Istanbul was Constantinople

Kellen Smetana
Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople…  Why did Constantinople get the works?  That’s nobody’s business but the Turks…

Clearly – when I get around to updating the Stats page – this song will take the cake for most hummed throughout Turkey.  And it’s fitting too, seeing as there were bigger and more important changes awaiting us in that city than the grand name change of 1453.

After putting in almost 5,000km over some of the most grueling, treacherous, beautiful, hottest, dynamic, and peaceful roads on the planet, Cory is returning home to continue his studies at Michigan State.  Leaving Tashkent two months ago, Theo and I put him through the “sink or swim” bicycle touring learning plan to get him ready for the desert; not only did he “swim,” but he did so gallantly on a bike that I thought at times may not complete another pedal stroke.  We had quite the adventure together – mid-night subtle shoving matches vying for space in the tent, sudden hailstorms that left our backs and shoulders in ruins, panoramic views along the Black Sea that rivaled any Bing image – and I can only hope that he will have a couple more stories to share back at school than the next kid.  I think we may have to wait, though, before our parents can handle a few more gray hairs before we invite our sister to join along as well.  Either way, Thanksgiving dinner will be a boisterous one this year.

End of the line

Cory was leaving from Istanbul, but I would not be trudging on alone.  As many of you already know and as many of the new readers have questioned, there was a new Team at the hostel awaiting our arrival.  The fresh cavalry of Bill Conry and Megan Melcher was pumped up, energized, and ready for a European blitzkrieg.  Bill and Megan are both good friends from the University of Michigan who are just crazy enough to join me on this grand adventure.  I first proposed the idea to Bill at a Michigan football game last year and through conversations over the course of the last year I slowly watched his percentage chance joining grow from 10% to 20% to 33% before it finally made that critical leap from 50% to 100%.  (That last one was an exciting phone call).  And for Megan, the question of, “Should I do this bike trip?” quickly turned into, “Umm yes, and I will be joining you.”  Good news and good news.  They were both waiting in Istanbul and anxious to get riding.

Bill and Megan were ready to join the party

And the best part is that they did not come empty-handed.  Bill has been quite the wiz behind the scenes the last few months.  First, he has posted many of the blog entries for me to allow my updates to keep a regular cadence (if you thought I had internet that frequently, you’re crazy… but don’t worry, I have a new wizard of Oz to pull the electronic strings…) and has helped with the website.  And second, he has secured Revolutions for Relief sponsorships from Clif Bar, 5-Hour Energy, Buck Knife, and Giro Products!  Bill arrived with 96 Clif Bars, 96 Clif Shots, 25 Clif Shot Blocks, and 48 bottles of 5-Hour Energy – I haven’t done the math yet, but it must be enough hours to get us to Portugal.  It was quite the welcome gift and Clif Bar and 5-Hour Energy get special thanks for their generous support.  The website as well will be reflecting this soon.  Now all we have to do is eat all this food before we have to carry it over mountains in Macedonia…

Not even half of Bill's treasure

With the four of us together, we had quite the riot in Istanbul.  We explored the beautiful, soaring Hagia Sophia and haphazard Grand Bazaar.

Marveling at Hagia Sophia

Capturing the craziness at the Grand Bazaar

We visited the Blue Mosque by night, wandered through the harems of past sultans at Topkapi Palace, and cooled off in the watery depths of the Basilica Cistern.  The kebab count continued to skyrocket and we even found ourselves joining the young locals in the new city underground nightlife.  Istanbul is an amazing place and even a week’s vacation would not do it justice.  But we had less than that and we had plenty more to do.

Welcome to Kebab Country

Underground Basilica Cistern

The new crew

As there was no space in the hostel, we found ourselves cleaning, fixing, and building bikes just off a popular road, which seemed to attract a lot of attention.  The local residents came out to give us fresh cucumbers, warm bread, and their best advice on the quick-release spring for the front tire.  It made for fun times and we got everything ready to go quickly.

Hard at work

Everyone knows cucumbers are the best food for fixing bikes

Early Saturday morning Cory departed for the airport and the three of us remaining got ourselves up and ready to go.  Not long after we had our wheels facing west and rolling into Europe.  I am very excited to start this leg with my two new companions – Megan to Venice and Bill all the way to Portugal.  Bill will provide new humor and has endless college stories to share.  And Megan has already caught me up on the latest Lady Gaga songs and will toss out plenty of “would you rather…” questions to pass the days.

And of course, with football season starting today, who better to ride with than two fellow Wolverines.  It’s time to take on Europe.

Yes, it's time