I checked into M55 hostel in the city center. Throughout my trip people told me that Batumi is known for its casinos. "It's the Las Vegas of the Caucasus", they said. Well, I'm not a gambling person but now I was excited to see and experience it.

It was a Sunday when an ATM in Khoni ate my credit card. I was devastated since I didn't have any more cash in my pocket and had no clue what to do. All I wanted to do in this moment was to smash the ATM. Guga, a local guy, realized my desperation and invited me to stay with him and his family for the night so that I could try to get my credit card back the next day. Tamu, a friend of Guga who speaks fluent German, helped me to interpret at the bank managers' office and luckily I got my credit card back. Thank you guys! That was amazing! Khoni people are the best! ;)

At sunset I arrived at a village community center and asked the guys who hung out on the patio if there's a hostel or a hotel nearby. Only one of them spoke very little English. He was a bus driver and told me that his Friend Rezi would like to invite me to stay with him and his family. They helped me to load my bike into his mini bus and drove a few kilometers back the direction that I just came from. We arrived in a village, walked into a backyard and entered his cozy house. His mother and brother welcomed me, offered me chair near the oven which created the center of the living room to warm up and to dry my wet clothes. Their cat snoozed under the oven. His mother created a feast for dinner. I got a huge portion of fried potatoes and beans. There was also fresh bread, cheese, tomatoes and a big pitcher of grape juice on the table. For dessert we had delicious walnut dish and a few glasses of homemade wine. It was delicious.

I expected to place my sleeping bag on the floor in the living room which would have been more than fine but got offered a bed in their guest room. Thanks again for your incredible hospitality.

Rezi's friend, the bus driver, offered me a ride to the next town in the morning. I gladly accepted this offer and we loaded my bicycle again into his mini bus. Loud music resounded out of the speakers as we bombed over the curvy mountain roads.

Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, lays on the banks of the Kura River and the Kartlis Deda (Mother of Georgia) towers over the city. I stayed a few days in a hostel in the old town. Some modern architecture is blended into the cityscape, artists played traditional music or tried to sell their works on the streets and the many restaurants, bars and cafes make it easy to have a good time here.

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A guy on a motorcycle passed in the late afternoon and stopped about 200 meters in front of me on the side-strip. He gave me a sign to stop, lifted his visor and asked where I'd stay tonight. I pointed to the bag on the back of my bicycle and answered: "I've a tent and will most likely end up camping somewhere in the wild." Bulent, an elderly man, spoke only little English but with the help of Google Translate he let me know that I could pitch my tent in his garden. I gladly accepted his offer and followed him a couple of kilometers to his house in a quiet neighborhood where his wife and a neighbor welcomed me.

"So, you can pitch your tent wherever you want in the garden or even stay at our guest house tonight. It's up to you", Bulent said after showing me around.
I thought: "Did I really just hear guest house?"
"Guest house would be amazing!" I replied excitingly.
It was a cozy two room house which provided all amenities you can think of. This place was basically ready for someone to move in. Bulent brought me a set of bed sheets and made even sure that there were a few tins of beer in the fridge. Absolutely amazing!
After having dinner together we shared stories until late in the evening - mainly with the help of Google Translate. I started to realize that I was probably about to enter regions of the world in which communication will become a challenge. Luckily it wasn't an issue that night.

Both, Bulent and his wife, made sure that I was full and happy after dinner but also after breakfast. We spent the morning together, chatted and enjoyed the mountain range view from his patio until it was time for me to continue. Spending some time with them helped me to get the image of my mum's sad face out of my mind and not to look back anymore. Instead I looked forward to visit Cappadocia soon now. Thanks again for your incredible hospitality!

I spotted a remarkable looking fort on top of a hill as I flew down a road after a long right curve. Now I knew I was in the heart of Cappadocia, just outside of Goreme. I followed a dirt track and pitched my tent on the edge of Love Valley.

Originally I wanted to cycle straight into Iran after Turkey but it was a spontaneous decision during breakfast during my visit at home to make a detour via Georgia and Armenia.
Two weeks later I pedaled alongside the Black Sea coastline. Here I made my first Warmshowers experiences. One night I stayed in a room above Mustafa's cafe. He was a very kind guy, provided me breakfast the next morning and made sure that there was always some of his delicious Rize tea in my cup. I'm actually not a big fan of tea but this one I liked a lot. Thanks again for your hospitality!

