared for hahaha. 

It is not only the terrain that changes suddenly in Turkey, so does the weather and last Sunday was a prime example. We went from rain to sun, to showers, to cloudy skies, to drizzle, pouring rain and then sunshine again all in just a few hours. We stopped to have coffee in our flasks as it's difficult to get on many of the roads. I had to have a photo of Eladio at this stop where you can see chickens strutting around, a Turkish lorry and our Mini as well as snow covered mountains in the background. We were in luck as it was sunny. 

A stop for our own coffee on the road from Erzurum to Sivas

By about 4pm we were in Sivas, a beautiful town which is not at all on the tourist route. I had booked a room at the Behrampasa Hotel and was very pleased with my choice. It is over 450 years old and was once an Inn on the Silk Road but was restored in 2016 and is now a hotel. 

Outside our lovely hotel in Sivas

While Eladio waited outside in the car with all our luggage, I went to register. We were given a tiny, tiny room so I asked for a larger room. I got a small suite for just 25 euros more. At least now all our stuff would fit in. Before unpacking we went down to the huge restaurant to have a meal as we were starving. Just see if you can spot Eladio in the photo below waiting for his lentil soup. 

 

Lunch at the hotel in Sivas last Sunday

We chose local food and it was the best Turkish food we had had until then. Delicious. As it was sunny we decided to explore the city rather than unpack - that could wait for later. 

We didn't expect to see much but were charmed by this pretty spa town with its twin minaret madrasah - Qu'aran school. There were two but we just saw this one called Gök Medrese built in the 13th century. 

The Gok Madrasah in Sivas a town that surprised us

We then walked towards the centre. passing colourful shops like this one with their wares on display in the street; so typical in Turkey. 

Colourful shops

We came to a pretty looking square with shops selling typical Turkish coffee pots. There a woman approached us delighted to meet foreigners like us. She knew some English and with help from Google Translate we were able to communicate a little bit. This is Muhterem who you can see with Eladio in the photo below. 

Making new friends in Sivas

Our new friend who is from Sivas wanted to take photos of us and she kept saying how "pretty" we were, bless her.  I have come to realise that if we find new cultures of interest, people from other countries also find us interesting. It was a fun moment. 

Photo taken of us by Muhterem who I am now friends with on Instagram

Here she is with me too.

With Muhterem in Sivas

 I think Muhterem was the only woman I saw in Sivas without a veil. We parted ways by the cherry stall seller and walked back to our splendid hotel. 

Street cherry seller

We didn't buy any as we had plenty of fruit left, including all those strawberries we bought on the "highway" leaving Yerevan. We had them for dinner before tucking ourselves into the extremely comfortable bed with a mattress that reminded me of the Princess and the Pea fairy tale hahaha.

The next day, Monday, was my daughter Olivia's birthday and she turned 38. I wrote to her early in the morning and she replied immediately as that morning she had to be at the TV studio at 5 a.m. Later in the evening we had a video call to wish her a happy birthday and it was lovely to see Elliot and Juliet. We haven't seen them for such a long time I was a bit worried they might have forgotten us. I had no need to worry as apparently Elliot had expressed the wish to go to "Booboo's house" that day. I can't wait to see them again. Later Oli sent me a photo with her cake. On Friday I had blocked the Airbnb calendar so she could have a little party at our house which she ended up not having as it has been raining in Madrid as it has wherever we have been recently. I am hoping it will stop soon. 

Picture on Oli's birthday

I was keen to know her wedding plans and felt a bit guilty not being there but we had no idea they were getting married  until we had already started our journey. Even though it's just a wedding for legal reasons, I would have loved to be more involved but I can't be in two places at the same time. Anyway,  back to our trip. 

On Monday we would finally make it to Capadoccia where we were to spend two nights in a small town called Ürgüp - 7km from Goreme. I had booked a cave house on Airbnb and  I wished later we could have stayed longer but time was against us. 

We left Sivas and the excellent Behram Pasa hotel at around 9.30 am - this is all our luggage on the pavement. Now we count the pieces, hahahaha. 

Leaving Sivas in Turkey on Monday

Before setting off we went in search of a chemist. I learned that in Turkey chemists are called "Eczane" and the sign is not a green cross like elsewhere but a large red "E". Funny eh? Eladio's shingles /zoster herpes, although better, had not gone and he was still in pain despite having finished the course of tablets prescribed to him by the dermatologist in Dilijan, Armenia. So we went to get more. I was a bit worried he was still in pain and not completely himself. A week later he is a lot better. 

