We left Istanbul at 06:00 for our drive to Goreme. Waking up at that time is easy when you are staying in a place that is spitting distance of the Blue Mosque and a stone's throw from the Red Mosque (although I suggest that you don't try either, or you'll find yourself in custody before you can say 'Midnight Express'). We reached Goreme after a twelve hour drıve from İstanbul through some pretty stunning scenery - lush rolling hills with jagged sno...

Have just been watching the eclipse. Could not get down to south=eastern Turkey in time, so had to be content with 90% totality in Istanbul. Spent the morning uploading photos, so should now be up to date. One of the Bulgarian photos refers to the Beer Index. I've instituted this on a whiteboard in the truck to track prices as we move from country to country. The rules are: 1. A standard beer shall be 500ml 2. A standard beer shall be betwee...

Now here in Istanbul after an eventfuljourney from Sofia, which included being locked into an underground room at a service station by a little old lady while she went in search of change. Fortunately I was rescued after 15 minutes. Finally arrived in Istanbul just before dusk and, as we were driving along the Bosphorous we saw about twenty dolphins playing in the water. A nice introduction to the city. Have seen many mosques and am now suffering from "...