Halló from Iceland, When Reykjavik was the venue for the 1972 World Chess Championship, that was during the height of the Cold War and Iceland offered neutrality when the two finalists were from each of the two superpowers. The building was pointed out . . . but it’s just a building: unremarkable really and not …Read More
Halló from Iceland, the origins of one’s people are usually not going to occupy much of our thoughts, especially if we think the argument is solved. Here in Iceland, the beginnings of their civilisation seemed to be cut and dry. The orthodoxy was that Norwegian Vikings settled here in 874 AD. The Vikings were forefathers …Read More
Witam from Poland, Why is it that tourists are drawn to Old Towns? It seems a paradox in an era when our civilisation is so heavily based on modernity, in finding solutions in the new and archaic irrelevance in the old. It’s not as if we are all strolling along the cobblestone pavements studiously comparing …Read More
Witam from Warsaw, A lot has already been written about the Holocaust and the concentration camps like Auschwitz and Birkenau in southern Poland. The truisms and homilies are all apt. It’s difficult to see what humanity the Nazis were drawing on here during World War 2. It’s great to see the large number of modern …Read More
Witam from Warsaw, Poland Warsaw was so badly damaged during World War 2 that the new government briefly considered not rebuilding the city. But it happened, and the transformation has been impressive by anyone’s standards. There’s another human story emanating from Warsaw that’s worth retelling. Little known outside Poland is the fact that the Nazis …Read More
Merhaba from Türkiye, If you are the type of traveller who eschews crowded places, the Türkish Riviera still has options for you. Not every resort destination has been spoilt by over-exploitation and congestion. And you will already know that there are marketing campaigns specifically tailored for you and your cohort. The best way to guess …Read More
Merhaba from Mount Nemrut, King Antiochus Ist wanted to live forever. Even though he was no more than a flesh and blood human like the rest of us, he believed he was destined to spend eternity with the gods. During his life as head of the kingdom of Commagene in south-eastern modern-day Türkiye, he planned …Read More
Merhaba from The Euphrates River Valley, Everything we understand about the roots of human civilisation is based on the accepted theory that the shift to agriculture led people to change from being nomadic to sedentary. And that it’s here in Mesopotamia that the first settlements occurred. Some theorists have recently sought to reverse the causation. …Read More
Merhaba from Trabzon, After the disappointment of Uzungöl, Trabzon itself is a rejuvenated pleasantry (especially when the sun is out). Whereas Uzungöl is presented – by 20-year old photos – as a bucolic paradise, Trabzon is unashamedly and unpretentiously a town. Towns are urban settlements which don’t have pretences. This is an urban settlement and …Read More
Merhaba from Trabzon, Farms are not natural places. They represent modified nature at best, but they are not natural. And urban settlements are decidedly less natural. So, why do travel agents promote either as retreats to nature? Uzungöl is a green valley in the steep hills above the Black Sea on Türkiye’s north coast. It’s …Read More