The drive to Ürgüp near Kayseri in central Turkey was only about 3.5h on excellent roads. We took it in turns to drive but neither of us felt comfortable driving in Turkey as our Green Card had expired. We stopped to ring our car insurance company which took ages  to be told we were only entitled to 30 days insurance a year and that they couldn't give us another one. So what to do? We would just have to chance it as we only had a few days left in Turkey before returning to the EU, first in Greece. Later for other countries like Albania or Montenegro, I read you can buy insurance at the border. 

So we continued our journey.  I didn't know much about Capadoccia apart from the fact that it is an area of geological wonder and that many tourists come here. Eladio knew a lot more and gave me a short history lesson - I told you he was my history teacher on this epic road trip. He told me about the Capadoccian Fathers - Basil the Great of Caesarea, his brother Gregory of Nyssas and their friend Gregory of Nazianzus who lived in the 4th century. They were Greeks as Capadoccia then belonged to them. So what did they do? They defended the Christian faith and made essential contributions to the definition of the Trinity. The Trinity, according to them is that "the Son is of the Father alone, neither made nor created but begotten; the Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers, one Son, not three Sons, one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits". This was the doctrine finalised at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 which included the final version of the Nicene creed which all Christian faiths adhere to. "The creed confirmed the resurrection of the dead when the soul meets the glorified body and the existence of souls in Heaven". 

This doctrine of the Trinity defined at the Council of Constantinople, as explained to me by the Armenian priest at the Hagharstin Monastery in Dilijan, is the basis of the faith of the Armenian church and which other churches do not all agree upon.  Gosh, once again I was going to come face to face with religion. 

The three Capadoccian fathers  are considered saints in both Western and Eastern churches. Eladio told me too that in reality the cradle of philosophy is in current day Turkey and not in Greece, having its origins in Miletus. 

I am sure most tourists visiting Capadoccia probably don't know about the historical importance of the region and, like me, only know of it because of its unique geological wonders, mostly, I think because of the "fairy chimneys" to be found in the region. I was excited to be there and so was Eladio. 

Finding our Airbnb host was a little bit of a challenge as the Cave House we had booked was a little outside the town and along some very steep and narrow, cobbled streets. But we found the owner and he greeted us and invited us into his house. We checked in and then he sat down and showed us maps of places to visit. He didn't think we needed a guide but I did. We would see. Finally he led us to our little cave house where he later took Eladio in our car as we would never have found the place. Here is the Mini in front of our wonderful house. 

The Mini outside our cave house

We loved the place immediately. I soon realised that what the owner Hikmet has is a wonderful tourist cash cow. He has a whole complex of cave houses - about 8 of them in different sizes, all set in the same complex. The courtyards and gardens are all common to the houses and the place is enormous. But let me show you our cave house which I thought was very big for just two. It had a huge bedroom and lounge with high ceilings, a medium sized kitchen and an enormous bathroom with a double shower. The place is beautifully equipped and very comfortable. Here are some photos. 

Our cave house in Ürgüp Capadoccia

But first things first. We needed to eat and would later enjoy the house. That's when it started to rain and rain water poured down the narrow cobbled streets with cars going past and splashing us. Our host had recommended a restaurant in the main town and it was about 1km via incredibly steep streets. We found it and were served quickly. I had hoped for a delicious Turkish meal but didn't get one. It was ok but nothing special. What was special was having tea with baklava afterwards in a cafe across the way. While we ate and drank we tried to decide how to spend our time there - just one afternoon and one full day. We decided we needed a guide so walked into a tourist guide establishment called "Pupa" and were received by an employee who kept saying "I understand" which I doubted he did. In the end, as nearly everywhere in Turkey, we communicated via Google Translate. We had already booked a balloon trip on Airbnb for the next morning so agreed with Ayhan that we would buy a day's tour of the Red Valley - the main area to visit in Capadoccia. I learned the whole area of Capadoccia is as big as 300km so we would only really touch the surface. They would pick us up the next day at around 9.30. So we decided just to chill out, take some pics of the cave homes in the rocks around Ürgüp, andt go back and enjoy our wonderful house. 

