April 1st
Today was the first April 1st my father did not pull any
tricks on me. Although I had been weary for a few days prior to, figuring that he would
try and pull something. To my own surprise nothing. Oh well I pulled a joke of
my own. I had Jeremy going that we were going to get deported because of the on
going ‘turmoil’ in Turkey, what with the elections and the ongoing corruption
allegations against the government, it was a believable tale. Ahahaha I had a laugh. Unfortunately my
midterm will have the last laugh at me. To brighten my mood an adventure was
needed. So Jeremy and I took the minibus to Bostanci, not knowing where we would go
from there – take the metro to Europe? Kadikoy? We walked from the Bostanci
metro to the Sea of Marmara, about 10 minute walk. Its not the prettiest area
of the city; two major highways to cross, a stinky river, boring architecture and typical
shops.
Upon reaching the
waterfront the shore is covered in ferries, half of which we did not know where
they would go. We politely asked an attendant if that particular ferry went to
the Prince’s Islands. He said ‘yes,’ and we were hurriedly rushed upon the
ferry and it immediately took off. The ferry was small, two levels of seating, a
concession stand where you could purchase chocolates and tea. We chose a spot
outside close to the bow to admire the view of the approaching Islands and the
distancing city. This spot happened to
be next to the control room (?) where you could look in and see the captain
smoking a cigarette and steering the boat. I want his job. The ferry stopped at
two Islands, we got off at the second, the bigger one. After double checking
the ferry times, so as not to get stuck on the island with no way home, we
rented two mountain bikes. They were not top quality and I had to get my hands
a little greasy adjusting the chain twice, but It was nice to feel some wind
and fresh air – kind of a rarity in a big city. The really cool thing about
Adalar is the lack of cars on the Island. There are very few, instead there are
horse carriages and bikes that you can rent. Next time we want to find some
mopeds to rent.
Cruising through the streets of Adalar you will see a lot of tourist
shops and restaurants, the further from the ferry terminals you get the more
nice houses you see. Correction they are Palaces compared to the rest of the
apartment buildings in Istanbul. I should also mention the trees, they are
quite large and they grow in the middle of the roads. Luckily I didn’t run
into any with my bike. It is quite beautiful the Island, but also rank with the
smell of horse shit. It is also littered with cats and dogs, all of which are
friendly and just want a little love.
Unfortunately for me the spontaneousness of the trip did not allow me to
dress quite appropriately. Jeans and a winter hat + biking up hills = sore
sweaty Lucy. But hey I’m in Turkey! The last hill is always the toughest, and I
broke down and walked my bike…actually Jeremy walked my bike and I carried the
beer. Half way up the hill we met our first Canadian! Woohoo! Didn’t expect to
meet Canadians on a Tuesday in Adalar.
Eventually we made it with sore legs to the top. At the top was an old
church – didn’t get any details about it- and a restaurant. I will not lie
walking that hill was a challenge but we did it fairly quickly. But the hard
work made the beers all the better. After watching the sun and the boats with
our shoes off and sipping on efes, we had some lunch – French fries and spider
dogs. After which we continued our bike ride around the Island to the other
side where we watched the sun set and drank one more beer. The ground beneath
us was covered in beer cans, obviously our idea was not so original. The road
is narrow and fairly easy going with other bikers cruising and enjoying the
view. It really is a nice spot to escape the city for a few hours. You can look
off into the Marmara and forget about the closeness of the hectic sprawling
city behind you. Almost like home – except cooler because I’m in Turkey.
The
ride down was almost terrifying, the horse carriages were finishing for the day
and we had to navigate our way past carriages and horses in the middle of the
roads, all going down hill. At the bottom we returned our bikes and paid a mere
10tl (5$CAD) for them. I will most definitely be returning to use my gopro and
bike around the Island. It is way too beautiful to describe in a blog. Overall
an awesome and cheap thrill.
Jeremy likes to climb on rocks
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