After five days spent chasing Mehmet the Conqueror’s shadow in a scorching Istanbul, haunted by moody cats and hungry carpet sellers, we left for dusty Edirne. The second Ottoman capital is a sleepy town in the tiny, bland European Turkey, and renting a car was a challenge, since they hadn’t heard of one-way rentals, butContinue reading “COVID travels 2: Turkey’s heart.”
Category Archives: Traveling East
The Long Trip East
Our long trip east is over. After ten exciting days in Paris and Greece, then cruising East for seven weeks with 600 of our best friends, we’re back in Thailand. On the way, we stopped in Israel, Jordan, Oman, Emirates, Qatar, India, and Indonesia to explore. We walked the streets, ate the food, bargained andContinue reading “The Long Trip East”
It’s all Greek
Athens, the second stop on our long trip east, isn’t Paris. Just as Paris is profoundly Western in its gallic snotty attitude, rich flavor and fastidiousness, Athens belongs to the East. The sun is hotter, the streets narrower, the decibels roar. Neighbors shout at each other from across the street, motorcycles rev their stinky engines,Continue reading “It’s all Greek”
The one way ticket
I’ve been many places and done many things, but buying a one-way ticket? I’ve only done that once. Twenty-two years ago, when I left Romania with a kid and two suitcases. The second time is now, as we start our long trip east. We’ve been getting ready for weeks. We renewed our wills. I boughtContinue reading “The one way ticket”