Here is one of the rocky parts with caves which are no longer in use. I had seen similar caves in a town called Guadix in Spain. 

Old caves in Ürgüp

I far preferred our cave and as we got "home" Eladio took more pictures, like these ones, of me outside the property and then outside our door. What a marvelous place. 

Our cave house - me outside the property and then outside our door

Wow, what a place. As I said, we wanted to enjoy it and the sights could wait. I was particularly looking forward to flying in a balloon in Goreme  so was rather upset to get a message from the organisers that all flights had been cancelled the next day due to "adverse weather". Our Guardian Angel had abandoned us again. Eladio wasn't too fussed but I would have loved the experience. On the plus side we wouldn't have to be ready to be picked up at 6 am.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying every moment of this unique house, did some washing - the property has two washing machines and two dryers - and had a simple meal of scrambled eggs on toast. We both went to bed early as we have done throughout our trip. 

Tuesday came - the day of our tour and the forecast was for rain all day but in the end it only rained at around lunch time and we enjoyed a sunny morning. On our tour we were accompanied by people from Israel, Singapore, England and Mexico. We immediately made friends with the Mexican family; father and mother and their delightful daughter Paula who doubled as our photographer that day. Thus we got lots of photos together in Capadoccia. I loved our very knowledgeable guide, Ali, who looked after us wonderfully. We went through Goreme, the tourist epicentre of the area and he told us that now not one local lives there - it's just so full of tourists. He said it was the French who first made Capadoccia famous to tourists in the 70's. When they saw the pinnacle like rocks and caves and saw people living in them they couldn't believe their eyes and coined the term "fairy chimney". The real word is "hoodoo", a tall thin spire like rock formed over centuries by erosion and volcanoes. Our first proper sight was at the Goreme viewpoint where Paula took the photo of us that I have chosen as this week's feature photo. That was the moment I fell in love with Capadoccia. What a place; on a par with Petra in my experience for its uniqueness. 

Photo taken from the Goreme viewpoint

Here is a video that shows  a bit more. 

Paula took all our photos that day and we took some of her and her parents too and we became quite chummy. Just look at the huge grins on our faces in this other photo taken at the Goreme viewpoint. 

Smiling for the camera at the Goreme view point

From there we were taken to Pigeon Valley from where you can see Uchisar Castle one of the landmarks of the area with the highest rock in Capadoccia.  I loved it too and I had to have more photos. 

Pigeon valley with Uchisar Castle behind us

From Pigeon valley we went to the most important tourist point in the area; the Goreme Open Air Musem, Turkey's third most visited museum. This was the highlight of the day. The area we saw was where persecuted Christians sought refuge in the 4th century and it became a monastic complex. It is full of churches hidden in caves. From the outside, hidden in their caves, those first Christians hoped not to be seen by their persecutors, mostly Roman soldiers. It is a wondrous place to visit and impossible to imagine how people lived in the caves and how they survived. Later it became part of the Silk Road and its inhabitants became craftsmen mainly making objects with precious metals, pottery and of course carpets. It is important to understand that those first Christians would become eventually Greek Orthodox when Capadoccia and most of Turkey was under Greek rule. Here are just some of the pictures we took that day in this wondrous place. 

At the Goreme Open Air Museum

The jewel in the crown of the series of hidden away churches in the caves is the one called The Dark Church built in the 11th century. It is the best preserved. Photography is not allowed so I got a photo from the web to show you.

The Dark Church from the inside at the Goreme Open Air Museum

In all the churches we saw signs of destruction of the frescoes and art; mostly eyes and faces. This first happened during the terrible iconoclastic era when Roman Emperor Leo III forbade the worship of images in the 8th century. Then we heard that in the beginning of the 20th century, the Greek Orthodox population was responsible for more destruction. How could that be? It was because of a little heard of population exchange between Turkey and Greece when Muslims in Greece and Greek Orthodox in Turkey were made to leave their country of dwelling and go to their country of origin. So 900.000 Greek Orthodox inhabitants of Anatolia (Turkey) where exchanged for a Muslim population of around 400.000 who lived in Greece. This forced population exchange made it legally possible for both countries' governments to cleanse their countries of ethnic minorities! So many Greeks took parts of the images - mainly the faces and the eyes, as they considered them so holy they couldn't be left behind. What a story!

