Efcharistó Ellada, Welcome to Turkey!

Üse Wäg vo Arkoudi id Türkei het üs nomau a ganz schöni Orte in Griecheland bracht. Dr Blick zrügg uf die letschte 3.5 Mönet laht üs la wehmüetig wärde - ufene Wäg wette mir nomau 3 Mönet in Griecheland blibe, s het so viu z biete. Mir hei e sehr milde Winter chönne gniesse, zaulosi schöni Stränd gnutzt als Stellplätzli. Üse Oliveöl-Konsum het sich mindischtens ver-10-facht und mir hei ab itz sehr höchi Erwartige a Orange und Zitrone. Mir näme o viu härzlichi Erinnerige vo schöner Gastfründschaft mit, hei viu Fründschafte fürs Läbe gschlosse und aus Höhepunkt üse treu Freddy ufgablet - mir würde ihn uf ke Fau me häregäh. 

On our way from Arkoudi to Turkey we came by some stunningly beautiful places in Greece - once more. Looking back on the last 3.5 months we get nostalgic, part of us would also like to stay another three months, the country really offers a lot. We spent a mild winter, spent the night at many beautiful beaches. Our usage of olive oil has risen at least ten-fold and our standard for oranges and lemons as well. We have met so nice and warm people, found friends for life. Our personal highlight is of course the decision to adopt our dear Freddy - we wouldn't trade him for the world.

Am Ambrakische Golf bi Koronisia heimer üs la verzoubere vome Sumpfgebiet mit Strasse wo uf schmale Dämm derdür füehre. Mir hei viu Flamingos gsichtet und ei Pelikan. D Nacht heimer ufeme abglägene Damm mitere sehr schöne Ussicht (aber Millione vo Mugge) verbracht.

We visited the Ambracian Gulf and Koronisia where we saw a beautiful wetland with streets on tiny dams, many flamingos and one pelican. We spent the night on a dam outside of the village with a beautiful view (but lots of mosquitos).

Chly nördlich vo Koronisia wartet e atemberoubendi Gägend uf üs - Meteora. Scho sehr lang hei mir hie häre wöuä cho und hei o gwüsst dasses sehr schön und idrücklich wird si. Vor Ort isches aber no dütlich idrücklicher gsi aus erwartet. "Meteora" chame übersetze als "in der Höhe lebend", namensgäbend si d Meteora-Chlöschter wo uf und in 500 Meter höche Sandstei-Felse bout si worde. Insgesamt sis 24 Chlöschter und dervo si hüt nume no 6 bewohnt. Mir chöme usem Stuune fasch nüme use. D Landschaft an sich isch scho atemberoubend, dass obe druffe no schön bouti Chlöschter hocke git däm ganze es surreals Ussehe. 

North of Koronisia we visited the breathtaking area of Meteora, which we've wanted to visit for a long time and we knew it's gonna be very impressive. Once we were there, it was even more than expected. "Meteora" can be translated as "living in great heights" - meaning the monasteries built into the rock in a height of 500 meters. It's a total of 24 monateries, 6 of them still inhabited by monks today. We were in awe of the many views. The landscape alone is beautiful, but the monasteries on top of the rocks add something mystical.

O hie mache mir wieder schöni Bekanntschaft - zu Freddys Entsetze mitere härzige Chatz.

Again we make friends - not to Freddys liking though.

Mir säge Efcharistó Ellada - Danke Griecheland für die schöni Zyt.

Now it's time to say Efcharistó Ellada, thank you Greece for the wonderful time.

Und denn isch üses nächschte Ziel ändlich:

Finally, our next destination is:

Steit nume no e Gränze derzwüsche. Mir hei vo anderne Reisende gwüsst dassme miteme Coronatest ganz eifach id Türkei cha ireise. Üs isches chli zwider gsi, wieder amene Test nache z sekkle und o z Gäut derfür uszgäh. Vor auem isches nid ganz durchsichtig gsi öb d Türkei dä Test würklich verlangt oder nid. Drum simer mit "läärä Händ" ad Gränze gfahre. Nachere "Desinfektionsstation" simer zur Passkontrolle cho. Dert simer nach üsne Testresultat gfragt worde. Wo mir hei gseit mir heige kenir simer über es paar Umwäge zumene Typ gschickt worde fürnes Formular uszfülle. Leider het är nid viu Änglisch chönne. Irgendwenn heimer üs chönne verständige und das Formular usfülle wo beseit, dass mir üs 7 Täg düe isoliere - i üsem Fau im Outo läbe zmitzt ir Natur - i däm simer guet! Insgesamt 2 Stund heimer gha am Gränzübergang, immer wieder simer hin und här gschickt worde, aber irgendwenn simer plötzlich ir Türkei gstande. 

