LONG ROAD TO A SECLUDED BEACH HOTEL

After 7 days on the road with few hours rest, we decided to make this day go as smoothly as possible, and planned to end the day by staying somewhere special on the beach. We didn’t want to spend any more than three hours on the road so we could reach our destination in the early afternoon and feel the Mediterranean sun on our skin after we’d been rained on for the past couple of days coming back from Bulgaria.

This Post is part of 15-day motorbike ride from Lebanon to Bulgaria across Turkey and back.
Use the links at the end of the post for more insights about this adventure, the challenges 
and achievements

Tickets in hand, we boarded the boat from Eceabat and ferried across the Dardanelle towards Canakkale. During this early morning ride, each of us found a quiet place to sit and contemplate our journey so far to the monotonous sound of the diesel engines in the background and the soothing splashing of the waves against the vessel. We sat like that with those cool sound effects for the 45-minute journey.

Catching the Ferry boat from Eacebat crossing the Dardanelle towards Canakkale.

Canakkale is a seaport on the southern coast of the Dardanelles, located between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara. It is an ancient city known for its early civilization (3000 BC to 400 AD) and for the two most remarkable battles in history – the mythical Trojan War and the Battle of Canakkale in World War I. The wooden horse from the 2004 movie Troy is exhibited on the seafront.

We planned two short stops on the way—the first was at the Gallipoli battlefields that extend 35 km (21.7 miles) from the tip of the peninsula, and the second was at the ancient City of Troy. Previously understood to be purely mythological, this city, cradled between the continents of Europe and Asia, and dating from around 3000 BC, was excavated in the 19th century.

As we exited the seaport side out of the modest and quiet old city of Canakkale, we felt the urge to keep riding, so we missed out the first stop and proceeded straight to the City of Troy. The ride to Troy was thrilling, and the road and weather conditions were perfect for enjoying an uphill ride while taking in the sweeping view of the gulf. After almost an hour of riding along this fascinating stretch, we reached Hisarlik, the present name for the location of these historic ruins. This place was the setting of the Trojan Wars described in the Greek Epic Cycle, in particular in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. It’s worth a visit if you care for mythological tales, and although there’s not much left to see above the ground, the excavated areas reveal the various layers of at least nine cities from different ancient periods. Efforts have been made to preserve the ruins, and the place is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

After a short walk around the ruins, we rested in the shade of some trees. Chantal had researched hotels and found a boutique hotel called Erol Hotel located in a quiet part of Cunda Island. The Turkish name is Alibey Adasi, named after a hero of the Turkish War of Independence. Reading a bit about the place, we discovered how it went through some terrifically dark periods, especially during the Greek genocide when the Greek Orthodox islanders were killed. Some of the children were spared, and sent to orphanages. Cunda’s back streets are filled with beautiful houses, some in ruins, but others converted or rebuilt into small boutique hotels. The island is far from being among the main tourist destinations, and except for a few adventurers like us, the majority of visitors here are locals who come to spend the weekend in the vibrant old city to the other side of the island.

We arrived at the Erol Hotel as planned, at around 2 pm—the perfect time to stretch out in the sun and sip a cold beer and cocktails on the beach beds, undisturbed on the secluded beach. The family-owned hotel, named after the father of the owner, had the most relaxing atmosphere and the owners were so welcoming and helpful. The place was definitely a strong contrast to the previous hotel in Eceabat—very clean and calm except for some music coming from the town across the bay. We spent a lazy afternoon sipping cold beers in the cabanas by the beach.

Read the whole adventure, day by day. Click on the links below

1. TAKING THE FERRY BOAT FROM TRIPOLI, LEBANON TO MERSIN, TURKEY
2. THE ROAD IS OURS: DESTINATION CAPPADOCIA
3. UP AND ABOVE CAPPADOCIA
4. THE ROAD TO ANKARA
5. CROWDED ISTANBUL
6. FROM WHEAT FIELDS TO SUNFLOWERS AT THE BULGARIAN BORDERS
7. A PROMISE IS A CLOUD; FULFILLMENT IS RAIN
8. WEATHERED IN VARNA
9. LONG ROAD TO A SECLUDED BEACH HOTEL
10. THANK YOU BODRUM FOR THE BREAK!
11. THE BEACH IS CALLING! MARMARIS
12. ON THE ROAD AGAIN
13. BACK TO SQUARE ONE
14. HOW DID IT ALL START?

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