We learned so much that day, and I soon realised there is as much history as geology to be learned from this fascinating part of the world. 

When the Greeks left, they took all their craftsmanship skills with them and the Capadoccia region lost its commercial value. The government stepped in and subsidised training of the two main trades: carpet weaving and pottery making. 

Turkey is world famous for its carpets and we were taken to a factory where they are handmade and were to see a carpet in the making. Here is one of the women making a carpet for tourists to see. 

Carpet weaving in Capadoccia

Here is a short video for you to see too. We learned that the difference between Turkish and Persian carpets - Turkey's greatest rival -  is in the knots. Iranian carpets are weaved using just one knot whereas Turkish carpets are weaved using two or rather a double threaded knot. 

The only way to make an income in the area after the Greeks left was by learning to make carpets and pottery. For some reason it is the women who make carpets and the men who are potters. As we watched the amazing process we heard that when marriages were arranged the prospective bride had to make a carpet for her future mother-in-law to inspect. If it was well done - and they can take up to months to make - then she was fit for marriage as it proved she had patience. Later we learned that prospective grooms had to be able to make pottery to find a wife! I asked our guide if arranged marriages still exist in Turkey today and I was told that although they are on the decline they still happen. I should add we didn't buy anything. The carpets were extraordinary but our house is full of oriental rugs and these came in thousands of dollars!

After a brief break for lunch we were taken to see a pottery place - another lure for tourists but we went along. I love pottery and hadn't often seen it being made. 

Pottery in the making during our tour of the Red Valley in Capadoccia on Tuesday

I took another video so you can see the process. The process we saw was the way pottery was made when the "kick wheel" was invented over 4000 years ago by the Hittites, according to our guide. Today, of course it is made by a more advanced method. We were then lured into room after room of amazing ceramics but when I was told one small bowl cost 100 dollars, I just looked the other way. No doubt this is art in the making and of great value but it was above my price line, hahahahaha. 

That was the end of our tour and Eladio and I were tired and wanted to go "home" to our cave and rest. And rest we did. Well, sort of. I had a skype call with my dear friend Amanda and also did more washing. I loved doing the washing at the complex at our cave home - the owner has 2 washing machines and 2 dryers all inside caves! I took advantage and even washed my trainers.

That was our last night in Capadoccia which I fell in love with. If you haven't been, add it to your bucket list and also add this wonderful cave house to stay at if you ever go.

The next day was Wednesday 24th May - time was ticking - and we were travelling to Ankara on our way out of Turkey which seemed to take forever as it is such a huge country. We still had two nights in Turkey before crossing the Ipsala border into Greece. 

That morning we had to say goodbye to our wonderful cave home in Capadoccia - the best accommodation of all our trip until now. The route to Greece was necessarily via Ankara where we didn't really want to go but there was no option. I once went there on business and like everyone who has been there and to Istanbul, far prefer the latter. Ankara is a modern city with a lot less to offer. As we were driving to find the motorway we noticed one of the tyres was losing pressure. There could be only one explanation; a puncture. So what could we do? As we went through a town I spied a taxi, hailed it and asked him to take us to a garage that repairs tyres. We followed him, bless the man, for about 2 euros. Very soon the Mini's tires were being expected. Here is our darling car which, until then, had given us no trouble at all. 

The Mini's tyres being looked at

The garage man inspected all 4 tyres, put some pressure in and told us all was well and that we didn't have a puncture. I still don't know why one of them was losing pressure. In any case, after that little adventure, off we went. The motorway to Ankara is amazing with 3 lanes all the way. The only problem is that for at least the first 150km there is not one service station so thank God we had filled the tank before we left Ürgüp.  It poured with rain on a couple of occasions but we made it to Ankara - just over 350 km, by about 2.30. I had booked an apartment in an area called Çankaya - a quiet part in the centre. About 4km away, the sat nav stopped working and oh what a terrible moment with all that traffic. I nearly hailed a taxi again. Eventually the GPS signal came back and shortly we arrived at our new Airbnb. This is it. If the cave house in Capadoccia was the best accommodation so far, the Airbnb in Ankara was definitely the worst. It was on a 4th floor without a lift and was not very clean. Again we suspected the owner lives there and moves out to stay elsewhere when he gets reservations.  I was rather taken aback by the bathrooms. Both of them had men's urinals and one of them only had a man's urinal. I found that rather offensive. It may be a cultural thing but I found it disgusting. We covered both awful urinals with sheets. The apartment's saving grace was the huge terrace. But if only it had been clean. I have noticed everywhere that hosts hardly ever keep their outdoor spaces clean which is a pity. 

