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...]
Category: Travel Stories
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...]
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...]
Return to Amman Jordan – Middle East Living
The lovely and ancient Roman Theater in Amman Jordan It is interesting to be finally back in the middle east and one of my now favorite places Amman Jordan. Cities of the world are known for so many things, and I try to think about the distinctive thing that I think about when I imagine Amman and perhaps it is the city of hills. If you have … [Read more...]
Stories from a Car Rental Agency – Jordan
The following was the lovely conversation of trying to get a car rental reservation from one of the local car rental agencies.. Me: “We are interested in renting a car, we just want to see what cars you have, prices, availability, etc...” Them: “Yes we have cars...we have nissan sunnies...” Me: “Ok....how much are the cars?” Them: “Hold on … [Read more...]
A Spring Ski Weekend in Zermatt – Day Two
The tough part about quick weekend trips is that the days end up being really long as you try to fit everything in. This weekend was no exception as we attempted to rise early (after a semi-ok night sleep, and loud music playing from our upstairs hostel neighbors) to get back out on the slopes and get a day’s worth of skiing in before our train to … [Read more...]
State of the Blossom: Washington DC
Mr. Speaker, Vice President, members of the blog community, distinguished readers, and fellow photographers. It’s spring time and that means Cherry Blossoms here in DC and many parts of the world and that means it is time for flowers. Nothing seems to light up DC more than the annual blooming of the cherry trees. I’ve been getting a … [Read more...]
Travel Show and Cherry Blossoms — Washington DC
As part of my quest to really start to explore the areas around where I live and to keep up with the travel bug, I decided to check out the Travel and Adventure Show this past weekend in Washington DC. The Travel and Adventure show is an annual show that showcases travel companies and destinations in several US cities (Atlanta, Dallas, … [Read more...]
My Mishaps in Croatia – Part 3
The end of my crazy little day in Zagreb and Plitvice National Park. Just for those following along who may want to know how it ended. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven't yet. She began to explain the situation to me before realizing I didn’t understand her. I usually end up with my "go to response" of just appearing like … [Read more...]
My Mishaps in Croatia – Part 2
Sorry I had to break the posts up. I'm in England at the moment and if I don't separate them a bit I won't ever get it finished. For those who may not have followed this is a continuation of my quick trip to Croatia for a day that definitely did not go as planned. If you want to know how it began check out Part 1. OK so now … [Read more...]
My Mishaps in Croatia — Part 1
I figured that while I had a few full days in the former Yugoslavia I would take the chance and see as much as I could on my list. One of those high on my list of places for a while was to get over to Plitvice National Park in Croatia. It was going to be a bit of a hike, but I wanted to go so I figured I would spend Saturday in Croatia, … [Read more...]
How a 70 Minute Flight can Exceed a 12 hour Train Ride
So I decided to take a flight to Warsaw instead of the 12 hour overnight flight. It was nearly the same price too, which was fantastic. And for some reason I figured my 70 minute flight on LOT airlines would be shorter…oh how wrong I could be. It all started rather mundane, getting to the airport in Budapest, checking into security … [Read more...]