A Long Weekend on the Lycian Way: Kaş to Üçağız
The Lycian Way is heaven for hikers. Its 540 kilometres following the ancient Lycian route between Antalya and Fethiye and provides plenty of chances...
PCR (Covid-19) Testing in Istanbul: Laboratories, Prices, & Experiences
The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely changed the way we travel... if we travel at all. Most yabangees live far away from their families and...
Memnun Oldum, Antakya
Some places in the world make you want to gush and at the same time bite your tongue, as if there were an unspoken...
Weekend Getaway: Xanthi & Thessaloniki (Part 2)
Part 2 focuses on Thessaloniki, Greece and is a continuation of part 1.
After another three hours of driving, our next stop was Thessaloniki. We checked in...
Alanya: The Mediterranean Jersey Shore
The Urban Dictionary defines cheesy as “unsubtle, inauthentic, and trying too hard.” Alanya, on the southern coast of Turkey, is a good case in...
Kısmet in Gaziantep
Breakfast was served in the courtyard beneath the citadel. Little plates of olives, tomatoes, peppers, white cheese, bread, butter, jam, as well as piping...
Patara: Capital of the Lycians
When you hear of Patara Plajı, the 20 km stretch of sand just west of Kalkan, your first thoughts may be of swimming, suntanning,...
Touring Turkey with Kids in a Camper Van
We are an English-Turkish family and we travel around in an old Mercedes bus that we converted ourselves to a camper van. A year...
Off the Beaten Track: Nine Vacation Spots in Turkey
Turkey is a country of immense diversity. This includes diversity of culture, geography, scenery, cuisine, art, and perspective. Throughout my time in Turkey I...
Camel Wrestling in Turkey
The long wait is over: The camels are in heat. Bright-yellow shawls are fetched from the back of the closet. It’s okay again to...
Izmir Chronicles: Izmir is Worth Visiting (Part I)
Having lived in Izmir for over a year, I can say that I truly love the expat life here. Many people ask what the city is...
Oman: Sun, Sand, Dates, and Opera
Oman had long been on my mind as my next quest overseas. The promise of dates, palm trees, sand dunes, bright, open, sun-tainted skies,...
Waymarking the Carian Trail – Part 1
Okay guys, we’ve all had enough of winter. The cozy appeal has washed away and we’ve had enough of staying inside, going to the...
Lost in Turkey: Lake Bafa
This little pocket of salty sea water trapped inland by ancient sediment accumulation has managed to retain all of its Aegean culture, with a...
Returning to Selçuk Year after Year: Camel Wrestling and Authenticity in...
There are certain constants that one can rely on when attending camel wrestling: The booze is always flowing, the camels are consistently covered in...
Green Getaway: Iğneada Longoz Forests National Park
About twenty minutes into our walk, our guide hushed us. We were about to enter the Iğneada Longoz Forests National Park, and he asked...
Weekend Getaway: Edirne
With the Children’s and Youth holiday coming up on 23 April and warmer weather upon us, many of you may be wondering where to...
Ani: A Timeless Beauty on the Edge of Turkey
I remember walking down the large avenues and neatly perpendicular streets of Washington, D.C. not too long ago, longing for old buildings and crooked...
Lost in Turkey: Nemrut Volcano
For those unfamiliar, this isn’t the Mount Nemrut of stone headed statue fame in the province of Adıyaman. I’m talking about the caldera-topped Nemrut...
Cave Escape: Nimara Mağarası
Nimara Mağarası is a fascinating, Neolithic era cave near Marmaris, in southwest Turkey. Though close to home, I’d only fantasied about this tactile wonderland...
Magnificent Monument to Raging Narcissism: Nemrut Dağı
Who said there was something wrong with megalomania and narcissism? Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos of Commagene certainly did not think so....
Getting to the Airport: More Than One Way to Getaway
Going on weekend getaways is one of the perks of living in Istanbul. The Mediterranean sun is just a hop, skip and a jump...
Weekend Getaway: Alaçatı
Despite Istanbul’s beauty, sometimes a break from its busy buzz and hassle is needed! A quick weekend gateway to one of Turkey’s less-frequented towns...
Weekend Getaway: The Green City of Düzce
Tired of the massive crowds of this crazy city or just sick of the usual vibes and having been everywhere already? Then you must...