Bulgaria
Istanbul welcomes us with traffic jams
10 / Apr / 2010
The drive from Sofia to the border with Turkey is a long and tiring one. The road conditions are getting worse the closer we get to Turkey. How will the road be over there we wonder? The price of fuel being so expensive in Turkey makes us decide to fill up both tanks at the last gas station in Bulgaria. This will take us almost to the border with Syria.
Crossing the border with Turkey is only 40 minutes including Barry's visa application on the spot (15 euro). We check if we need to have the Carnet de Passage stamped but also this is not necessary. Of we go, heading for Istanbul with perfect roads again, and skipping the camping on the beach. You can almost guess it: it is simply too cold and too wet.
When we get closer to Istanbul in the dark we end up in a traffic jam and Turkish driving habits: 3 lanes of highway will fit 6 lanes of cars! Changing lanes you do without using direction lights. We feel safe in our Toyota and soon nobody tries to get in front of us. Once in Istanbul we head to the old part of town (Sultanahmet) where the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia are. Our hotel, Mublis Bey, is 200 meter away from both. The roof terrace gives you a magnificent view of the city and the Bosphorus. An early night and sightseeing the next day: Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia and the old city itself.
The day we leave Istanbul, April 11, it is almost impossible to get out of Sultanahmet: all roads are blocked by the police because of the "presidential cycling tour" that takes place in this area. After negotiation with the police we finally find a way to cross the blocked road and get out of town via small roads leading to the highway. We plan to drive to Cappadocia and while driving decide where to sleep since we no longer follow our planned route, smart us.
Crossing the border with Turkey is only 40 minutes including Barry's visa application on the spot (15 euro). We check if we need to have the Carnet de Passage stamped but also this is not necessary. Of we go, heading for Istanbul with perfect roads again, and skipping the camping on the beach. You can almost guess it: it is simply too cold and too wet.
When we get closer to Istanbul in the dark we end up in a traffic jam and Turkish driving habits: 3 lanes of highway will fit 6 lanes of cars! Changing lanes you do without using direction lights. We feel safe in our Toyota and soon nobody tries to get in front of us. Once in Istanbul we head to the old part of town (Sultanahmet) where the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia are. Our hotel, Mublis Bey, is 200 meter away from both. The roof terrace gives you a magnificent view of the city and the Bosphorus. An early night and sightseeing the next day: Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia and the old city itself.
The day we leave Istanbul, April 11, it is almost impossible to get out of Sultanahmet: all roads are blocked by the police because of the "presidential cycling tour" that takes place in this area. After negotiation with the police we finally find a way to cross the blocked road and get out of town via small roads leading to the highway. We plan to drive to Cappadocia and while driving decide where to sleep since we no longer follow our planned route, smart us.
Belgrade, Serbia to Sophia, Bulgaria
08 / Apr / 2010
Waking up in Belgrade was good. When we checked into the hotel the guy at reception told us that breakfast was included in the price so we made sure that we got what we paid for: a big breakfast so we could skip lunch! Fresh omelets, coffee, orange juice and some bread in our stomachs before we would start driving to Sofia, Bulgaria. Today we have about 400km to cover so we should be able to do that in about 5-6 hours including some breaks. The road conditions are getting poorer and poorer with some serious pot holes like in Africa. After the town called Nic you enter a beautiful canyon with the river and train track on your right. The weather changes from sunny to cloudy and light rain, narrow 2 lane roads and short tunnels in which it is difficult to see how the road goes. Drive slowly and keep going, we think.
Entering Bulgaria was easy with the same questions as usual. "Passport and green card!" and "Where are you going?" Just after the border crossing we buy the road tax sticker that is valid for a week and head for Sophia (approx. 60km). We already entered the address of the guest house in TomTom so we just follow the directions and enjoy the ride.
Arriving at the city is beautiful and full of contrast. You leave the country side behind, full of half build houses where some are even missing parts of the roof or windows, and arrive at high buildings seen in European cities with snow covered mountains in the background. Luckily the guest house still has rooms available so we park the car, get our stuff and head into town for some quick sightseeing. Tomorrow we get up early and drive to Turkey where we plan to sleep at a camping on the beach.
Entering Bulgaria was easy with the same questions as usual. "Passport and green card!" and "Where are you going?" Just after the border crossing we buy the road tax sticker that is valid for a week and head for Sophia (approx. 60km). We already entered the address of the guest house in TomTom so we just follow the directions and enjoy the ride.
Arriving at the city is beautiful and full of contrast. You leave the country side behind, full of half build houses where some are even missing parts of the roof or windows, and arrive at high buildings seen in European cities with snow covered mountains in the background. Luckily the guest house still has rooms available so we park the car, get our stuff and head into town for some quick sightseeing. Tomorrow we get up early and drive to Turkey where we plan to sleep at a camping on the beach.