Asia
Asia
We crossed the Bosphorus by the new bridge.
Both being into our civil engineering gave us an extra appreciation of this impressive, two year old bridge.
The Bosphorus Bridge remained the longest suspension bridge in Europe until the completion of the Humber Bridge in 1981.
This was a significant milestone but I don't recall any celebrations.
We were still in Turkey of course, but on a different continent.
Below is a map showing our approximate route form the Bosphorus in Turkey to the Afghanistan / Pakistan boarder just before the Khyber Pass in Pakistan.
View Trans Asia 1975 - Turkey to Afghanistan in a larger map
An important event, passed without note at the time.
Asia
The Bosphorus or Bosporus Strait
Istanbul, Turkey:
The Crossroads of Europe and AsiaThis digital camera image was taken by the crew of the International Space Station on April 16, 2004.
When this image was taken, strong currents carried turbid coastal waters from the Black Sea through the Strait and into the Sea of Marmara. The rugged uplands to the north of the city are forested and contain vital reservoirs. Note Ataturk airport southwest of the city near the bottom of the image, the picturesque Prince Islands in the Sea of Marmara, and the sinuous waterway and harbor on the western shore known as the Golden Horn. Astronaut photograph ISS008-E-21752 was taken , with a Kodak DCS760 digital camera equipped with an 200-mm lens, and is provided by the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
Click on the photo to jump to the original article.
Turkey - Asia
If memory serves there are three primary routes across the Asian part of Turkey. The pretty southern route. We took that route on the Encounter Overland trip in 1978. The northern, Black Sea route, which we took in 1977, and the central route. The central route is the main thoroughfare, used by the international trucks. Or should I say intercontinental trucks. The central route is the one most likely to be part of the Grand Trunk Road and may have been part of the Silk Route centuries before.
Populations tend to congregate and develop around water. Not surprisingly the Black Sea coast and the Mediterranean coast are more populated than the somewhat desolate centre.
We chose the Black Sea route.
The road to Samsun was a dirt track, but without potholes.
Another extract from a rare letter home, from Kabul dated 14 July 1975;
The sea was perfectly clear and very refreshing as it is now beginning to get rather warm. We spent 4 days edging our way along the coast and then headed inland across the mountains. We crawled up a rutted almost washed out dirt road for 25 miles to over 11,000 ft and then down for 20 miles. Eventually we met with the notorious central road.. A very bad road, a little good surface followed immediately by gravel and potholes.
We rejoined the central route at Erzurum. The mountains were lovely, the central route, whilst still mountainous, less so.
Our route through Turkey
View Trans Asia 1975 - Turkey in a larger map
Turkey - Asia
The Black Sea
We went to the Black Sea and had a pleasant 4 days edging our way along the coast. Enjoying the scenery and the sea. Samsum to Tirebolu, 4 days for 245 km.
View Trans Asia 1975 - Turkey in a larger map
Unfortunately neither Pete nor I took any photos of the area, so photos will have to be from another trip or from other people. I found this site, which will give you a good flavor of the area.
Below is a TURKEY PHYSICAL MAP showing the Pontic Mountains , Black Sea, Samsun, Trabzon, and Erzurum. It clearly indicates how mountainous Eastern Turkey is. Click on the map to go to the source.
