Unfortunately all the links here reference to my old site which sadly died. So have the links.
Here is the relevant category in my gallery.
Briefing
This was a science trip organized by SKNG UG (Geography Students' Science Society at University of Gdansk). The goals were to experience the total sun eclipse (29.03 in Antalya) and see how Balkan states look like just before their probable UE entrance.
The whole group consisted of 21 people. Our team - initially Jagoda, Dred and me - got split up very fast, because one driver couldn't take all of us. So I travelled to Turkey with Jagoda, and back - with Batman.
The trip was around 6000km long and took around 2,5 week.', 'The beginning
We took a train from Gdańsk to Cieszyn. In the early morning, at the very dawn (9 am) we got to the border. The first ride wasn't a problem - catching it took us around 15 minutes and we got invitation for dumplings in Vienna. Unfortunately, we had to pass. Maybe next time. The second ride was quite bad - you know, there has to be some diversity. After 3 annoying hours in Brno Jagoda caught Ivan - thanks to Czech truck driver that showed us better hitch-hiking spot. Thanks man. When we got to Bratislava it was already so walking to border was quite fun (we tried a "shortcut" through a field which turned out to be covered in mud). The first day was concluded by catching TIR going to Brasov (I slept through whole Hungary. *yawn*).
Serious travelling
We get off at the border (near Arad), go for a tea and wait till dawn. When we decide it's bright enough for the drivers to see our sign I go to gas station for cardboard. However, before I have a chance to write anything a Bulgarian man asks me where do I want to go. After hearing "Istanbul" he says "come on". :). He, along with his friend (who was a Gypsy), were the first example of incredible hospitality we were going to encounter on our way. By the way: Seweryn and Misza could speak Polish quite well! They took us all the way through Romania to Ruse.
We got off - as usual - just before the border. Walking through it turned out be more time-consuming than we expected. There's a bridge over Danuba, you know (turned out you can't take photos of it. Well, yeah, I knew about it but didn't expect someone will see me taking a photo. The border guards did, and decided to examine my passport very carefully before letting me go further). When we were somewhere in the middle of it we heard honking. There was a truck driver shouting "aofn wfoi ucwonwf awodi" or something simmilar. So we got on.
Memmet was driving to Istanbul and turned out to be one of the most amazing encounters on my way. Under passenger's seat he kept 5-liter bottle full of suspiciously-looking dark liquid. It tasted like a mixture of sauerkraut and red currant juice. Memmet called it "The Power to Drive" or, simply, "Vitamina". Twas good.
The Bulgarian border was quite nasty (by now I got used to it). We waited 3 hours - not in queue, but for all the paperwork/bribes to get sorted out. By the time they let us go it was already dark - good thing, thanks to this we didn't have to look at the road. Feeling it was more than enough. Bump. Bump. BUMP. After few hours we stopped to eat something in Turkish bar in the middle of Bulgaria (Memmet knows them all)! Lamb meat with garlic in 1:1 proportions. Turks now what's good. A quick chat with Iranian truck driver going back home from Poznań and our first (then second and third) Turkish tea. Did I say that Turks now what's good?
The next stop was even better - around midnight we stopped at a bar with live Turkish music and Bulgarians dancing ;).
Next day begun with another three-hour-long wait at the border. Memmet laughed at me because I was travelling with a girl and my backpack was heavier than hers and that I'm the one sewing my own trousers. Guess he was right. Not without problems and running around we got our visas, then continued journey. I sms-ed HC friend from Istanbul and around 13.00 Memmet leaves us at Fatih Bridge. After 2 days on the road we're in
Istanbul
The city of the cities. 10 000 000 inhabitants. Place where Europe meets Asia. But first, we have to get away from the motorway. Climbing small hill to get to bus stop leaves me dirtier than last 2 days. We meet up with Onur, get to his place, meet Litwi, take a shower and go to explore the city and meet with a team (Emilka and Baszan) that got to Istanbul before us. Aya Sofia and The Blue Mosque by night are really a magnificent view! Because ferries are not going very often at this hour (and they cost something too) we decide to walk from Uskudar to Kadikoy - later everyone, including us, is surprised that we did something like that.
Later we meet with Erdem (at last) - the guy I contacted via HC in the first place. The following evening including intense conversations about culture and religion differences and equality, Turkey's admission to EU and 2 bottles of wine was very memorable.
Next day we begin with meeting up with Dred, Miki (Hungarian going to Soulclipse festival. Turns out he know Livii from Budapest, a girl I met a year ago. World is small) and Cansu - maybe not the best, but most lovely guide to the city. We visit Sultanahmet, Taksim Square, Tunnel and few more things. By this time Cansu's already late so we're going back.
