Another Turkish Delight -1985

Ismir (Izmir) proved to be a glorious place. Unfortunately, we were there simply to get to Greece. We planned to take a ferry across to Greece but we found out we needed to drive up to Edirne to obtain visas. The prospect of driving all the way up to Edirne did not thrill us as we had already extended our time in the wee car beyond what we originally anticipated. After some discussion we all decided there was no other choice and back in the car we piled.

On this leg of the journey we came across Troy. There was a sign pointing towards nowhere and I strongly suggested we turn off the main road and follow the sign. Against everyone else's better judgment we followed the sign to discover a 'tourist attraction.' How disappointed we were, but as always we decided taking a picture of the event would make it worthwhile. So the three of us stood against the wee Morris and smiled cheerfully for the camera which teetered on a tripod across the road.

Camera packed, bodies lodged tightly in the car and away we went to Edirne only to discover we would need to head to Istanbul. Our spirits wavered and we started entertaining thoughts about never being able to leave Turkey. Although a lovely country, we did so want to continue on our journey. The trip to Istanbul proved pointless, as we were told we would not be able to enter Greece. So we changed our plans and headed back to Edirne to obtain a visa for Bulgaria. We interrupted two colleagues from the Bulgarian embassy who were involved in more than just handing out visas. In their haste to 'get rid of us' they granted us a visa and we went merrily on our way. We spent one last night in a paid camp site, where we were reunited with various travelers we kept seeing on the road. An elderly German couple fed us with wonderful delicacies. In the wee hours of the morning we waved a final good bye to Turkey and headed across the border to more adventure than we could ever imagine.