Murat flagged me down the next day. He invited me stay with him in his small beach house just outside of Arhavi. He lives in this small one room house with his cat Nina and his bird Ratcho and created us a delicious dinner on the stove which was the center of the room. We talked about everything and nothing until late in the evening. Again, with the help of Google Translate.

Murat invited me to stay another day with him and to hunt atmacas (hawks). Now I had to find out that Ratcho wasn't just a pet he was the bait for the hawks.

I couldn't believe that we really caught one! So cool! I never even imagined to try to hunt a hawk. I think I can officially call myself a real hawk hunter now. Thank a lot again for this awesome experience!

After about six weeks of cycling across Turkey from West to East, I found myself on the coastal road again the next day, heading straight to Georgia!

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We teamed up again and pedaled to the Turkish border at Ipsala. After four passport checks we finally entered Turkey. One of the border guards held one bicycle after the other as we were taking pictures. In his other hand he held his gun.

Becky and I split up again the next day. She wanted to go south to Antalya and I east to Istanbul. This time I was sure that I wouldn't see her again since her plan was to cycle across central Asia to South Korea and I planned to go into Iran and to the Arabian Peninsula next.

It was a rather monotonous ride to Istanbul and it still wasn't flat land as people in Greece assured me. The straight roads were hilly but not steep. There were no cycling lanes so I cycled on the motorway's side strip. It was a strange feeling to do so and I was nervous that the police would pull me over. However, after numerous police cars passed and some of the policemen even waved at me I was sure that I'd be fine. It was very comfortable to cycle on the side strips since they're three meters wide and as a cyclist you've the whole space for yourself. Every now and then I had to share it with tractors, moped drivers or pedestrians. However, the heavy traffic noise was stressful with time and strong head winds coming from the Black Sea blew into my face until I arrived Istanbul.

I camped on the beaches of the Marmara Sea. It was very comfortable since there were parks on which it was okay to pitch my tent. There were even free shower cabins. The few Turkish campers around me made barbeque and smoked shisha.

I met Nikolas, another German cyclist, outside of Istanbul. We teamed up and maneuvered through Istanbul's crazy traffic. When there were three lanes, car drivers made it five. And when there were five lanes, they made it seven. The road markings seemed to be just a suggestion. I never experienced such heavy traffic before. Any gap to make it through was ours. Riding through this madness was stressful but also exciting. I felt the adrenaline kicking in as we rolled into the city.

A few days later I rolled into Ankara. I passed president Erdogan's palace and was lucky to end up in a boy's student accommodation. The majority of students were gone due to semester holidays. The few guys who stayed welcomed me with open arms. They couldn't believe that someone would cycle all the way from Germany to Turkey. Fahrt, a Turkish-German guy, laughingly said: "The others usually make fun of me because I often travel by car between Turkey and Germany instead of taking flights. I'm sure this will stop now since they know you now."

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I put together an eleven countries fast forward video of cycling across Europe on my cycling the world journey.

I started in my home town Flensburg, Germany and pedaled all the way across eastern Europe to Istanbul, Turkey. It was about 4,000 kilometers and took me a bit more than two months.
I cycled across Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece, Turkey.

Don't forget to turn up the volume and get ready to dance before start the video. It contains some catchy music.

Have fun!

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I cycled the straightest way towards Thessaloniki. I got off the main road at some point to avoid the traffic. From then on I went through the northern Greek country side and its villages. Therefore I had to take some smaller roads which were in mediocre condition as well as a few short dirt tracks connecting a few villages. It was a good and peaceful ride and there was also barely any traffic. The only saddening part was to see all the abandoned factories and other business facilities. It sort of created a ghost town atmosphere in the villages. I assume the majority of them were shut down during the financial crisis. However, those villages were everything else but ghost towns. There was so much life happening. People were sitting outside of cafes, restaurants and especially sports bars. There was a live football match on the screens.

