To Destinations Unknown

[grantw]

Rila Monastery - such a beautiful, serene and peaceful location, a UNESCO heritage site, up high in the Rila Mountains (1300m)

 

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Rupite thermal springs - we wild camped by and enjoyed these healing hot springs along with many other Bulgarians who came here for a relaxing weekend; we copied the locals and slathered ourselves in the mud to ease our aches and pains

 

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Melnik - meandering through this picturesque village, exploring the cobblestone streets, gazing in wonder at the sandstone pyramids and enjoying some local tarator

 

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Villa Melnik Winery - popped by for a quick wine tasting and managed to squeeze in a very comprehensive wine tour too! Our favourite part (apart from the tasting of course!) - wandering through the cellar area

 

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Breakfast in Bulgaria, lunch in Greece and dinner in Turkey ... a big day of driving and a few dramas but we made it to Gelibolu and enjoyed a beer and a randomhotel room for the night as we couldn’t find a campsite that was open

 

[grantw]

Welcome to Turkey!

Gallipoli - beautiful monuments commemorating the WWI battles, just as moving the second time around

 

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Zeus Altarı (Alter of Zeus) - a small walk through pine trees brought us to this amazing view of the southern Turkish coastline

 

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Our first wild camp in Turkey ... somewhere near a lagoon, with fisherman, sheep and friendly wild dogs nearby, the sunset and sunrise were both stunning in such different ways. We would have happily camped a few more days

 

[grantw]

When this gentleman pulled us over to the side of the road to let us know one of our trailer wheels was wobbling, we didn’t know what to expect. We followed him to an empty lot where he proceeded to remove the tyre, identified the broken bearing and sped off to get a replacement..... we had heard so much about the Turkish hospitality and here we were experiencing it. Until he tried to charge us €300!!! Needless to say we negotiated. This is not indicative of the rest of our Turkish experience, but a one off. There are always a few people trying to take advantage of you wherever you go, we won’t let this impact the rest of our time in Turkey but a few lessons learned for sure.

 

[grantw]

Kille Koyu - we set ourselves up in this bay on the south Turkey coast for a few days, swimming in the mornings, watching the boats come in and out, enjoying the sunsets and the occasional sunrise. It rained on the day we left as if it knew ....

 

[grantw]

Just one of them double rainbow days! Quick pit stop in the rain for lunch - lahmacun (a thin meat pizza), pide with sucuk (spicy sausage) and sigara böreği (crispy cheese rolls) ... delicious!

 

[grantw]

After the rains, we found this lovely peaceful campsite with cute pet cats and a cheeky goat! Another super sunset.

 

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Sunset over Pamukkale, enjoying watching the colours change and listening to the laughs and shrieks of the paragliders

 

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Hot air balloons over Pamukkale ... woken up at 5am by the fan noises, couldn’t believe how big and close they were. Makes us excited for the spectacle we hope to see when we get to Cappadocia

 

[grantw]

Pamukkale - these travertine terraces are a UNESCO world heritage site and are amazing! We walked up the terraces from the south entrance (no shoes allowed!), enjoying playing in the pools on the way up and down. Just beautiful.

 

[grantw]

Hierapolos - ruins of an ancient city from the 2nd century BC built around healing hot springs, so much here to explore .... necropolis, baths, temple ruins, amphitheatre ... a very large, impressive site, so big we occasionally felt like the only people exploring. We were going to finish up with a swim in Cleopatra’s Pool, but when we got there it just felt overly touristic so we headed back to our campsite and the pool there.

 

[grantw]

We found a market! So much fresh fruit and veg, and way more choice than in the local supermarkets. We may have gone a bit crazy ... but hey, when in Turkey right?!

 

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Kayaköy - this abandoned city was like a ghost town and we spent a few hours on a hot afternoon exploring its cobbled streets and empty buildings, hiking up to one of the churches for an amazing view and imagining what life must have been like before.

 

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Çay - we are loving the Turkish tea that gets offered everywhere we go, petrol stations, people by the side of the road, shops; this one was after a tasty dinner of adana kebab, and of course we couldn’t pass up a bit of baclava on the way home.

 

[grantw]

Fethiye - the best meat pide & lahmacun we have had so far, pretty boats on the canal and a quick visit to the Amyntas Rock tombs; a bit more touristy a town than we prefer but good for a quick visit.