Getting to Fez involved a ferry from Fethyie to Rhodes, a day wandering around the old city and Greek waterfront, a bus to the airport, …
Trapped in Paradise, The Coast of Turkey
It would be possible to spend months and months puttering around the Turkish coast exploring rocky beaches and waters glittering sapphire in the noonday sun. …
Calcium Travertine Illusions, Pamukkale
In the middle of the Western side of Turkey, there’s a hot spring that has deposited brilliant white travertine terraces and pools, calcium dripping over …
Art in Istanbul
I ended up heading back up to Istanbul for Hande and Arda’s openings. Both having just been signed to galleries, Hande had sculptures up at …
Phallic Volcanic Rocks and Underground Cities, Cappadocia
Atop an inactive volcanic site have grown fields and fields of phallic boulders. Twisting valleys lined with ripe apples, grapes, blackberries and pears proffer eerie …
An Iconic Skyline and Artist Friends, Istanbul
The night bus from Plovdiv dropped me in Istanbul in the wee hours of the morning, which meant that I got to the ferry dock …
A Symphony in a Roman Amphitheater and Many Figs, Plovdiv
Bulgaria hadn’t been on the itinerary until a bit later, but it turned out my friend Georgi was in Plovdiv visiting his family, so I …
Sufi Dancing and the Last Days of Ramadan
Back in Cairo before catching my onward flight, I climbed one of the minarets at old the city gate to look out over the sea …
Iftar on the Sea, Alexandria
Alexandria was probably my favorite city in Egypt. Smaller and less intense than Cairo with a fairly modern but still very Middle Eastern feel, the …
Thebes, now known as Luxor
On the site of ancient Thebes lies the city of Luxor, which is home most notably to the Karnak temple, the Valley of the Kings, and …
When you dam the Nile, you have to move the temples, Aswan & Abu Simbel
All the way up the Nile, on the southern border of Egypt lies the great temple of Abu Simbel, carved into a mountainside for Ramses …
Waiting for the Little Prince, Sahara
Given the number of times I’ve read The Little Prince I thought it only fair to make my way down to the Sahara to see …