Distance: 8km
Elevation: 100m
Early in the morning, I explored the roof terrace of my little hotel. The views on the old town of Istanbul and on the Bosporus were just stunning.
I got myself a coffee and got some work done. Then breakfast started and it was simply delicious. The food choices were so different from our normal breakfast buffet. I just loved it.
After some calls, it was time to get Rosinante to her shelter where she would reside for the coming 11 months.
I was going to meet Tony, who was the brother-in-law of a cousin of a friend of mine. Simple, right?
His mother lived just 8 km away in a different township. I had decided to cycle there, not without feeling a little anxious.
The traffic was not too bad, other than the fact that nobody obeys any rules, and I got to the place unharmed but a little sweaty.
Tony was 58 years old and part of the Catholic minority in Turkey. Only about 0.5% of the population are catholic.
Originally, the family came from a place called Mardin at the border between Turkey and Syria. They were so-called Syracs.
Tony spoke very well English. He also spoke Turkish, Russian, Arabic, and Italian. Very impressive.
Tony wants a businessman and very humble, too. He was general manager of a company that was producing zippers (Reißverschlüsse). It was so interesting to listen to his stories. We had an instant connection. 
I was treated with a specialty Lebanese dish for lunch and then Arabic coffee and a delicious cake.
The original plan had been to store Rosinante in the basement that belonged to the apartment of his mother. However, there was no way to secure her there since there were no confined sections.
Tony offered to send some of his men next week to bring Rosinante to his factory instead where she would be totally safe. I was thankful and agreed to the plan.
We talked for almost 3 hours. I was super thankful for his support and later in the afternoon returned to my hotel.
In the evening, I had a meeting with Sylvain and Julie. We had met a couple of days ago on the road leading into Bandirma.
We were meeting in the Karakoy quarter directly by the River Halic which also flows into the Marmara sea here.
I had walked the 3 km from my hotel. That route brought me to Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and also through the quarter of the gold traders. It was super interesting just to walk and watch the people from all different walks of life. 
Unfortunately, Julie was not feeling very well and had stayed in the hotel. She was originally from SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil. They had met in a commune in Zurich as flat mates and had fallen in love over time.
Both had made significant investments to make this relationship happen. Now, they were both married since one year and were a very cute couple.
We all agreed that a cycling journey to China would be the ultimate relationship test.
Sylvain and I had a great evening together. The topics that we covered were countless and very specific to travelers.
One major learning that I had from Sylvain was to use baby wipes when doing stealth camping. They were indeed much easier to carry than freshwater. I had never thought of that.
But we also had more philosophical topics.
I have the feeling that we will meet again someday.
It was the night before the start of Kurban Bayramı. These festivities are known internationally as Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice. This significant religious holiday commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son in obedience to God’s command.
Many inhabitants of Istanbul had left the city to visit relatives. The holidays cover four days and reach well into the following week. Due to this, the city was relatively calm and peaceful.
As it got dark, Sylvain and I said farewell. I wished them both all the best for their journey to China.
I walked back over the bridge to enjoy the view on the different mosques that formed the skyline of Istanbul. It was just so breathtakingly beautiful!
I had a call with Carolin and showed the skyline to her. My wife had fallen down and broken her foot a couple of days ago while she was walking our dog and talking to me on the phone.
It has been quite dramatic. Now she was wearing an air cast and could not move anymore because the foot needed to rest up high all day.
The good news was that we would both return together to explore Istanbul in 11 months when my next tour to Kasachstan would start.
That was my last evening in Istanbul. By 10pm. I was in my hotel and went to bed quickly.
To my total surprise, I was really in love with that city and its vibrant culture, and beautiful architecture.
What a great discovery and revelations this had been.