Friday 8 July. Day 22: Flying from Skopje, via Istanbul to Sydney

July 8, 2016

Today started our long trip home. We had a lift to the airport with the hotel owner and checked into our first flight to Istanbul on Pegasus.

Some snow capped mountains we didn't climb. If you like climbing, Macedonia is the place for you!

Arriving at the airport on the Asian side of the city, we caught the two airport buses (via Taksim Square) to Ataturk Airport, put our bikes and large bags into storage overnight then caught the tram with our overnight bag to a hotel a couple of stops from the airport. I was a little worried about the storage option being closed as whilst we had been in Macedonia the attack on the airport by men with guns and bombs had happened. Increased security, but left luggage still OK.

Ataköy Metro İstasyonu (the square next door).

There was an excellent square near this reasonably large transport hub, in which we found a cafe with seating looking over all the action. We spent some time drinking tea, eating a final kunefe and watching the people in the late afternoon.

After checking into the hotel and mooching for a bit, we went out for a wander and found a restaurant specialising in grills (particularly grilled meats!).

Ayran - yoghurt drink. From the winery area we had visited a few days before.

The next morning, back to the airport with all our crap and a flight via Singapore back to Sydney.

Two days later, there was the coup attempt in Turkey. Without wanting to get overly political... Oh dear. A place I love is going to hell in a hand basket.

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