The Last Pıece Of The Puzzle

Am I a masochıst?

I awoke two nights ago at 3AM and needed to pull out my maps and look at them. I wasn't feeling right. My original intention was to walk from Gilbraltar, known in ancient times as the gateway to the west, to Istanbul which was the gateway to the east. The whole of the European continent. But I never walked to the edge, I never did walk to the Bosphorus and look out over to Asia. I needed to finish my walk.

Catalca was satisfactory as a landing as it was just inside the Istanbul border. And I was so tıied last Sunday that it was fine with me. But with strength coming back I started to feel that I could have walked the final chunk had I only the power at the time. That time was now. I knew I could now walk most of the rest of this route, especially with my big pack off my shoulders.

I took a taxi this morning before 4AM to withın about 10-12km of Catalca. There is a stretch before that which might not have been very good to walk on because of the vehicular movement. Where I started was, for the most part, with some sort of sidewalk area. A few times I had to run across exit ramps (I was on a motorway) which I never could have done with my 33 pound backpack. It was so much easier without the weight on my shoulders. Luckily, my morning was full of cloud cover and even a few sprinkles.

I walked about 45 km with my ipod on to ease the sound of the freeway. In the neıghborhood of Topkapi I  got to see a huge chunk of the old city walls which was marvelous and then I continued straight to Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet neighborhood. From there I went through the gardens of the Topkapi Palace which was a peaceful respite from the rest of the morning and a lovely way to wind things down. Finally, I went to the water's edge where the Marmara Sea and The Golden Horn meet with the Bosphorus Straight which separates Europe from Asia. I made it to the end of Europe. And today it really feels like the walk is complete.

I am not too tired though my feet retaliated a little. I am going to see whirling dervishes tonight and tomorrow will take a boat cruise up the Bosphorus. I leave Istanbul in the PM for some inland rest at Cappadocia.

I am sure most folks who tuned in to the last blog will not even read this because they will think the walk was over. But it did not feel over for me and I think I would have had regrets had I left Istanbul without finishing this final piece of my walk. I think I will really feel at peace now.