In the shade…
Took a walk around the historical stuff again today. Acropolis, the agoras… …so many of the old stories that I was told come flooding back. Its really true: you remember…
Two peas in a pod…
…or two grapes on a vine, if you will. Or two dogs in a window surrounded by grapes on a vine. I mean, its all Athens. For a short time…
To be home again…
…yet I am thousands of miles away. But to me, this feels very much like “home.” Somehow, Greece feels just as much of “home” as my University back in Arkansas…
Catch-up to get ahead…
Pardon an indolent shot today, but this has been a day of catch-up and get-ahead. And if by “indolent” I mean that I was being so lazy that I walked…
To close this chapter…
Sorry, a little artsy, I know. But the Eiffel Tower at night really is kinda cool… I had lunch with my friends at the Baroque Room at the Musee D’Orsay…
Back to familiar…
In these travels, I love to visit new places constantly – like I have been for the past few weeks. But sometimes its good to go back to familiar ground.…
Early rising…
I cannot tell you what it is like to awake to the sound of the morning call to prayer from the hundreds of mosques within earshot of my hotel-room window.…
Minor even is major…
For a place steeped in history to the level of a city like Istanbul, even the minor churches – the ones that are way off the tourist’s maps – are…
As I see Istanbul…
…like this: This is a black and white city. It is gorgeous in black and white. The places… …the people… …its all beautiful. And beautifully complex. Now, for the nerdy…
Warm receptions…
Oh, for my companions, this title would be a horrible pun… This morning we spent some time at a Yemeni woman’s house for coffee. Well, with the 114ºF heat and…
Markets and suuq’s…
Countries in this part of the world rely on markets so much more than the average American can understand. I guess they can kind of grasp the idea of markets…
A completely different world…
We changed time zones, we changed languages, we even changed overall color of the scenery around us – oh, and not to mention its 110ºF in the shade. With a…