At least we had a roof over our heads. But what we most needed was something to eat so took a taxi to a nearby busy street to a restaurant our host recommended. It was great and we had one of the best Turkish meals of our trip, after Sivas. From the little we saw of the city, it seems far more modern than any other place we have been in Turkey and I was pleased not to see so many women with veils or covered up. It's so different in that respect. We met a young man there who spoke perfect English and got talking. Mustafa who is now my "friend" on Instagram, is from Iran, is a teacher of English and has studied international relations. We had a very interesting conversation about the current situation in his country, about Erdogan who has just won the elections again after 22 years in office and about Russia and the Ukraine and the support from the west. He was very critical of the USA so I kept a bit mum. He was surprised I knew about Iran's recent history but of course I did. Who can forget the ousting of the Shah of Persia, the kidnapping at the US Embassy handled by Jimmy Carter which we all saw live on TV or the arrival of Ayatollah Jomeini? He is only 30 so wasn't born there but I wonder what it was like for his parents. He told me that Iran was a great country. I told him I'm sure it is if only women were free. I had to say what I thought. 

After parting we then went in search of a good supermarket. We were told to go to "Migros", supposed to be the best supermarket chain but it was not good at all.  We got a few things and then a taxi back and spent the rest of the time in Ankara at the Airbnb. We could have gone to see the main sights of the city but were too tired. I had some good news from Olivia that afternoon. She has been chosen to be the MC in Valencia for this year's "50 Best restaurants" on 22nd June run by the British organisation of the same name. If you haven't heard of them, they are a sort of competition to Michelin stars.  I am hoping to go with her. This is really a feather in her cap as it will be a global event and they needed a bilingual MC with experience. I know they could not have chosen a better person and I am very proud of her. 

We didn't have dinner as lunch had been so late. But I had a glass of Armenian wine while watching the sunset in Ankara with a huge mosque in the distance. It was quite a view. That was all we saw of Ankara, I'm afraid. 

Sunset in Ankara as seen from our terrace

I slept so-so that night but Eladio slept like a baby, his shingles receding slowly, thank goodness. I was awake at about 6 am on Thursday which would be our last full day in Turkey. It turned out to be one of the best. We had chosen to go via Bursa, Turkey's 4th largest city, rather than Istanbul which would have been crazy and according to our lovely guide in Capadoccia, Bursa has a lot going for it. It was a 445km drive but the roads were good and we arrived at our Airbnb in the middle of the city by about 2 pm.  We were met by the owner's sister, Seymanur and another woman who helped us take up all our luggage to the attic apartment. Many old houses do not have lifts but oh we loved this place, especially the terrace overlooking the busy streets below and the mountains in the distance but it was too hazy to see them. There has been haze everywhere we have been in Turkey and I kept wondering if it is because of pollution. This was the view from our terrace; bustling streets and old Ottoman type houses.

View from the terrace of our Airbnb apartment in Bursa

We soon settled in - oh how well we know the routine - and a couple of hours later were out on the street eager to discover this new city, the former capital of the Ottoman state in the 14th century and more recently an industrial hub for the manufacture of cars but also a ski resort. There are lots of landmarks from the Ottoman period and on our list was The Grand Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. 

Turkey is in election period. The right wing Erdogan won the first round and there is still another round to go. His face is everywhere showing just how much he dominates the country. Most people we spoke to, are in favour of him, but not all. Here is Eladio next to one of the many posters we saw of the famous Turkish politician we are no great fans of. 

Eladio next to Erdogan - Turkey's President

Much more famous and much more admired by the Turkish population is the one and only Mustafa Kermal Atatürk whose statue Eladio is standing next to in the picture below and which has a dominant position in one of Bursa's many parks 

Eladio next to a statue of Ataturk.

