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
Merhaba from the Datςa Peninsula, At what point – at what moment – does a place cross the threshold from Paradise to Paradise Lost? The evidence here in these coastal towns in southern Türkiye that it’s a function of population. Here on the Mediterranean coast the beautiful climate, the turquoise water and the picturesque scenery …Read More
Merhaba from Ephesus, Colleague Bill is an expatriot American who says, “I’ve never been interested in the tourist thing”. He’s talking about the way we’ve become mobile leisure travellers with lots of spare cash and lots of spare time. Few of us can enunciate why we go to places like Ephesus. For most, it’s not …Read More
Marhaban fi alardin from Jordan, I’m barrelling down the Dead Sea Road, travelling a little more cautiously than the impatient Jordanian drivers. It’s a long, long steep descent from Amman to the lowest point of dry land on Earth: 430 metres below sea level. I’m testing the claim that one can float in the Dead …Read More
Zdraviete from Sofia, Bulgaria, The surest way to galvanise a restless people is by creating a martyr. Killing the leader of a popular movement is a guarantee of ultimate failure. Crumbling empires and corrupt regimes often resist what seems in retrospect to be an irresistible force of people power by eliminating the most vocal opponent. …Read More
Kalimera from Cyprus, If a woman asks, “Do you think I’m pretty?” and you answer, ” . . . from certain angles . . .”, would she be satisfied with your response? Probably not. If we perceive beaches as potentially beautiful places – and rank them on their beauty – we might be inviting the …Read More
Kalimera from Nicosia, Cyprus is an island divided. When I vouchsafed to Turkish friends that I was off to Cyprus for a vacation, no fewer than three asked – without the interference of any other small talk – “Do you like gambling?”. The answer is an emphatic “no”. The unsolicited questions about gambling were puzzling …Read More
Merhaba from Istanbul, It’s a mistake to suppose that modern market theory is all new and modern. The Harvard Business School have a vested interest in us all believing that they have a monopoly on business wisdom but the touts here in Istanbul have been adopting pro-active marketing techniques here for centuries; long before the …Read More
Kalimera from Crete, Carnevale in Greece? There’s a strong recommendation to pay a visit to Rethymno for “the second largest Carnevale in Greece”. There’s a feeling of impending festivity in Heraklion but the action is said to be in Rethymno. It’s difficult to know what to expect but that’s just the appeal on this occasion. …Read More