I’ve been waiting to write a post about Berlin and Munich. Most people who know me know that I’m in love with Munich. However, there is another city in Germany that can make me feel better than in Munich, Berlin. I’ve been thinking about why this is so and I’ve realized that if Munich is a mother scolding his son so that he doesn’t break her precious vase, Berlin is the son, who already broke the vase. In Berlin, people are comfortable with … [Read more...]
Astana: Whipping up a storm
This is the story of how Stalin lost his nose and why the face of former British prime minister Tony Blair pops up in the strangest places in a former Soviet republic. But first I want to tell you about Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. And later I’ll tell you about kyz kuu, a kind of lovers’ kissing game they play on the steppe of central Asia. Kazakhstan, independent since 1991, and squeezed between those other ‘stans’ (homelands) … [Read more...]
Spain: Help, Help me Ronda!
John M. Edwards gets vertigo and yells help in a lofty Andalusian precipice town where Walt Disney’s family supposedly originally came from. . . . Away from the ugly urbanization of Spain’s Costa del Sol, along scenic Highway 44, I arriveD in my leased “Europe by Car” vehicle via Marbella to Ronda, one of the most beautiful villas blancos (“white villages”) in the Andalusian countryside. Perched, this improbably fantastic nest persists on … [Read more...]
Turkey Day in Turkiye
John M. Edwards, a Mayflower descendant, becomes a pilgrim in Turkey Originally I was going to write about haggling with friendly, but aggressive, Turkish merchants over carpets and kilims, amidst endless rounds of little glasses of thé du menthe–until I realized everyone else had already exhausted this topic. The gist: you end up getting ripped off, but you like the carpet anyway. Then I thought I’d write about the wonders of Instanbul, … [Read more...]
A Trace of Thrace: Balkan Adventure
In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, John M. Edwards snitches on the mystery-shrouded Balkans’ best-kept secret: an ancient (and enduring) heresy I was on the way slow train from Budapest through the Balkans, on my way to Bulgaria, chainsmoking and guzzling Egri Bikavier (Bull’s Blood) wine, when the train came to a juddering halt and was boarded by heavily armed Serbian soldiers. A Serb with an impressive handlebar moustache and an assault rifle demanded … [Read more...]
Greek Isles and Turkey
The Greek Isles and Turkey is a voyage that is best experienced on a sailing ship. I had visited the Greek Islands and Turkey before, but never on a yacht with sails. This was also my first experience on Wind Star, a 148 passenger, four deck vessel with six self-furling, bridge-operated sails. It seemed as if the sea and the ports were custom made for this smaller ship allowing passengers to fully experience the areas just as they were centuries … [Read more...]
Capital of Ghosts
What was Parisian-Style Boulevards, Empty Eight-Lane Highways, and Chistendom's Highest Chuch-All Dead Ending in Jungle? I was working for a magazine in Abidjan, the principal city of Cote d’Ivoire (better known as the Ivory Coast), when some co-workers and I set off on a pilgrimage to one of the strangest ghost towns in Africa: Yamoussoukro. The official capital of the country since 1983, this modern “lost city” is the architectural … [Read more...]
Picnicking in Istanbul
Picnicking in Istanbul. As the city heats up during the summer months, folks in Istanbul like going to green spaces for picnicking with family and friends. Turks, in fact, are quite the experts when it comes to laying out a really good picnic spread. It's something of a national obsession, and you'll find thousands of piknik yeri, or picnic grounds scattered across the country. Public spaces tend to cater to picnickers, with some riverside spots … [Read more...]
Seville with Children
The temperatures are getting colder and the skies are grey. However, the south of Spain, Andalusia to be exact is probably still significantly warmer than other regions. It is a good bet to rent apartments in Seville if you would like to spend a few days in a warmer climate. When you are travelling with the whole family it can be challenging to please everyone at all times. The main motives for city travelling are often culture related and … [Read more...]
Lost in the City of Dreams
I had long been promising myself a visit to Istanbul, European Capital of Culture for 2010. So with the Bayram festival now approaching and the summer sun warming the earth, I couldn't resist a visit to this most ostentatious city of spires, a fabulously inspiring metropolis of imperial dreams; and it was only a magic carpet ride away. I arrived exhausted but excited, my heart in my hands here at the epicentre of three empires. Straddling two … [Read more...]
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