I would lay a bet and dare to say there is not one Turkish town that does not have a street or avenue named after him like in Bursa. He was a bit of everything: field marshal, revolutionary politician and  President from 1923 to 1938.  But above all he is known as the founding father of the Republic of Turkey which modernised the country into a secular and industrial nation. Perhaps his greatest claims to fame were providing free and compulsory education and something I always knew; replacing the old Turkish alphabet with the Latin based alphabet. It's interesting to note he made Turkey secular. I'm sure there are some politicians who would love to reverse that. What we noticed that day in Bursa and in many other places is that many people take their Muslim religion very seriously, many women go covered but not all. Every time I saw a girl in western style dress I was happy. As a woman I find it difficult to relate to wearing a burka. I don't think Atatürk would like them either as another of his great achievements was to give Turkish women voting rights and to break the traditional role of women by encouraging them to go to university. He believed that women were important in society and made reforms that gave them equal rights. I hope they are never taken away. That is the one great difference between Turkey and most other Muslim countries. No wonder he is revered. 

From the Atatürk statue we walked along the street of his name towards the 14th century Grand Mosque, the city's most famous landmark. 

The area was bustling and I especially liked the green park  leading up to it. Eladio took a picture of me for you to see. 

Next to the Grand Mosque of Bursa

And I took a video just to show you the atmosphere outside the Mosque which is always a central hub in towns in Turkey. They are everywhere and that day we even saw a small one next to a service station on the main road to Bursa! 

It was the last mosque we would visit in Turkey where we have spent 11 nights of our trip in many different towns and cities. It was just before prayer time so women were not allowed in the main entrance - during prayer they have to go round the back - not keen on women being relegated when it comes to religion. I am really not. Anyway, in I went after taking off my shoes and putting on my scarf which now really needs a good wash. Quite a beautiful mosque I thought, famous for its many domes and 4 minarets. The more minarets, the more important the mosque or so I learned. 

Inside the Grand Mosque of Bursa

Just as I walked out, prayer time began and I had to take  a video to record the final time I would hear the call to prayer  (Adhan) - so characteristic of Muslim countries. It is the "muezzin" who calls the faithful to prayer with a sort of loud chanting but these days it comes from loudspeakers placed at the top of the minarets. Eladio is obsessed with it and just loves the sound. I do when it is not at 5 in the morning hahahaha. 

From the mosque we made our way to the Grand Bazaar - or rather a maze of different bazaars. This one is not like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul which is mainly for tourists. The one in Bursa is mainly for locals. There are no carpets, ceramics or coloured lamps to be bought but clothes, food, gold and household goods. The atmosphere is great

A scene from the Grand Bazaar in Bursa

I saw a lot of wedding dresses both for the bride and bridegroom and also for children. The clothes are so over the top I had to have a photo to send to Oli - who is right now looking for her wedding dress and something for Juliet. She laughed and we did too. 

Wedding wear in Turkey as seen at the Grand Bazaar in Bursa on Thursday

What I did want to buy before leaving Turkey was some of their famed dry fruit as well as baklava. I got the dried fruit at this stall - huge sultanas, local pistachios and some amazing figs for Eladio. This was the shop where I spent some time talking to a young man who works there who is Syrian and from Aleppo. I told him how sorry I was for his country. Honestly, being sold dried fruit by a refugee from Aleppo was sombering.

Buying dried fruit and nuts at the Grand Bazaar in Bursa - the man who sold it to me is Syrian and from Aleppo!

Here is another colourful scene from the Grand Bazaar - a shop selling huge natural bath sponges as well as all sorts of spices. 

One of the interesting stalls at the Grand Bazaar in Bursa

I couldn't find any baklava so we returned to the main street named after Atatürk and we found this amazing sweet shop where I got a whole kilo of baklava. I got a photo of Eladio outside, next to some local police also buying this delicious pastry covered in honey which is so popular in this part of the world. 

Buying baklava in Bursa to take home

It was nearly 7 pm by then and we decided to have a cup of Turkish "chai" (tea, like in Russian) at a cafe over the river. This was just one typical scene I saw as we walked to the cafe - a group of men having tea; such a typical sight in Turkey. Twice Eladio had been invited by men to have tea with them. 

Men having tea in the street in Bursa - a very typical scene in Turkey

Next on the agenda was our last dinner in Turkey and we were determined it would be a good one as unfortunately the famed Turkish cuisine had escaped us most of our time in this country. Our Airbnb host suggested a place called Iskander which was round the corner from the cafe and near our place. So that's where we went. We loved the building and the decor on the inside. Here are some pics. 

