THE JOURNEY BACK THROUGH THE BALKANS

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Our second vacation in Turkey has come to an end. It was just as beautiful as our first one in Turkey 2019. We rested and during several excursions, we got to know the local sights and culture. We visited the town of Konakli and its Bazaar, climbed up to the Şahin Tepesi Viewpoint, relaxed in the wild waves at Reis Yunus Ahmet Beach, and explored the Roman Ruins. All of this was supported by the perfect Ultra All Inclusive service at the Nox inn Deluxe Hotel. The day before departure, we checked the departure schedule at the reception. Our departure from the hotel was scheduled for September 8, 2023, at 2:45 AM. The flight time was at 8:20 AM. We could still get some sleep before departure and move to the reception 10 minutes before departure. The bus arrived on time. This time it was almost full, so we had fewer stops to pick up other tourists. We headed to Antalya Airport via the D400 road.

The journey passed quite quickly, including the classic stop at Çolakli at the rest area. At Antalya Airport, we went through the initial security check. This was followed by baggage check-in, where we received boarding passes and baggage tags. After passport control, we just bought drinks for the plane and settled in the waiting area by one of the departure gates until information about our flight appeared. Then we moved to the waiting area at our departure gate. Before departure, our passports with boarding passes were checked again, and then we boarded our Airbus A320-232 plane, the same one we used for the Journey to the Turkisch Riviera. On this flight as well, Smartwings collaborated with Heston Airlines. After the initial safety briefing, we took off at 8:44 AM local time over the city of Antalya.

We covered the 1775 km route in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Initially, we flew in a northern direction, passing the Karacaören Dam, Kovada Lake, and Egirdir Lake. Then, we turned northwest, flying over the Samanli Mountains and the Sea of Marmara before reaching Istanbul. Crossing the Bosphorus Strait, we found ourselves over the Black Sea. Along the coast lined with the Yildiz Mountains, we entered Bulgaria, where the coastline was bordered by the Strandzha Mountains. We left the Black Sea near Burgas, crossed the Stara Planina Mountains, and flew over the Danube near Ruse, entering Romania. Flying over the Vâlcan, Retezat, and Metaliferi Mountains, we entered Hungary and passed by Budapest into Slovakia. The route around the cities of Levice and Piešťany took us over the Little Carpathians. We entered the Czech Republic near Hodonín and landed west of Brno.

We landed at Brno-Tuřany Airport at 10:05 AM local time. After passing through passport control, we collected our luggage. We paid CZK 1000,00 for parking at the machine, picked up our car from the sixth row, and headed home from the airport.

Photo gallery: The journey to the Turkish Riviera