It was Saturday. The weather was chilly and cloudy, an early spring morning in Istanbul. I stood on the corner, munching on bread, trying to figure out where I wanted to explore this day. Just your average Saturday morning that you often have while traveling and wandering. It wasn’t even noteworthy to photograph; places I had been so many times … [Read more...]
Category: Turkey
Overpriced Cabs and Crazy Old Temples in Sanliurfa, Turkey
Şanlıurfa or Urfa for short is one of those places that seems to defy logic, somewhere so old that really there don’t exist accounts of places before Urfa probably existed. It’s name has changed over the time but it is believed for instance as the birthplace of the prophet Abraham and prophet Job, and there are ruins nearby that are believed … [Read more...]
To the Border – Turkey
“Is the gate open today?” “What gate?” “The gate at the border” “What border?” The Syrian guy looked at me like I was an idiot as the mini-bus wheezed out of the station. My Arabic almost coming out as second nature given that it was the only language I could successfully speak in this area of Turkey. I realized quickly around me that everyone … [Read more...]
Mount Nemrut and Beyond – Turkey
There is very little to do in Adiyaman you almost wonder why any would come here. If it wasn’t for the nearby Mount Nemrut National Park very few probably would. We arrived here on the morning bus unsure of how we were going to move forward. So what is Mount Nemrut and why would you come here? Honestly before coming I really only knew it … [Read more...]
East to Gaziantep Turkey
The flight is leaving in a few hours. Is it enough time to make it? Yeah, but we have to hurry. I have been in Istanbul for a few days now, visiting friends, stuffing my face full of delicious food, and trying not to melt in the searing summer weather, but I haven’t really ventured far outside the city yet. One of my friends here … [Read more...]
Haydarpasa Gar – Hejaz Railway Beginning – Istanbul Turkey
Sitting alone in the café in Jordan I was working hard to try to plan my holiday travels. Holiday from Holiday travels perhaps is the proper term as I was on Holiday in Jordan (although studying Arabic). After purchasing my tickets and telling friends I was going to Turkey one of my friends from my old Jordan visit told me that I must visit … [Read more...]
50 things to see and do in Istanbul
There really is no definitive list of things to do in Istanbul. Honestly Istanbul is so large and so interesting that such a list would probably be endless. But I wanted to share a few interesting experiences that a traveler might want to indulge in during their stay in the incredible world city. You’ll find millennia of history among its ruins and … [Read more...]
Visiting Rumelian Fortress – Istanbul Turkey
Where’s that? When my friend recommended we go to Rumelian Fortress I was surprised I had no idea what that place was. Even my other friend who is living in Istanbul had not heard of it either. It wasn’t until I actually saw the place did I realize I had seen it from afar. That fortress on the hill from all the boat ride along … [Read more...]
On Returns and Turkey
I enjoy going back to places I have been before, particularly those like Istanbul which are just too big to fully appreciate or understand in one trip. Heck I’m fairly certain a place like Istanbul would need more than a lifetime to do that properly. This trip around being Eid, and being off from my classes (There are two Eids celebrated … [Read more...]
Whirling Dervishes in Istanbul Turkey
One of the main sights I had hoped to see while I was in Turkey was the famous Whirling Dervishes. Sadly most of the Semas put on in Istanbul are little more than tourist or dinner shows, and I didn’t care to see a tourist show if at all possible. To see a real one would be much more difficult and I did not have the time to travel to more … [Read more...]
A Perfect Day at the Hamman
We arrived at the Turkish Bath (Hammam) in the early afternoon, both of us looking forward and wondering what it entailed. There are many Turkish baths in Istanbul of course but we decided to try one of the more famous ones the Cagaloglu Hamam which was recommended by many travel guides and apparently is one of the 1000 places to see before … [Read more...]