Tom - Linie26 Part II.

What should I say? Two months have passed. Two months filled with countless kilometres, unforgettable encounters, and moments I'll carry with me forever. I've seen so much, experienced so much, and ridden through landscapes I could never have imagined. I feel humbled and deeply grateful for every single kilometre.

After arriving in Istanbul, I met up with my good friend Daniel, who had flown in from Germany to join me for three weeks on the Linie.

It took a while before Dani finally emerged from the airport terminal, but there he was. We loaded up our bikes, took a short break, and rolled straight onto the highway. What a crazy way to begin this chapter together. Riding on highways in Turkey is an experience in itself.

We quickly found our rhythm. As the sun rose, we stopped at our first little tea house and shared a cup of çay. Dani's eyes grew wider by the minute. We looked at each other, shook our heads, and could hardly believe what we were witnessing. What an incredible country. What wonderfully welcoming people. And what a powerful display of nature.

The stories about the dogs weren't exaggerated—they were absolutely true. Almost every day, we encountered them more than once. Dani quickly realized that while they barked loudly, looked intimidating, and demanded respect, most of the time it was all just a bluff.

We gradually left Istanbul behind and headed towards vast open landscapes, high mountain passes, and Cappadocia. Unfortunately, we never got to witness the famous hot air balloons drifting through the golden morning sky. The wind was simply too strong, and all flights were grounded. So we carried on without the balloons, still happy, light-hearted, and full of excitement as we made our way east towards Tbilisi.

Children waved at us. Strangers invited us in for a cup of çay. Everything felt effortless. The weather was kind to us, and difficult conditions were rare. Every morning we looked forward to getting back on our bikes to discover what the day would bring.

We never stopped being amazed by what each day had in store. Almost every day, we finished the day eating an ice cream. Every evening, we promised ourselves that tomorrow we'd choose an apple instead. We never did.

Beer remained a rare treat on this journey. In Turkey, you simply can't buy it everywhere. So we kept drinking our çay, and with every kilometre, Tbilisi drew a little closer.

Time passed incredibly fast. Three weeks of riding together. Over high mountain passes, past vast salt lakes, through wind, rain, and lonely landscapes. Eventually, we arrived in Tbilisi. Grateful for everything we had experienced together, we looked back on those three weeks with big smiles. It was a chapter of the Linie neither of us will ever forget.