Iskander restaurant in Bursa

Later we learned just how famous it is for its kebabs made of lamb meat, tomato sauce, pita bread, butter and yoghurt. When the waiter came we asked for the menu but after a while we realised there is only one dish on the menu and it was the famous kebab. It has been a going concern since 1867 and is well known in Turkey. We were in luck then. This was the dish - amazing food, perhaps the best we had had in all our time in the country. 

Iskander's famous kebab dish, the only food on its menu

As we left I spied the cooks and had to go up to them to say thank you for the wonderful food. They were very happy to pose for me. 

The chefs at Bursa's iconic Iskander restaurant

From Iskander it was a short walk "home". We were soon in bed that night as the next day, Saturday, we had a long journey to Greece and a border to cross included. It would take at least 6 hours to get to Alexandropolis - how Greek sounding can you get?

We set off at about 9.15 and here is our Mini ready for the drive to our next destination. 

Leaving Bursa, the last place we stayed at in Turkey

It was an easy drive as the roads were magnificent. Again we stopped for coffee from our flasks and here is Eladio enjoying his in the sun at some service station on the way. 

Coffee on the way yesterday. 

Looking at the map and wondering how we would cross the country into Greece as in parts it is all water, we soon realised we would be crossing the new and longest bridge in the world. The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge named after a battle in WW1 that the Turks won, was built last year. Until then people had to take a ferry boat to cross the famous Dardanelles. The new bridge is the largest suspension bridge in the world and also links Asia with Europe, like the Bosphorous bridge in Istanbul. 

1915 Çankkale bridge - the longest in the world

I was so excited to be crossing it that we changed places so I could take a video. This is it. The bridge spans just under 5km and seemed to go on and on forever. Both Eladio and I came away quite impressed with just how much Turkey has progressed when it comes to infrastructure. When I posted photos of the bridge, a friend remarked we were very near Troya. Oh wow, if only we had known. There is so much amazing history in Turkey that we can all relate to. There really is. 

Soon the border crossing at Ipsala loomed upon us but as we were leaving Turkey and not entering it, I wasn't too worried about our paperwork or lack of it. There is quite a bit of no-man's-land in between the two borders, a lot of soldiers and watch towers too. It makes for a rather strict border given the not so great relations between Turkey and Greece. And there suddenly we were entering Greece. 

Entering Greece yesterday

So it was Güle Güle Turkey - love  the way they say goodbye in Turkish -  and hello Greece. It was good to be back in the EU with free roaming and not having to buy local currency. This is all thanks to my Spanish passport, not thanks to Brexit.  It was a good feeling to be back in the EU. Eladio observed the roads were worse than in Turkey. 

Alexandropolis - a seaside town - about 50km from the border, was the place we had chosen to stay the night on our way to Thessalonika. This was our Airbnb which we found after a while. It was one of the better ones. But before settling in, we went in search of food which we had  at a lovely restaurant called Taverna Loukoulos, by the promenade, recommended to us by Giannis, our host. Even though it was past 4 in the afternoon, it was full of Greeks enjoying their food. We enjoyed ours too and were happy to be served wine again. For the record I ordered tsatsiki with pitta bread and then a rib eye steak and Eladio had fish soup and sardines. Just as we were finishing this delicious meal, the heavens opened and it poured and poured so we had to wait to go "home". Once home and after settling in, we both hit the sack on the most comfortable bed of our trip. We woke up at 8.30 pm! We then re planned our trip back deciding on our next destinations. From Thessalonika we are going to Tirana in Albania today. 

On Saturday, thus we were up at the crack of dawn after having gone to bed early. We both slept like babies on the most wonderful mattress I have ever slept on. For that alone I gave the Airbnb host in Alexandropolis 5 stars. 

Before setting off we stopped at Lidl. At home it's never been my favourite supermarket but oh what a joy to find one in Greece where we could buy things not to be found in Turkey, for example ham. We stocked up on fruit and bread - pitta bread for me - but also on ready to make Greek meals including stuffed cabbage rolls (similar to Russian golupsy). I had never been so happy to be at a Lidl as supermarkets in Turkey, for us at least, were not well stocked. Soon we were on our way on a much worse motorway than the ones we experienced in Turkey. Turkey might be a poorer country but infrastructure looks better there than in Greece. 

