#3457 Pedaling to Isolation and Back on Buyukada in Istanbul, Turkey

Summer homes on the north face of Buyukada taunt the sprawl of Istanbul across the water. The most opulent Ottoman houses of varnished wood cluster around the port. Riding east, toward peaks on the horizon, the buildings grow sparse. Wooded places intrude with their pine needles and wildflowers, then a Greek cemetery appears, crosses sun washed and neglected. A skittish colt stands in the road while its mother glares. A few miles on, the isle narrows, rocky and deserted—a place of exile: here Byzantine pretenders died in comfort and Trotsky fled from Stalin's purges. At the cape, only trees and the shrill conversation of gulls—an odd, peaceful place to rest before pedaling back toward civilization.