Dropping Friends at the Syrian Border
A beautiful followsummer memory! Sunday, May 23rd, 2004: Sanliurfa to Istanbul, Turkey N 40 ° E 029 ° We leave Sanliurfa about 9 a.m. – this will be a long day on buses for Greg and me. The first part, which takes 4 ½ hours...
Following the Coast of the Aegean, Southward.
We follow the coast of the Aegean southward, towards Selçuk, Turkey the sea as beautifully blue as every photo of it shows.
PHOTOS: Ephesus: Delightfully Deserted
Ephesus: Delightfully Deserted The ancient town of Ephesus started out Greek but was later rebuilt by the Romans. Our group, lead by Kiwi Jan (one of the early risers), decides to be out the door and arrive 8:30 and we are duly...
An Early Morning Visit to Ephesus
Our tour group is quickly figuring out each other’s quirks and quarks: who is an early riser, who likes to stay up for that extra Efes beer at night. Who eats breakfast and who doesn’t. The loners and the outgoing...
Traveling The Silk Road
from the followsummer archives Follow my blog with Bloglovin This morning seems a little warmer and Haluk has promised temperatures of up to 31° when we arrive at Mt. Nemrut. We are heading farther east today and have an 8-9 hour...
A Travel Day: Pamukkale to Dalyan, Turkey
A travel day – 3 different buses, 8 hours in all, with a 90-minute break for lunch in Fethiye, on the Mediterranean. Haluk takes us (by another bus) into the town centre of Fethiye, famed for its ice cream. We have reached the...
Idyllic Views Toward Greece in Kas, Turkey
3 more buses, another 5 hours, and we arrive in Kas, a beautiful town on the Mediterranean. We stroll the streets, lounging in the waterfront cafés, and we think this could be the Italian Riviera. It is really quite romantic....
Travel Photo: Ancient Roman City of Hierapolis
Pamukkale hosts another ancient Roman city, Hierapolis. We have been promised a thermal spring at the top of our climb over the travertines – calcified formations that cover the side of the mountain, but when we get there, we are...
Exploring the Ancient City of Hierapolis in Pamukkale, Turkey
What makes it stunning and different is that the springs have, in flowing down the mountainside over millennia, have formed travertines – calcified formations that cover the side of the mountain – from the road yesterday we...
Feeling Like Sultans at The Topkapi Palace
Topkapi is organized into 4 courtyards that go from most public to most private, which was the suite of the Sultan himself. Only the 1st and 2nd courtyards were accessible to the public, and the Sultan used to receive visiting...
At the Throne of the Gods, Atop Mt. Nemrut
Over 2,000 years after Antiochus died and almost as long after his tiny kingdom was conquered by and absorbed into the Roman Empire, Mt. Nemrut stands as a beautiful and powerful reminder of a brilliant, if somewhat egotistical,...
Last Day In Primošten
Like the pension in Forster’s “A Room with a View” our little villa keeps changing personalities. We all meet over breakfast and exchange our pleasantries. I find that it is either John or I that make the initial attempt at...
Raki Attack in Cappadocia, Turkey
Greg gently shakes me at 7:00 a.m. The bus is at the station. I discover that Greg and I have had the best night’s sleep of our group. Others have gotten off the bus are various stops through the night, have watched the police go...
Blaming The Gods
We have our Turkish breakfast this morning in the garden of the hotel. I say breakfast but it is more like lunch for us westerners. Black olives, a slice of feta, a hard boiled egg, cucumber, and tomato slices, all washed down...
An Athenian Sunday Wander on The Acropolis
Sunday in Athens. Today is the day, it seems when all Athenians take to the street to shop, walk, chat, gossip or sit in a café and drink coffee. Everyone is out doing something. We sleep in a little after our late night and...
Traveling in the Land of Charlemagne
N 51° E 003° Köln via Aachen to Gent: 303 kilometres Charlemagne is in evidence everywhere through these parts: his name, in its Latin, German, Dutch and Flemish forms appears on road signs schools, and bars as we drive through...
FSTravels NEWS 1.14.2018
This mid-January cold snap has us inside and feeling a little cabin fever. Perfect time to catch up on all the latest travel news! Stay warm everyone! TripAdvisor Reorganizes Business Units in Attempt to Revive Its Prospects...
Looking Down the Dardanelles Towards Gallipoli
There is confusion at 6:30 a.m. Haluk tells us this is the Turkish way. The shuttle that has arrived to take us to the public bus station is too full to fit the 8 of us. We stand around waiting while mobile calls get made and...
A Leisurely Bondi Beach Read: Last Days in Sydney, Australia
Our time in Sydney and indeed Australia unfortunately, is coming to an end. We find it hard to believe how quickly two months has flown by. Hot = Bondi! Our last couple of days has been easy going and relaxed. On Tuesday, the...
Awaiting the Tourist Season in Mykonos, Greece
The cobalt blue shutters of the hotels and small pensions are being cleaned and painted in anticipation of the blitz of tourists hotly anticipated to arrive on Mykonos. Canvas is being scrubbed and hung as shade against the...