Remembering my adventures
APRIL 13-14, 2025 The city of a thousand windows. The first thing we noticed when we pulled into Berat was the houses stuck like barnacles to the side of a cliff, with an old castle on top. The second thing we noticed was that our Airbnb was one of those houses. We went up a... Continue Reading →
APRIL 9-13, 2025. Our initial impression of Tirana was not good at all. First of all, the road into town had a speed limit of 50 kph. Our taxi was going 110 and cars were passing us like we were standing still. Then the taxi driver got lost and started losing her mind. She was... Continue Reading →
DECEMBER 11-14, 2024 Our plane landed late at night. We caught a taxi to our Airbnb. Even though the host had given us good directions, they were not so good. It was "Electra road opposite Royal Rose Hotel beside the ADNOC petrol pump". The Royal Rose Hotel was actually a block away, the petrol pump... Continue Reading →
DECEMBER 7-10, 2024 DECEMBER 7-10, 2024 We got back to Istanbul by bus. From the bus station we thought we had negotiated a price from the taxi to take us to our guesthouse. I kept telling him I wanted the meter. He kept insisting that the meter would be more than he was charging. Bullshit!... Continue Reading →
DECEMBER 4 - 8, 2024 On a hill opposite Çanakkale there is a huge mural of a soldier and a torch. An inscription reads "Stop, Traveler, This Land You Came Without Knowing and Treaded, Is Where an Era Sunk." It is the first two lines of a poem commemorating the Canakkale Victory in WW1. On... Continue Reading →
NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 3, 2024 Ephesus is a place I have long wanted to go to. I always felt it would be cool to walk the streets of where the people that the apostles preached to actually lived. Paul wrote his letters to the Ephesians around 60 AD. It is also one of the... Continue Reading →
NOVEMBER 25 - 29, 2024 Pamukkale had been on my bucket list for over 20 years. The first time I saw a picture of this place, I thought it was fake. Now here I am! Pamukkale means "cotton castle" in Turkish, and indeed the place looks like it is made of snow white cotton candy.... Continue Reading →
NOVEMBER 16 - 24, 2024 A note about the long bus ride: First of all, they are cheap! Secondly, the seats are more comfortable than an airplane. They are wide and recline with lots of leg room. Thirdly, they serve snacks. They stop often enough to stretch and go to the bathroom. The land of... Continue Reading →
NOVEMBER 12 - 16, 2024 We had to go to the Turkish side of Cyprus to catch a flight to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. Our Airbnb had arranged a taxi to pick us up. It was really well organized. He sent a video of which door to exit the airport and where to wait outside.... Continue Reading →
NOVEMBER 11, 2024 We ventured over to the north, Turkish side, of Nicosia one afternoon. We had to produce our passports leaving the Greek side, then again on the Turk side. Nothing was stamped, as we were still in Cyprus, just different parts. It was like walking through the Twilight Zone. The modern buildings and... Continue Reading →
An Old Lady with a Backpack 