Fendt – Preferred Route: Turkey – Germany – Turkey
- Written by Portal Editor
Fendt – After picking up the caravan in Rain am Lech, we first headed to Kitzingen, where various camping supplies were waiting to be stowed away in our future home-on-wheels.
Initial concerns about the volume of gear to be packed proved unfounded there was ample storage space in the Fendt Saphir Scand.
The first stop on our cultural project a "journey of understanding and culture along Roman roads" was the Wien West campsite; at the time we set off (late March), it was the only campsite open in Vienna.
However, due to our scheduled appointments, we had relatively little time at the campsite itself. We took the bus to Hüttelberg station, then the Line 50 towards Westbahnhof, getting off at Penzing to have coffee with Ms. Mohapp.
So, we met up on Saturday midday for that first coffee. Ms. Mohapp’s son was also there, as he planned to take us on a guided city tour. We quickly became engrossed in deep conversation there were so many shared interests to discuss and the time simply flew by.
We arranged the city tour for Sunday; it took us to many corners of Vienna, venturing well beyond the main tourist trails.
Along the way, we discovered some of the city's famous specialties such as Sacher-Torte and excellent ice cream that make a return visit a must. In short, it was a fantastic experience that only came to an end after six hours, when exhaustion finally set in.
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna – Ephesus Museum
We were now underway with the caravan, heading towards Izmir for the start of the tour; having spent two wonderful days in Vienna, we had driven past Belgrade and arrived at a rest stop. We had driven past the ancient theater of Stobi in Macedonia clearly visible from the highway several times by now without ever actually stopping. Time and again, we told ourselves, "We'll definitely do it next time."
By midday, we were approaching the ruins of Stobi once more, and this time, we were determined to make it happen.
The check at the Greek-Turkish border went quite smoothly, as we were able to present all the necessary documents thanks to the experience we had gained over the years. Once again, we were greeted by name at the first checkpoint; scanning our license plate had already revealed exactly who was seeking entry.
A short while later, we were traveling along the well-maintained coastal road toward Izmir. We had already spoken by phone with a staff member from the campsite in Küçükkuyu while on the ferry, so they were expecting us. Although the season hadn't officially started yet, both the manager and the staff were on-site.
We hadn't even finished leveling the caravan when the first glass of *çay* (tea) appeared on the table they had set out for us. Two chairs were quickly brought over as well.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we set off for Izmir and the Oba campsite in Güzelbahçe. In terms of location, it offers a great base for visiting Izmir’s city center including the Agora, the Clock Tower, and the bazaar even if the sanitary facilities leave something to be desired.
This turned out to be a wise move, as the street is incredibly lively; drivers in Izmir have a habit of double-parking on the main thoroughfare, leaving no room for vehicles to pass one another a particular challenge given that our Fendt Saphir Scand caravan is 2.50 meters wide. Upon arrival, however, we saw that with great foresight the street in front of the Goethe-Institut had already been cordoned off, ensuring that the official opening of our tour, "A Journey of Understanding and Culture Along Roman Roads" held to mark the 60th anniversary of the Goethe-Institut Izmir could take place the following day.
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