Rocking the Boat

August 21, 2012 6 Comments »

Taking a leap

  I boarded the Selin 3 and surveyed the deck. This little deck will be our home for 15 people for the next 2 days. I started to get slightly claustrophobic as we pulled away from the Kas harbor. I sat on one of the blue cushions on the front deck and surveyed my surroundings. […]

Istanbul’s Water Under World

August 17, 2012 17 Comments »

I feel beads of sweat roll down the nook of my back, and I think why did I come to Istanbul in July again? Maybe visiting this crowded city in the heat of the summer wasn’t the best idea – but I’ve never been one to let weather stop me from visiting somewhere. After all, […]

Testing the Lycian Way

August 16, 2012 14 Comments »

lycian way thru hike turkey

It was the last week of the Camino de Santiago and I had left Sarria and walked 25 km for the day to the next big town. Since I had spent a rest day in Sarria all of my familiar friends had walked ahead of me and I was once again left to make new […]

The Ultimate Scrub Down

August 14, 2012 12 Comments »

I lay on the hot marble all alone taking deep labored breaths. My breathing seems to echo throughout the white dome. The two large old women who were wearing panties only had left me about 25 minutes ago from what I could tell – or was it 10 minutes – I felt as if I […]

Farm to Market

August 9, 2012 15 Comments »

potato

“We’ll have to leave early in the morning and walk to the train station tomorrow because the bus can’t pick us up. “ instructed our Intrepid Travel guide Yenner. “The Saturday market is setting up in the morning and all of the roads are closed.”I looked at the main street in front of our guest […]

A Room with a View Istanbul

August 7, 2012 6 Comments »

window

“Beep, beep, beeeeep!” I leap up off the bed and run to the window wondering what in the world is going on 3 stories below me. I’m not on a big highway – I’m staying in a studio apartment on a tiny little one-way street made of uneven cobblestones. I’m startled to hear so much […]

Ephesus – A Personal View

August 2, 2012 17 Comments »

Ephesus library columns

I hear her whisper to herself – “Isn’t it just beautiful.” And let out a sigh of amazement. I follow her sight line and looked at the columns and ruins. I rub my eyes and try to refocus and free my mind – but I have nothing. “I can see it, don’t you see it?” […]

Whirling in Religion

July 31, 2012 13 Comments »

We arrived at the Dervish Lodge of Karabash-i Veli and I was full of anticipation. Intrepid Travel had arranged for us to see a very local experience of Turkey’s whirling dervish culture. I was busy trying to arrange my scarf over my head in order to be in compliance with the cultural norms for this religious […]

My Big Fat Turkish Vacation

July 26, 2012 7 Comments »

sunrise over cappadoccia

Everyone has parts of their job that they dislike – even if your job is your passion. Not everything can be lollipops and unicorns ALL the time. For me, it’s the hours spent online trying to figure out my next move, the cheapest airfare, where I will sleep, how to get around, where to find […]

Sheer Beauty

June 29, 2012 11 Comments »

The view out my window

I have this adoration with the window in my Istanbul apartment – a light, sheer curtain, covers it providing a filter to the outside world.  I leave the window open fully to let the fresh breeze blow through the upper floor room I’m renting this first week in Istanbul as I catch up on writing […]