From Barcelona to Tehran: Day 52

Day 52: Erzincan” A City of Gorgeous Mountains; From Refahiye to Erzincan in Turkey

June 21, 2012; Distance covered today: 120 Km; Total: 4233 Km

It was 8:30 when we were on the road again. There was no wind fighting us, so the ride was very pleasant. In the town, we stopped at a shop and bought the groceries for dinner. We didn’t want to be ripped off again although it meant carrying the stuff with us all day. 

The View in the Morning

We climbed a huge mountain. The road was in a very bad condition. There wasn’t tar or oil like the other roads, but there were lots of pot holes and trucks. Right on the top, there was a restaurant. We stopped for a tea, but we ended up having a huge lunch with butter, honey, cheese, tomato and lots of tea. It was really delicious. Then it started raining. It was coming down big time. We had to wait for the rain to stop. When we had a little let up, we started the coasting. It was chilly and we had our rain jackets on. The mountains were stunningly beautiful. 

Lunch

Awesome Clauds

Rain

The Mountains around Erzincan

Erzincan is a very beautiful city surrounded by tall gorgeous mountains. I was so excited to see these many beautiful mountains in one place. I thought it would be a great idea to go there just for climbing. Maybe one day…

After a stop at a shop to buy stuff for breakfast, we rushed out of the city to find a place to camp. We checked one place, but for the few seconds that we stopped to see the spot, we were attacked by blood sucking mosquitoes from all directions. We got on our bikes and ran for our lives. After another 5 Km or so, we checked another possible spot and we liked it. We pitched up our tent, took a bath in the river, cooked Spaghetti, and chatted under starry sky. 

Sunset, C lauds, and our Spot