We made it to Thessalonika, Greece's second largest city which is by the sea by about 1.45 and soon found our little Airbnb which we loved. Waiting for us on the street were Helen and her daughter Vasiliki as Efstathios, Helen's son and the owner, couldn't meet us. We got a very warm welcome and were immediately guided to the private car park which was a blessing for the Mini. 

And here is Eladio outside our new home in another city and another country. 

Outside our new home in Thessalonika

We settled in, had lunch, a bit of a rest and then out we went to explore the city. We were able to walk down from our street to the main sights. As you know Greece is an Orthodox country and there were obvious signs of it with so many churches, but also these two priests in the street. They do wear funny hats don't they?

Greek Orthodox priests in the street yesterday in Thessalonika

The first main sight we saw and we couldn't miss it as it was so large, was what is called The Rotunda of Galerisu - this is a massive round building which was first built by Emperor Galerius  in the fourth century as a place of cult but possibly also to be his mausoleum. 

The Rotunda in Thessalonika, one of the landmarks of the city. 

Eladio explained to me that Galerius at first persecuted Christians but before his death granted toleration for people to practice Christianity. It was his successor Constantine who in 313 AD issued the Edict of Milan, accepting Christianity. 10 years later it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. 

The Rotunda later became a church, then a mosque and finally a church again. It is now considered one of the most important surviving examples of a church from the early Christian period of the Greek speaking part of the Roman Empire. Gosh!

Very near it is another city landmark, the Arch of Galerius. It was built shortly before 305 AD to honor the Emperor after a victory over the Persians. Basically it is a Roman arch of triumph. This is it. 

In front of the Galerius Arch in Thessalonika yeserday

Very nearby was a large modern looking Greek Orthodox church, the  Church of Panagia Dexia. 

The Greek Orthodox church of Panagia Dexia

We went in, of course. It was breathtaking inside. Just look at the altar. I was surprised to see pews which you don't normally see in an Orthodox church.

Inside the very ornate and beautiful Church of Panagia Dexia in Thessalonika

We would have gone to a service there this morning or to another church, just to hear the music but we learned from a Greek Orthodox priest that there are no choirs in general. What a pity.

After lighting a candle there for my parents, we walked to the sea in search of the city's most famous monument and its symbol, the White Tower. Once an old Byzantine fortification it was used as a prison by Mahmud II where mass executions took place. In the early 20th century when Greece got control back of the city if was remodeled and became the symbol of the city.  This is it just before dusk yesterday. 

The famous White Tower of Thessalonika

The tower is on the sea front where most people seemed to be yesterday. Called the Thermaic Gulf at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea, there we   spied several pirate boats which we supposed went on cruises and were invited to board this one. Just look how tacky ours was hahahhaa. 

The pirate boat we went on yesterday

It turned out to be free if you spent at least 15 euros on a drink. So on we went and ordered some tea - we got strawberry tea; not our favourite hahahaha. But what a fun moment. It seems we were accompanied by Neptune at the helm. 

On our pirate boat yesterday

It was a warm day if hazy and we enjoyed the short cruise with great views of the sea front of the city. In this picture you can spy the White Tower. 

View of the sea front from our pirate boat

We were accompanied by large Muslim families as you can see in the picture Eladio took of me on the cruise. I always think that if he still takes photos of me he must love me a lot, bless him. I adore him. 

On the pirate boat yesterday

The cruise lasted just half an hour; enough for us and when we got off we couldn't face the long walk home up very steep streets to the old quarter of the city so took a taxi. 

We came back to take the washing out which I hoped would dry by this morning. Dinner was Greek food for me; pitta bread with humus and tsatsiki from Lidl which was delicious and dessert was a piece of  baklava we had bought in Bursa. 

I slept really well last night on another wonderful mattress. And today ends our little incursion into Greece and we are off to Tirana in Albania. Our Airbnb host Helen, grimaced when I told her we were going there. No doubt, Tirana will be very different to anything we have seen so far. Albania always fascinated me for being one of the last European bastions of very strict communism. My expectations are not high but I know it will be interesting to get just a glimpse of what Albania is like today. You will hear all about it in next week's blog post which will find us in some Balkan country and nearer home. 

So cheers everyone from Thessalonika until next Sunday,

Masha (and Eladio)