After much debate, discussion, and planning, the GLAadventure was finally set to begin. Concealing my excitement, I approached the Lufthansa counter at the Delhi Airport to check-in for my flight to Istanbul via Munich. The lady behind the counter leafed through my passport furiously, and I couldn't help but get a little impatient. I asked if there was a problem, as a way to hurry up the process. Suffice it to say, her response caught me a 'little' by surprise. "I'm sorry Sir, we can't let you board the flight!"
You know what they say about the best-laid plans? My Schengen visa had recently expired - on August 20, to be precise. Before we finalized the itinerary for the GLA Adventure, I had already reapplied for the visa since I'm due to attend the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September. When my visa was returned from the German Embassy, I only checked the date of expiry since I had applied for a two-year visa - I just assumed it would be valid effective immediately. Turns out, it wasn't! So, out of the 365 days of the year, there's a gap in the validity of my Schengen visa to the tune of 25 days - the exact days during which I was due to drive from Turkey to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria, before handing over to Ishan to carry on through Western Europe.
After much debate with the airline staff, I was able to board the flight and at least reach Istanbul for the start of this epic drive. I even woke up a Passport Control officer in the wee hours of the morning during my transit in Munich, but it was to no avail. Nevertheless, I would at least be a part of the start of this adventure, and would also get to explore Istanbul - a bustling metropolis that I had never visited before. Our first port of call in Istanbul was the cargo terminal at the airport to pick up the cars, which had arrived from Mumbai a few days prior. It was quite an experience to see these MH-number plate machines - the star of the show, the GLA, and our support car, the GL - on foreign soil. People looked at us a little quizzically as we drove these right-hand drive machines out of the airport - something they continued to do in the days following. And something I suspect they'll do the world over as we continue on this great voyage.
Anyway, back to Istanbul for the moment. We spent the first day getting the war paint as it were put on the cars - the GLAadventure decals. I have to say that the cars came out of the 3M centre in Istanbul looking tremendous; they certainly looked ready to take on the world. Our first stop the next morning was, of course, Hagia Sophia and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, commonly known as the Blue Mosque.
Hagia Sophia was previously a church - it was, in fact, the largest cathedral in the world for 1,000 years under the Roman Empire. It was later converted into a mosque under the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans obviously built the larger and grander Sultan Ahmed Mosque right across the plaza to show that they could do it bigger and better. Both structures are spectacular in their own right of course, and our two steeds looked pretty impressive posing in front of these historic structures.
The following day we picked up the pace a little, as our first stop of the day was the Istanbul Park - the Herman Tilke track famous for its four-apex Turn 8. With that being said, Turn 8 wasn't the only highlight of this spectacular circuit.
It truly is a drivers' circuit, in which the GLA felt right at home. It has fast, flowing bends, blind apexes, elevation changes, and all the characteristics to make it one of the greatest circuits in the world - and it's a real shame that it's not currently on the F1 World Championship calendar. It's definitely one of the greatest circuits I've ever driven on.
After Istanbul Park, we slowed it down a little by driving a home-grown Turkish machine - a 1969 Anadol coupe. Anadol produced cars from 1966 to 1991, and was Turkey's first domestic mass-production vehicle manufacturer. The car we drove belonged to a young enthusiast. While the quality of the restoration wasn't anything to write home about, and the 'engineering excellence' of the car is a contradiction really, it was heartening to see this 19-year old doing his level best to keep this piece of Turkish motoring heritage on the road. It also reminded us of the fact that you had to form a real bond with the cars of the past to drive them down the road - unlike the cars of today in which you simply turn the key and select 'Drive.' All told, it was a great experience.
In fact, exploring Istanbul from the driver's seat of the GLA was a pleasure. The drive over the Bosphorus Bridge was as beautiful as you would imagine. Tackling the somewhat manic Istanbul traffic, though, required skill and patience in equal measure. Istanbul truly is a proper bustling metropolis that never sleeps. It's a melting pot, and a meeting point for East and West. What better place, then, to commence the GLAadventure? Istanbul rightly set the tone for an exciting adventure ahead.
Know more about the Great OverLand Adventure here.
