East meets West

Just a quick update from Team Calpyso!  We have arrived in Istanbul where it feels like the adventure really begins.  We expected a challenge driving into a City with over 12.5 million people on a public holiday and it proved just that.  A few hours after warning the group to heed the FCO advice to avoid the area the other side of the Golden Horn due to the possibility of May Day demonstrations we found ourselves on the bridge to the other side.  We thankfully found our way back to the right side fairly quickly.  Rubberneckers looking up at the big blue truck alongside them drove in to the back of each other which proved useful in causing a bit of a road block and allowing us time to pile off the truck with bags and find our hotel on foot whilst Rogs waited it out for an Ali taxi escort to take him to Ali workshop, wherever that may be.  Last seen on Kennedy Caddesi...

On the road to Istanbul

 We enjoyed our last night in Bulgaria at the camp in Veliko Tarnovo, with entertainment provided by a group of local women who formed a choral group and travel the country taking part in competitions.  They wore delicately embroidered traditional dress and sang beautifully against a setting sun and backdrop of the lush green valley.  The gamblers in the group were then guided through the rules of poker and had an enjoyable evening staking bets.  Julia officially won but Ryan took home more of the money, not quite sure how that works!

Shelagh joining in...

...and the rest of the group as well

Veliko Tarnovo camp

Tsaravets Castle, Veliko Tarnovo

Rogs breaking the rules

Parking, Bulgarian-style

Statue overlooking Veliko

We then spent 2 nights on the Aegean coast in Alexandropoulis, Greece which proved a welcome break.  It was practically a holiday, with nothing more than a beach to tempt us away from camp.  The sun shone and being out of season the beaches were unusually quiet.

Lunch enroute

The group have disappeared into a warren of rooms in our first hotel of a trip.  After two weeks of consecutive camping (the longest stretch on the trip), everyone is looking forward to a real bed tonight.  Although we can expect an early wake up call in the form of the call to prayer which will echo out atmospherically all over the City.

Our next post will be from Asia, so from the city where East meets West, goodbye Europe!