'Can we see your passport please?' they asked.
'Of course', I replied a bit nervous expecting a strict monologue now about trying to 'escape' from the police isn't a smart idea and handed it to them.
'Where are you going and where are you coming from right now?' they asked in a serious tone.
'North Macedonia and Thessaloniki.'
'Do you've anything illegal with you such as smokes or weapons?'

I think I never heard the term 'smokes' until then but assumed they meant cigarettes but since I didn't have any with me and of course no weapons - besides my pocket knife - I denied. Their tone changed immediately from serious to super nice after they checked my passport and we started to have a nice little chat. Phewww! One of them told me proudly that one of his relatives lives in Germany and how much he liked it there when he went to visit.

'Doe's your bicycle have lights?' they asked when I was about to continue.
'Of course', I answered positively surprised because nobody ever asked me about that thus far and nobody ever also seemed to care. I showed them that it was working.
'Please turn it on. It's getting dark.'

I did and continued my way to Thessaloniki.

I checked into a dorm room at RentRooms Thessaloniki which is well located for exploring the city and the place itself is clean, it provides really good breakfast and the staff is very kind.

I spent a few days in Thessaloniki to explore the city. One day I joined a free walking tour to find some hidden gems because the beauty of the city is more about the things that are not obvious to see and to find. That day I also ended up in an absinth bar with an Austrian and an Australian guy. I never drank absinth before and had no idea that there are so many different kinds. And since it was my first time drinking it, I tried a few of the bars' selection. It really is some fine stuff.

I got a bit pissed off another day. I spent the whole day walking around the city and didn't eat since breakfast. Thus I was really hungry when I got back to the hostel. Luckily I had my plastic container with pizza leftovers from the previous day plus a plastic bag filled with grapes from North Macedonia in the dorm rooms' fridge. I was really excited to shuffle that into my mouth.

I opened the fridge and it was all gone! No way! Really? I went down to the reception to ask if the cleaning staff might have removed it although I labeled it as it's common at hostels. They assured me that they didn't which meant that one of the guys in the dorm must have taken it. So whoever it was...you're an a-hole! Seriously! Just ask! I'd would have shared it with you since it was more than enough for two persons. Although the value of those things was low, the fact that someone simply took my stuff made me actually mad. Even the plastic container was gone. At least that one could that person have left behind. So I walked a bit hangry to the nearest supermarket with a deli and got a big portion of moussaka. Luckily it even came in a solid plastic container.

Wild camping in Greece is very easy and I camped in some amazing spots on the way to the Turkish border such as on the beach or on top of hills. Wherever I camped the sunsets were beautiful. The red glowing sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon on the edge of the sea or behind another hill. Sometimes I could even hear the prayers coming from a mosque in some distance. Soon I'd enter the Islamic world.

If you enjoy reading this blog then please support my fundraising campaign to equip two school class rooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!
 
And if you enjoy reading it a lot and you want be part of the creative process of future blogs and other content, then you can buy me a coffee on here. ;) Cheers!
 
Click here if you want to take a look at my equipment.

Because so many people asked, I finally created a detailed kit list of my current cycling the world journey. But since I started with equipment that I already had due to other shorter bicycle and also backpacking trips, don't expect some fancy stuff here. It's basically a collection of things that I gathered over the years.

In my opinion it's more important to get a journey started instead of trying to be prepared for every possible situation. I think that's almost impossible anyways unless you want to carry tons off stuff around or you're some sort of a survival champion. Finding the right gear for such a trip is a learning process and everyone has different preferences anyways.

I simply figured out along the way what works for me and what not. I just got rid of those things that didn't work for me. If I identified that there was something missing in my equipment then I simply bought it along the way - usually a no name product. For those no name products I tried to find comparable ones online to give you a better picture.

Also, please note that the links on this list are affiliate links. That means that I'll receive a small - rather tiny - commission if you make a purchase through them. There are no additional costs for you but it'll help me to maintain this website and provide you content about my journeys and challenges.

Furthermore, I transfer 10% of all my websites' affiliate income into my current fundraising campaign to equip school class rooms in Darfur, Sudan. So thank you for your support in advance!

>>> go to kit list <<<