Middle-aged flash packers

Oh the irony! After all day yesterday hardly seeing a soul, some Germans turn up at the studios and chatter and laugh into the night. Fine apart from we weren’t invited and we were in bed trying to get some shut eye -grrr!

Bleary eyed this morning, but for the first time this holiday breakfast was included so enjoyed that. Gave my ham to the owners cute little dog who was most grateful.

Usual routine, get on the road, nobody on it.

Getting used to it now – how will we cope back in England?

We arrived at the border without mishap so it’s goodbye Greece and hello Turkey. 

Have really enjoyed Greece and have felt very welcomed by the laid back Greeks. However. A few words of advice to them:

1.) repay your debt and accept responsibility for the mess you are in. You are not children. You are adults. You borrow money, you pay it back. That’s how it works. You are not a victim and the rest of the EU are not the bogeymen just because they ask for what is theirs back.

2.)work harder. There’s no getting away from it, you are lazy. I know you get up early so think you should have a siesta but you can’t afford to. You lack entrepreneurship. I see it everywhere we go. For instance, don’t just rent me a room then point me 4 kilometres down the road to a restaurant- feed me. It’s a selling opportunity, but you can’t be arsed. A Turk would rather die than miss a money making moment like that.

3.) Clear up your goddam rubbish! What’s the matter with you? There are bins everywhere but no, you prefer to scatter it everywhere, preferably at a particularly scenic spot. It’s disgusting.

There. Done. 

On to Turkey.

At the border, they wouldn’t accept our car insurance that Steve went to so much trouble to get. We had to buy Turkish third party insurance which was conveniently available at customs. Actually they weren’t trying to rob us. We were incorrectly advised that we didn’t need a green card and we did. Oh well. 

I looked at the dates on our green card document for other countries and found that they were completely wrong and we’d actually travelled through several countries with it being completely invalid! Ignorance is bliss eh?!

Eventually we were on our way into Turkey and what a contrast to Greece. The roads were still quiet but once past the border post, they were new and pristine. It didn’t look scruffy but purposeful and as we always find, all the land was being farmed.

As we are on the Galipolli peninsula we stopped off at a memorial for the Turkish soldiers that died in hospital during the First World War. Like others we have been to, the gravestones were beautifully looked after and tranquil.

We got to Eceabat without any problems and rocked up to the Hotel Bağcı. Very tidy place, not luxury but conventional hotel room, very nice compared to our other experiences in Turkey!

The owner seemed a bit aloof at first but after Steve had asked him a million questions, he warmed up. Very helpful man.

Funny place Eceabat. Steeped in history but unprepossessing. Fascinating watching the ships going up and down the Darndenelles. One had run aground.we later discovered that in four years only 2 accidents had happened and both were last week! Aargh, we’ve got a ferry crossing to make on Sunday!

Sorted out the insurance eventually – all good and fully insured – and bought the motorway toll card . Busy busy.

Nice meal at the Maydos (the old name for Eceabat) sitting by the shores of the Dardanelles. We’re still in Europe but just across the shore is Asia.

Tomorrow we visit various Gallipoli sites. Should be interesting although I always feel sad about the men that died so young for something so unnecessary.