Day 10: Bursa, Turkey

A day off in Bursa. Even on days when I’m not running, I wake up early. Up at 5:30 AM.

It’s raining, so I think I’ll just take it easy at the hotel.

Thanks to digital tools like the internet, I don't get bored, but it makes me wonder—how did people spend their days off while traveling in the analog era?

I have just one week left of being 65 years old. I am filled with gratitude and emotion that I’m able to continue this journey.

8:00 AM: Hotel breakfast.

It’s much the same at every hotel, but this seems to be a standard Turkish breakfast.

Çay (Turkish tea), bread (including *simit*), several types of cheese, ham, pickled olives, cream cheese, honey, butter, a Nutella-like spread, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers, plus an omelet and french fries.

It might look like a small portion, but it’s actually quite a lot. I only had two slices of bread.

After breakfast, I took a walk around the city.

I was in the western part of Bursa, not really a tourist area. I walked to a nearby supermarket.

I wore sandals since I knew I’d get wet anyway, but the 15°C temperature felt a bit chilly.

Bursa, Turkey, under a misty drizzle.

It seems Turkish people prefer living on higher ground.

Building high-rise apartments atop the hills and looking down at the world below must be a pleasant feeling.

There’s a spiral road up the hill; viewed from the sky, it must look just like an archery target.

In Bursa, with its melancholic drizzle, I’m starting to feel the faint arrival of autumn.

A kitty I met in front of the A101 store in Bursa.

My only outing today was that morning shopping trip. I spent the rest of the time organizing my gear and checking the route for the days ahead.

Editing the next newsletter, sorting through the photos and videos I’ve taken so far—there’s plenty to do, even on a day off. Before I knew it, evening had arrived. Rain always seems to dampen the mood.

I recall it was raining the day I arrived in Istanbul, too. Rain often tends to put people in a negative frame of mind. Still, just as elsewhere, each rainfall in Turkey signals that autumn is deepening.

Beneath the gray sky, the leaves on the trees have begun to change color, little by little.

I’m a middle-aged guy—past sixty—running across the country on a journey.

It might be one thing if I were in my twenties or thirties, but at my age, people might think—even if they don't say it to my face—that I ought to just stay put at home or act my age.

But strangely enough, the mental age of a traveler or a runner is worlds apart from their chronological age; we’re perfectly comfortable doing things that don't quite match the number of years we’ve lived.

That’s just my personal take on it, anyway...

Today’s running distance: 0 km

Total distance run from Istanbul: 225.5 km

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