Just a bordercrossing left to reach our destination. We knew from other travellers that it's easily possible to enter Turkey when presenting a negative Covid-Test at the border. We did not necessarily want to go to the trouble of organizing and paying for another test. And we heard from other travellers who made it without the test-results. So we drove to the border "empty-handed". After a stop for "desinfection" we reached passport control. We were asked to show our test results. When we said we had none we were sent to see a guy to fill a form (that's the short version of the story). Unfortunately the guy didn't speak much English or German. After a while with a lot of help from Google-translate, we could make out that the form we were supposed to fill out confirms that we will self-isolate during 7 days, in our case in our car in the middle of nature - that's our thing! It took 2 hours to complete everything at the border - we were sent back and forth several times, but suddenly we reached turkish ground.

So verbringe mir üsi erschte paar Täg ir Türkei ir Isolation. Mir bechöme de no e Aruef vore türkische Ärztin wo Änglisch cha und üs meh Informatione git bezüglech üsere Selbstisolation. Mir müesse am 6. Tag no e Test mache, aber immerhin ischer gratis und d Testcrew chunnt verbi.

So we spent our first days in Turkey in self-isolation. We got a call from a turkish physician who spoke English and she was able to give us more information. On day 6 we have to take a Covid-test anyway, but at least its free of charge and the crew testing us will come directly to our place.

Womer mau wei ga Wasser uffülle fahre mir e Ärdwäg abe wo e zimlech grosse Riss drinne het und ganz knapp Platz für üses Outo übrig laht. Plötzlich laht der Bode nah und mir stecke mitem Redli vore rächts im Spalt. 

Once we had to go fill up our water. We take a dirt road which has a big cleft in the middle. Space to place the wheels is scarce. Suddenly the ground is slipping away and our right front wheel is stuck in the soft dirt.

Das Foto obe isch z letschte bevors no schlimmer isch worde.. Us der erschte Lag hei mir nämlich no mit Untersetzig chönne use fahre. Dr Bode isch aber so schlächt gsi dass schlussendlich nomau es grosses Stück abbroche isch und sowohl z Redli vore links, aus o hinde links sehr töif im Spalt gsteckt si und ds ganze Outo e starchi Schreglag nach links becho het. Fotos gits nid wüus het müesse schnäu gah, Sekunde um Sekunde isch nämlich üses schwäre Gfährt no meh abgsunke. Mir hei entschiede dass ig und dr Freddy usstige und dr Tawan versuecht usezfahre. Wüu z Outo so schreg gstande isch, het dr Freddy usem Fänster müesse usstige, d Türe het mä nüm uf bracht.

Mit viu Spuele und Chraft vom Motor isch de Momo zimlech gli usem Spalt wieder use gfahre. D Erliechterig isch gross gsi - niemer vo üs hät Luscht ka uf stundelang schufle und chrampfe.

The picture above is the last one before it got really bad. From that position we made it out quite easily with low-range. 2 Meters ahead the ground was even worse and in the end a big part of the street slipped away and both our front and back left wheel were stuck deep in mud. The entire car was leaning heavily to the left side. There's no picture because we had to act fast. Second after second our heavy vehicle sank a little deeper into the mud. We decided that I and Freddy will get out of the car and Tawan tries to drive out of the mud. Freddy had to get out by the window since the car was so slant that the door wouldn't open anymore. With a lot of reeling and torque of the motor Momo drove out quite quickly and noisily. Our relief was huge - otherwise some hours of shoveling dirt and hard labour would have been the alternative.

Hie gseht mä no wo d Redli dinne gsteckt si.

On this picture you can see where our wheels sunk into.

U wieder mau heimer öppis glehrt - vor settige Spält näme mir üs in Zuekunft meh in Acht :-)

And of course we have learned our lesson - we will be more cautios when seeing such a crack in the road. :-)

Eigentlich heimer ja das Fährtli vor auem gmacht zum ga Wasser fülle. Das isch auso aus nächschts ufem Programm gstande. Am Freddy isches irgendwenn z blöd worde am Tawan zuezluege bim Wasser uffülle. De heter agfange übere Bach z gumpe. Und zwar immer wieder, hin und wieder zrugg.

Our destination had actually been to fill up our water - so we finally went to the river to do just that. Freddy felt bored while Tawan was filling our water bags. So suddenly he startet jumping from one side of the stream to the other and back, he repeated that a dozen times, until Tawan was finally done with the water.

Item. Füre Coronatest vo üs abznäh isch äxtra es Team im Pickup bi üs verbi cho, mir si beidi am Strasserand beprobt worde. Dr Test isch negativ usgfaue und so simer freigstellt worde üs ir ganze Türkei frei z bewege. Üses erschte Ziel: Istanbul. Dadervo gits hüt eifach es paar Idrück, verzeue drüber düe mir de znächschte Mau.

For our Covid Test, people came to visit us in a pickup. Samples were taken while standing on the side of a street. Results were negative and so we were set free to travel around all of Turkey. Our first destination: Istanbul. From there we send some impressions today, stories will follow another day.

Bis gli :-)

See you soon :-)