Uncategorized

Having a Turkish bath (hammam) is one of the experiences I was most looking forward to on this trip, and it went beyond my expectations. Istanbul seems to have as many Turkish baths as mosques so I chose a historic one near the hotel for my friend Dotty and I. We were led by female…

Jet lag was still with us for several more days but that didn’t prevent us from walking several miles in the popular Fatih neighborhood of Istanbul all weekend. Istanbul is a marvelous mixture of modernity and antiquity. I got my fill of people watching in the Grand Bazaar and allowed my senses to be overwhelmed…

The airport is a maddening scene of fibrillating activity. Like the spokes of a bicycle wheel leading from its hub, the airport connects people and places. People are tense, curt, exhilarated, filled with anxiety. They are either rushing around or waiting listlessly in endless lines. They play with their phones, eat expensive food they don’t…

Why I Travel According to contemplative traveler, Pico Iyer, travel releases us from our preconceived impressions of the world, at the same time that it humbles us. He says that racism and xenophobia result from not being exposed to cultures that are different from ours. But I would take this one step further. Most of…