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On this day 44 years ago, I appeared on this earth. Back then, my loving parents could not have imagined that I would be cycling from Holland to Australia, and would be celebrating this joyous anniversary by eating a birthday cheese with a New Zealander in the mountain village of Iğdir. But, so it has come to be.

My birthday cheese

My mother could have had an inkling that I would have gorged out on numerous cakes and chocolate bars before indulging in the birthday cheese.

Indulgence

The first day of my 45th year was spent eating a birthday breakfast with my Karabük friends, and drinking copious amounts of çay.

Çay

The sun made a brief appearance, and shone on the Unesco Historical Town of Safranbolu.

Safranbolu

Safranbolu

Safranbolu

Then the clouds returned. Mood changes with the weather. Some days you feel on top of the world. Sometimes you just feel like curling up into a warm bed. Following a river up into the mountains, James and I both felt a bit unenthused. It was cloudy, cold, and the wind couldn’t make up its mind if it wanted to help us or hinder us. We pressed on – a birthday cheese helped us on our way. We ended up in a cheap hotel in the small town of Araç. The wood stove in the hotel corridor provided some warmth. The room is basic – there are two beds. My sleeping bag should do the trick in the linen department.

Wooden stove

Hotel room