Holidays: most loved, always missed! Isn't it hard to get leave for a holiday, fellow private-sector sufferers! 😀 This post is for those who, like you and me, have no choice but to make optimum use of limited holiday time. Especially for those who'll tour by bike, time is very important. Indeed, it's hard to find people who combine cycling with a holiday..
Thinking about the Ramadan Bayram holiday, I decided to go to Greece, which is very close to Istanbul. Especially while my Schengen visa was still valid, I settled on Dedeağaç, aka Alexandroupolis, 50 km from the İpsala border crossing. For those coming from Istanbul by car the road takes 4-5 hours (300km), then you can enjoy the bike and the beaches.
İpsala Shell was the starting point of my route. Around 06:30 in the morning I set off in the direction of Alexandroupolis. At the border crossing I exited Turkey without waiting in any queue and pedalled into Greece. If you choose a route like mine, two roads will come up in front of you; the first of these is the motorway, the other a two-way road. Since you're on a bike, motorway or not makes no difference, you use it for free :) On the way there my choice was the E90 motorway.
CROSSING THE BORDER BY BIKE - DAY 1
Since I'd only stay 1 night on the tour, I didn't take gear like a tent and mat with me. But when I reached the city centre, I saw that because of the bayram there weren't many free places in hostels and hotels, and prices were quite high. Of course going by bike and staying in a 5-star hotel wouldn't do; it was straight to the Campsite Municipal of Alexandroupolis campsite. This is a wonderful campsite; it should especially be an example for campsites in Turkey. Since I didn't have a tent, the woman gave me a bit more of a discount, and I'd spend the night here for a price like 8€.
If you're going to the city by bike, I strongly recommend stopping by Uncle Panos the bike mechanic, whom I'd heard of before and luckily passed by on the way from the motorway to the city centre. It's very hard to come across bike shops that know bike repair and maintenance even in Istanbul. And when you find them, the prices are the kind that will wear you down.
In Alexandroupolis, which turns into a seaside town in summer, going back without enjoying the sea is of course unthinkable! As someone used to the clarity of the Gulf of Saros, I also really liked the sea on the other side of the Aegean, on the Dedeağaç side.
After checking into the campsite and resting a little, I set off towards Makri and Agia Paraskevi, among the famous beaches 15 km from Alexandroupolis. 1-2 km from the campsite there's the Lidl supermarket, an affordable shop for the shopping you need; those used to it from Interrail in Germany will know it straight away, and again you can do your shopping here. The Makri and Agia Paraskevi beaches are very nice; on the beach you can sit on a sunbed without paying for it, and you only pay for the drink you have.
Finishing the first day at 85 km, it's now time to get off the bike and explore on foot..
On Dimokratias Street, the busiest street in the city, there are many cafés, shops and banks. I'd say definitely stop by the cafés here and taste their frappés. But after drinking frappé in Greece you might fall out with the frappés in Turkey. These cafés also turn into places playing Bouzouki (Greek music) after 00:00 at night, and the fun goes on until sunrise.
The city's Apolloniados Street, which runs parallel to the sea, is closed to traffic in the evenings. The cafés, seafood restaurants and tavernas along the road are very pleasant in summer. In Greece it's almost impossible to find a shop open between 13.00 and 17.00 in the afternoon. During siesta, that is the sleep-break hours, only cafés are open and most shops, even restaurants, can be closed. It's worth keeping this in mind.
CROSSING THE BORDER BY BIKE - DAY 2
On the second day, we get up early and enjoy the sea on the empty beach in the morning cool until breakfast time. For breakfast Lidl came to our rescue; we buy things to make sandwiches and have our breakfast with a cold orange juice. Drinking another of the frappés I liked so much on the first day, I start pedalling around 14:00. I do the return route on the normal road instead of the motorway. With the road being two-way, the bad patches in the road, the wind and so on, I have to ride quite slowly. Since I was riding with the sun overhead, the UV Buff is very useful, and I head towards the border passing through the towns of Doriskos and Ferecik.
After the İpsala border crossing, we end our route in Enez, passing through Paşaköy Village and the town of Yeni Karpuzlu. Going on village roads is my favourite, especially with a chat and tea at a village coffeehouse...
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