From Istanbul we take the ferry to the Asian west coast of Turkey and drive further south along the Aegean Sea. It is the second half of February 2023 and spring is cautiously announcing. Often we still have to put on our winter coats, but every now and then we can sit outside in our bare arms in a sheltered spot. Nature also shows some spring colors.
The variety of landscapes and surprising cities fascinates us and especially the ancient city of Ephesus is a highlight of our visit to this region.
This is the route we drove through Turkey from Istanbul along the Asian west coast and the Aegean Sea (click on the map)
The ferry from Istanbul to Yalova
From the motorhome parking where we spent the night in Istanbul, you can easily access the ring road and then take the new Bosphorus tunnel to Asian Istanbul. We also think it would be fun to drive over the Bosphorus via one of the high bridges. We look into those alternatives. It turns out that you have to pay toll for all crossings to Asia and you have to arrange this in advance at a PTT office. All these alternatives also mean that you drive through an urban area until about Izmit, or have to take another toll bridge at Gebze.
Alternatively, there is also a ferry, from the ferry port opposite the motorhome parking. We book a crossing from Yenikapi to Yalova with IDO ferries, the cost: €20 for our “JIP” with driver and one passenger. We can’t drive all that way over the bridges and through the Asian suburbs of Istanbul for that. So that’s how we do it, we take the ferry.
An hour and a half later we arrive in Yalova and we can continue our journey.
Bursa and Mount Uludağ
Our first destination is Bursa, or rather Mount Uludağ. This mountain is a ski resort and there is an RV site on top of the mountain.
The way up is steep and Milady has to crawl up in first gear, low range. The road is quite slippery here and there and there is still a lot of snow.
In the village at the top of the road it appears that the rest of the road is closed. We must turn around.
We look for a place for the night and find it on the shore of Lake Ulubat, west of Bursa.
Meeting with Erçe
We first met Erçe in Montenegro. He was there on vacation with a group of friends. Our paths crossed near Kotor and we started talking. We exchanged Instagram profiles and promised to stay in touch. That happened and now we are going to visit Erçe in Gönen. He receives us together with his little brother and his friend. We talk about our travel experiences and get to know each other better. Erçe is an architect and has recently visited the earthquake zone. He did this out of interest in the architectural aspects of the earthquake, but above all to be able to help. He talks about his experiences with held back emotions and admits that it is still difficult to process the experience he had there. Still, he is very cheerful and hopeful about Turkey’s future.
Edremit and Altinoluk
On the advice of Erçe we continue to Edremit. A scenic drive through the mountains and rural areas of western Turkey.
At a picnic area near Altinoluk we find a quiet place to stay, if you don’t count the barking dogs and the muezzin in the early morning.
The next day we drive into the mountains, the national park Daridere seems like a great opportunity to stay in nature for a while.
We indeed find a beautiful, deserted place and park our Milady Landy for the night. The young dogs that greet us enthusiastically when we have found our spot, however, keep us awake, vigilant as they are. The next morning we drive on anyway.
Ayvalik
Erçe told us that the peninsula near Ayvalik is so beautiful. We’ll investigate that. We even find a campsite that is open on this peninsula. As the only guests of the Ada campsite, we can find a spot right on the beach. The campsite has some basic sanitary facilities, but everything works and we can take a nice shower. We are happy with the tranquility and the wonderful spring weather on the beach and enjoy a few days with a view of the Aegean Sea (and the island of Lesbos on the western horizon).
Izmir
The city of Izmir surprises us. Izmir is one of the largest cities in Turkey and couldn’t be more different from Istanbul that we visited before. It is clean, cozy and very relaxed.
The monument to Atatürk, the founder of Turkey, is huge.
We get a private tour from the guard of the monument, apparently there are not many visitors. He also shows the inside, which is set up for presentations. Here it appears that the statue is hollow and is constructed of reinforced concrete. The supporting structure is impressive.
In the afternoon we leave the busy city to find a quiet beach to spend the night.
Quiet beaches with sometimes a lot of work
The first night after Izmir we find a pebble beach in a beautiful private bay. Apart from the rubbish left behind by previous visitors and the sea, I collect a whole garbage bag, we can spend a night here.
Along the way we see more and more almond and apricot trees in bloom, it is now really spring.
We find the next quiet beach just before Kuşadasi, Zeytin Plaji. There are many day trippers who drive onto the beach with or without a fishing rod and with or without a barbecue.
Unfortunately, most of the cars do not have 4-wheel drive. Milady Landy is therefore used several times for a rescue operation.
Ephesus
Our visit to the ancient Roman city of Ephesus was undoubtedly the highlight of this part of our Turkey trip along the Asian west coast and the Aegean Sea. The ruins are among the largest excavations and can be compared to the Roman Forum and the great Greek archaeological sites.
The city, like other excavations we have already seen, has several temples and theaters.
Distinctive to the site of Ephesus are the great library and the ruins of the Church of Mary.
