From Turkey back to Greece

The longer you stay in a place, the greater the chance that it will hold a special place in your heart. For three weeks, Emily and Dennis from near.so.far stay in Urla, a small town in Turkey. After many, many days of traveling, the desire to arrive somewhere for a short time grows in both of them. In Urla, friendships, acquaintances and a penchant for favorite places develop. After a time to breathe deeply, the two set off again for already familiar climes: they return to Greece to pass through once more. Here, Emily and Dennis are in for another surprise they didn't expect: the feeling of coming home. 

Our longest time in one place so far

After about 4 months of traveling, we were lucky enough to find a place like Urla. We both longed for the feeling of arriving somewhere and not just driving by. This is something we didn't expect before the trip. For us it makes a big difference how long you stay in one place. In Urla we experienced that after more than 3 weeks in this place friendships and acquaintances develop, that you know everyone and everything around you, the favorite restaurant in the little village next door, the best markets to get fresh fruits and vegetables and of course the people around you that you get to know better day by day and take into your heart. 

In Gülbahce near Urla we were lucky enough to be able to stand on a kite beach right on the parking lot next door and even use the infrastructure of the adjacent surf house.

Coordinates of the pitch at Kite beach: 38.3313696, 26.6529802

Alacati

This cute little town was highly recommended to us. The city is
about 30 minutes by car from Gülbahce. Alacati is a small old town that is very colorful and playful. However, in high season there is a lot going on here and the town has definitely adapted to tourism. Nevertheless, the charm is not lost.

From small cute cobblestone alleys to very nicely done cafes to many stalls with homemade ceramics and beautiful jewelry. Alacati is also very easy to reach by camper. There are near the city center many guarded parking lots for little money at where you can park your car/camper.

Fun Fact: There are countless mirrors all over the city.

Feels a bit like coming home

After 6 weeks in Turkey, we made our way back to Greece to have about 2.5 weeks to drive across the country to take the ferry to our next destination. Shortly after the border we both got a feeling which reminded us of coming home. It was crazy but we spent 2 months in Greece before we went to Turkey. Again we felt that the length of our stay has a big impact on our emotional memory.

Living on 6 square meters

After almost 5 months of traveling and living on about 6m2 we noticed a few things that no one tells you in advance or that you have to experience to understand. It is very different to change from over 50 square meters to 6 square meters. Especially with two people, you often get in each other's way and have to be much more considerate. We have found that the room layout is extremely important, especially in such a small space. A large corridor or even a small retreat, even if it is only a privacy screen, help a lot. In summary, we are just positively surprised that living in such a small space is possible and we have fewer problems than we thought. This time also shows us how little space and materialistic things are needed to be happy. For us, this journey has already opened up perspectives that we had not not had before.

Passing through Greece

Our first campsite on the way to the west coast of Greece was shortly after the Turkish border. The pitch with sea view is a little insider tip because there are few alternatives in this area, especially in the season. For all those who are passing through Turkey, this stopover definitely makes sense. The site we have already linked in the last blog post with coordinates. Then we continued along the turquoise / blue shimmering coast to a campsite as you imagine him in your dreams. After 2 days there, we then drove inland to a campsite that friends have recommended to us. The place is directly on a river where you can also swim. 

We had to leave the place unfortunately because of the hot temperatures after a few hours and drove directly to the west coast on a great site that leaves nothing to be desired. Whether kiting, snorkeling or simply bathing in the beautiful water is here everything is possible. In addition, the site was not crowded even in high season.

Coordinates of the pitch on the coast to the east: 40.7189008, 24.0543783
Coordinates of the pitch on the river: 40.2070210, 21.5314355
Coordinates of the pitch on the west coast: 39.0889571, 20.6607771

To be continued...
Taking the ferry to a new country.