Heading towards Aydin

March 2006 - the snow itself is far behind us but the sky is still looming as we continue south.

Travelling South

March 2006 - We were just in time; if we'd tried to leave Ankara one day later, not even these posts would have been visible and we would have been stranded in the mountains!

Leaving Ankara

March 2006 - the road south is getting worse...
By 1am we hadn't seen the white lines on the road for 2 hours and I was begging to stop anywhere at all with some shelter... when like a oasis in the desert, out of nowhere (which we were right in the middle of) appeared a wonderful 4-star hotel! One rejuvenating shower, one night to unwind and enjoy clean sheets, deep mattresses and plump pillows, and ready to get up the next morning to find the car 2 feet deep in snow. So we had a snowball fight, dug out the car and continued on our way.

Travelling incognito

March 2006 - My travelling companion, my sunglasses. Heading south-west from Ankara, straight into the blizzard.

Manisa

March 2006 - Statue of Ataturk on the high pass at Manisa, north of Izmir, which we passed on our way up north. The view is amazing and this statue seemed to pierce the snowclouds which were gathering ominously...