I was in Turkey for 25 days, 21 of them on the bicycle saddle.

That isn't an eternity. But it is enough time to not only get to know a country, but to get a little closer to it.

It wasn't the major sights that I systematically ticked off – cycling isn't the right format for that. And yet, with Istanbul, Cappadocia and Aunt three places along the route that don't just tell history, but radiate it.

Wherever possible, I've tried to avoid the main roads and travel through the countryside on byways. At the very least, I've driven through the villages that lay to either side of the road.

These paths were often harder – and all the richer for it.

Arduous due to poor roads, bustling traffic, and dogs that take their duties very seriously. Rich through a hospitality that demands nothing in return.

Tea that is poured and refilled without being asked. Conversations that don't arise out of politeness, but out of genuine interest: Where are you from? Where are you going? How much longer?

Isn’t it brilliant that, thanks to those little gadgets in the palm of our hands, we can chat to absolutely anyone? Shouldn’t Esperanto become the cultureless universal language? We won’t need it any more!

What struck me was not the foreignness, but its absence. I was often a guest, not just an observer. A look, a word, a shared silence were sometimes enough to belong – at least for a moment.

I really enjoyed the past week in which I had company again and again. Cyclists from Spain, France, and Turkey. We rode parts of the way together, shared evenings, tips, and stories. In this way, a travel community is slowly growing – not a fixed one, but a discernible one. You look out for each other. And when paths cross, you spend time together. That is something very special.

Today, I crossed the border into Georgia. On the map, a considerable line remains behind me.

What shall I take with me? Encounters and the realisation that life in this country – the further east you go – is fundamentally different from ours. Humility is called for.

But above all, I'm taking away that this country is richer than what I've previously associated with it. There would still be much to discover.

For now, all I have is a sincere:

Thank you, Turkey.