The people that created the theater of Pergamon really dared to dream big.
Besides the theater, Pergamon (Bergama) also had the second biggest library of the ancient world!

We were hungry that night. We walked the 3 kilometers from our campsite to the village to buy some food. It had rained, heavily. The little road was more or less damaged. It started to get dark.

We passed a restaurant in the village, where we spot a table filled with vegetarian dishes. Innumerable mezes, stews, salads and fresh bread, enough for at least 20 or 30 people. It was obvious that there was a private party about to begin.

But, we couldn’t stop ourselves from asking if it was possible to buy a plate.

That’s how we got invited to join a Turkish birthday party in Ayvalik. People came from everywhere. Some spoke English, some didn’t. We communicated in every way we could. We sang “Happy Birthday” in Swedish, we laughed, we ate, we drank.

In the end of the night, somebody offered us a drive home (luckily, since we could barely walk after the most amazing meal we’ve had for months), provided us with a few kilos of fresh mandarins and bread, and in our pocket we had a note with an invitation for brunch the day after.

We fell asleep that night with a smile upon our lips. Once again, we’d experienced it:

The world is a friendly place!

Ali walked up to us while we were trying to get a ride from Izmir to Ayvalik.
He seemed truly worried and tried his best to help us.
After using all English he could recall and every gesture known to man, he ended up inviting us for tea.

This is Ali.

Once we entered his home, there was no turning back.
Ali asked his mother if she had some good vegetarian food that we could eat.
She made us a delicious Turkish meal: vegetable stew with rice, cheese and bread.

This is Ali with his mother and father.

After that, we had some tea. We practiced English, and talked about what we’re doing, and Ali’s dreams. We played with his nephews, and had some snacks.
Then they invited us to stay over night.
Their generosity was overwhelming and honest.

This is the bed where we slept.

Later on that night we taught Ali our version of the Chicken Dance, and learned another one from him.

As you can see, we had a great time!

Ali is a 30 year old, empathic, fun, curious, outgoing and open-minded guy who lives in Izmir, Turkey.

He works in a local factory and has a university degree.
His biggest dream right now is to find a pretty Swedish woman and move to Sweden with her.

If you’re searching for (or know someone who is searching for) a handsome, humorous and generous Turkish man, Ali is the perfect match.

Contact us and we’ll help connecting you!

We crossed the Bulgarian border by foot. The border consists of a huge bridge that goes over the Danube.
When we reached the first gate, we met a border police named Bogdan.
He stood straddled, as a dark silhouette, arms to his sides with his back straight.
– “Stop! Hold it! Passport control!” He held up his hand towards us as a stop signal.
We looked at each other, smiled and handed him our passports.

– “Ah… Swedish! Welcome to Bulgaria!”
– “Guttland… is that Gothenburg? Gothenburg?”
– “No no no… Here… take a look at our pin!” We tried to show him a pin that said “Gotland”.
He shook his head, leaned backwards and shook his pointing finger. He really didn’t want to see it.
Obviously, he thought that we were trying to bribe him. We didn’t ask for anything though…

He seemed a bit like Forrest Gump.
Posted at a station where almost no one will ever be likely to pass by foot.
We tried showing him a piece of paper to inform him about the URL to this site.
He just repeated “No no no no no!” and shook his finger.

Previous Adventure Excerpts:

• Meet Zoli