Last day we're able to see Egyptian and Kapali Bazaar, buy some tea and spices and meet with all of our friends from SKNG. Then we're running back home, pack our stuff and go where we began - Fatih Koprosu. We have to climb to motor way from Bosphorus - quite a hill. Eventually, we got to the toll booths. Catching a ride to Antalya was easy. In fact, too easy. Sucru and Izet take us to Ankara instead, taking "cemento" on the way. On the plus side, they invited us to 2 great meals. After spending whole day in a hole near Ankara we got to bus station - now we need to hurry. A guy we met, Umit, along with a guard, somehow manages to bargain ticket price by 50% and buys one for us. Thanks man!
While we're waiting for the bus I get sms - Stanisław Lem died. ['].
Antalya
Our stay there was short. We got to city centre and met with two of our friends who were already there since previous day - they took us to the camp on the rocky beach 3km from centre. Right in time for the eclipse. It was absolutely amazing. It was quite dark, like about half an hour after sunset. All traffic stopped, city lights were turned on. And it got quite cold, below 10C probably. The total eclipse lasted a bit more than 4 minutes, but these 4 minutes alone were worth 2 weeks of travel. Second most beautiful thing on the way, right after Cansu.
After that we went to see rest of the old town and ran into Belgian cyclist who, after we told him we're from Poland said: "dzye yes tu jakysh bar mleshny?" (Were ees de closhesth mhilk baar?). I thought I'll piss myself laughing. In the evening there were some changes in teams, so I ended up with Batman instead of Jagoda.
Oh, and the wild oranges, despite looking great on trees, are really sour. Really REALLY sour.
Way to Macedonia
After quite a long for a Turkey - around 2 hrs - wait we manage to catch a ride in our direction - Termessos, ruins of the ancient city. Thing is that we got off at the main road, and Termessos is 9km from there. And few hundred meters higher (that's probably why it has never been conquered). And it costs 7YTL to enter. D'oh. Up there we met Bogdan, who was waiting whole day for the clouds to go little higher so he can get some decent pictures. He didn't have much luck.
Anyway, when we were done with Termessos we started catching something in direction of Izmir. Fortunately, Grand Cherokee that stopped (actually, it passed us, then turned around and stopped ;)) was going straight to Pamukkale. Sweet. When we got there it was already getting dark and entrance cost again some 5YTL so we set up a camp nearby planning to sneak into Park when it's still dark. During the night something came to check out what's going on, but after going around the tent once - it went away. About getting up early: we were half successful - we saw the sunrise already from the... CaCO3 hill. This thing was really interesting. The spring water in there is heavily saturated with CaCO3 so it forms alluvial hill out of it. The thing that's extraordinary is that it's completely white. Not far away from there Greeks build their spa called Hierapolis. Most interesting ruins right now are amphitheatre and church where one of the apostoles was buried.
Next 1,5 days is journey to Bulgarian border. The truck driver knew that he'll wait at the border for more than 12 hrs, so he took his time, but after a while (and with each beer) he increased his speed. At first I was a bit annoyed by his attitude, but after a grill I said "whatever". Then came Bulgaria. On border we met another team, and then together - a trio of Polish truck drivers in a bar. They invited us for one beer, so we ended in the morning. There was a problem with catching a ride next day - Bulgaria's really bad for hitch-hiking, so after camping next to gas station (and a military base, where guard constantly "TU NE'd" us :)) we took a bus from Sophia to Skopje, and then to Ohrid, meeting a dozen of geographers on the way.
Ohrid
was our last destination. At least for me. Most of the group decided to go to Albania, but I was a bit tired of buses and liked Ohrid a lot and so the six of us (Maciek with Gosia, Krzysiek with Kasia and us) stayed for two nights in Ohrid. It turned out to be good decision. The place was extremely beautiful and very interesting thanks to it's history and architecture. They even had one of these :) ! Probably one of the most beautiful places on the way.
Way home
After two days we had to get going. We took a bus back to Skopje, go to gas station and catch a ride for all 6 of us. Wow, that was unexpected. That too. The next gas station, next ride - just for two of us, but across the border (not without problems there, Batman had very old passport) and to Nis. It was quite unexpected, I was in the middle of supper and had to pour my whole tea out :(. We got off under the bridge, and caught next ride after three minutes. In the Middle of nowhere, at 1am, when it was freezing. I'd like to have luck like that all the time. The driver took us to Greek restaurant, then left us not far away from Hungarian border - but again in middle of nowhere. I went to nearby don't-know-what, car mechanic presumably, to get some water - it turned out to be green. Batman said that he's not going to drink it, and went to get some in a nearby house - the water he brought back was yellow and had some swimming things in it. Finally a bus came - we didn't stay long in it because we didn't have any Serbian money, but we managed to get to some village. There was one shop with a decent faucet and some cardboard, a church and not much more. Catching anything in there was quite a trick - we had to make tea again. When it was almost ready, 2 Hungarians stopped, so we had to pour it out. The rest was easy - at the Hungarian border, where they searched our backpacks for marijuana (I had 1/2kg sealed pack of green tea, and border guards didn't notice it), I found a Polish car on a parking. After quick conversation with the driver he agreed to take us to Warsaw, where we took a train to Gdańsk.
