Day 1: Istanbul Old City to Tuzla (Turkey)

I was awake by 4:00 AM. I had fallen asleep at 7:30 PM the previous night and woke up several times during the night.

Whether it was excitement or a sense of impatience, I just felt an urge to get moving.

I organized my gear, assembled the buggy, loaded it up, and set off at 7:00 AM.

Since it had been six months, I had completely forgotten various details, so it took some time to get back into the swing of things.

I chatted with the hotel staff and had him take the photo above.

It was 2.3 kilometers to the Sirkeci ferry terminal.

Right from the start, I had to climb a steep hill.

The Old City has many hills and is quite difficult to navigate. There are sidewalks, but they are narrow and crowded with commuters and students, requiring constant caution.

I paid the ferry fare (120 TRY) using a contactless credit card.

The ferry crossing took about 15 minutes.

At 8:30 AM, I resumed my journey from Harem. I passed through a university campus, where traffic was heavy for a while.

The road running alongside the D100 highway and the railway tracks soon turned into a seaside promenade.

There were many cyclists, runners, and people out for a stroll.

The local cats even had their own shelters, with a constant supply of water and food provided.

On the road from Pendik to Tuzla, the sidewalk was the same width as the buggy—or sometimes even narrower.

Whenever I felt unsafe, I would move onto the roadway, but that was full of dangers too.

Oncoming vehicles would barrel toward me without slowing down.

Pushing the buggy along the road always carries risks; that is true no matter which country you are in.

The final 10 kilometers were quite grueling. Along the way, I stopped at two supermarkets to buy groceries. It gets quite hot when the sun is out. I took frequent breaks, but I didn't reach my destination until after 5:00 PM.

Along the way, I found and booked a hotel using Agoda.

There were plenty of restaurants and shops in the area around the hotel, too.

Tuzla is at the eastern edge, but it is still within the city of Istanbul.

After a shower, I had a takeaway *dürüm* for dinner.

Here’s what I’ve eaten since this morning: a banana, an oatmeal cookie, dates, raisins, chocolate, a granola bar, water, apple juice, and unsalted mixed nuts. I’m already missing rice.

Distance covered today: 36.2 km

Total distance from Istanbul: 36.2 km

*Click here for photos and videos taken today.