Travel notes 2021

24.2 kms, Sept 8, 2006 In this Chapter the Traveler spends several weeks immersing himself in one of the greatest cities in the world: Istanbul... it is in this chapter when the Traveler will "officially" cross into Europe, since the city sits in both Asia and Europe. As the economic powerhouse of the Middle East—as well as being a city drenched in millennia of history, this is a place to take your time exploring. The Traveler starts out his day with a rather surreal experience. Not sure where to go, he hops on a random mini-bus and promptly falls asleep. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the sleepy village of Suadiye, which is little more than a couple blocks of simple homes, a teahouse and a grassy park. Still feeling a bit groggy and not able to get his bearings, the Traveler follows a road up a hill to hopefully get a better view of the area. And there, going around a bend, he sees it: the vast Metropolis of Istanbul laid out before him. To the north, there are pl...