Day 144 to Istanbul Turkey, 87km, 11,950km to date, 1253m up,  20m end.

The last day!  Great scenery, however it was raining heavily for most of the day, hence almost no pictures.  After being inland for most of the ride, we arrived on the Bosphorus Strait and rode most of the length of the Strait.  We stopped for lunch at a floating restaurant, then rode as a group the rest of the way into Istanbul.  About two blocks from the hotel, we stopped to celebrate, many photos and glasses of Champagne. 

For dinner we went to the restaurant in the Maiden’s Tower, which is on a small Island in the Bosphorus in the middle of Istanbul.  A very very nice evening.  This was our last meal as part of the tour and a fitting last meal it was!  I was told that there are scenes in two James Bond movies that feature the place.  It is worth Googling.

I get to spend today being a tourist in Istanbul, way too short a time, then fly off first thing tomorrow.  I’ll do one more post with some summary thoughts.

A pic from the hotel: