I slept really well the first night in Istanbul. I notice how with the arrival here in Istanbul a considerable load has fallen off me. Despite the good sleep I was already on the road before 8 o'clock - with bike and luggage. But only a few light things for the panniers - I wanted to use the early hour to make a few final pictures at the landmarks of Istanbul.
After an extensive breakfast, this time on the roof terrace on the 5th floor with a direct view of the blue mosque, I then started to go through my things and pack the bike stuff, which I now no longer need. They are to be shipped home with the bike in a cardboard box.
The question is: how do you send a bike from Istanbul to Germany and how do you pack it? To answer this question, I had written to several bike shops in advance of the trip, describing my project to them and asking for support. There has been a single bike store back: filispit
Owner is Gökhun and his girlfriend Harde. He specializes in restoring vintage and classic bikes. He was an engineer in shipbuilding and started his own business a few years ago (in the pandemic). An absolutely hilarious guy and a brilliant bike mechanic. The detail with which he restores his bikes is incredible. I highly recommend a look at his instagram profile:
To visit him in his store I had to cross over to the Asian part of Istanbul - across the Bosporus. It's easier than baking pretzels - with the Istanbulkart (includes everything: bus, train, ferries,...). The ferry ticket costs the equivalent of 50 cents - bicycle free. And so, in addition to all the country points on this trip, I still got to my continent point: By bike to Asia - sounds like something (at least for me).
In the bike store there was then a big hello, my bike was immediately included in the Instagram-Gallery and there was coffee and tea and an interesting morning.
That with the dispatch goes clearly. We have arranged for the week still to a small bike tour through Istanbul and want to go out to eat again - and that's what makes this kind of travel for me. That compensates for a lot.
And if that is now finally clarified with the bike, the blog goes to this trip on the home stretch. In the following video still a few things on the soundtrack. First and foremost, thanks to you who have followed the matter with interest and I hope fun. As I said, the feedback and the donated motivation are also a reason why I arrived - thank you!
And tomorrow I go to a turkish barber...🪒
Nice crossing into Asia! Good bike shops are a blessing eh, I’m glad you found one. 😀🚴