Evenings in Athens
After spending three days in Istanbul, I headed to Athens, Greece. This is what I saw when I got there... It might surprise you to know...
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The Blog.
I post bi-weekly about writing, editing, teaching, and travel.
May 18, 20234 min read
Galata Tower
My guide and I parted ways after visiting the Galata Mevlevi House Musuem—she to see her mother-in-law, and I to check out Galata Tower. ...
May 14, 20233 min read
Rumi's Whirling Dervishes
“Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.” ― Rumi A trip to Istanbul is incomplete without mention of the 13th...
May 4, 20233 min read
Across the Sea of Marmara
Say Istanbul and a seagull comes to mind Half silver and half foam, half fish and half bird. — Rahmi Eyuboglu, Turkish painter and poet...
Apr 30, 20233 min read
Fener and Balat
After visiting the Patriarchate of Constantinople, my guide and I wandered around two of the oldest neighborhoods in Istanbul, Fener and...
Apr 23, 20233 min read
The Patriarchate of Constantinople
My third and final day in Istanbul started with a visit to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, or the Patriarchal Church of St. George,...
Apr 20, 20232 min read
The Turkish "Evil Eye"
In addition to the amazing food in Turkey (more on that later), one of the first things I noticed in Istanbul were the Turkish Evil Eye...
Apr 16, 20234 min read
The Wisdom Line
This post is a little different than my recent ones. In it, I share the misadventures of my second full day in Istanbul. I didn't take...
Apr 13, 20233 min read
The Grand Bazaar
After leaving Topkapi Palace, my guide took me to the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is quite close to the New Mosque and Spice Market,...
Apr 9, 20233 min read
Topkapi's Fourth Courtyard
In my previous few posts, I introduced Topkapi Palace, its Second Courtyard and Harem, and the Third Courtyard. In this final post, I...
Apr 6, 20233 min read
Topkapi's Third Courtyard
In my previous two posts, I introduced Topkapi Palace and then went into detail about the Second Courtyard and Harem. In this post, I...
Apr 2, 20234 min read
Topkapi's Second Courtyard and Harem
This past Wednesday, I introduced Topkapi Palace as the home of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire from the 1460s until 1856, when a new...
Mar 30, 20232 min read
Intro to Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace is huge, and, as it is Wednesday, I do not have to go over all of it today. Instead, I will provide a brief introduction...
Mar 26, 20232 min read
Hagia Irene
My second day in Istanbul started with a peak inside Hagia Irene. The Eastern Orthodox Church, which sits in Topkapi Palace's outer...
Mar 15, 20233 min read
Old City Sights
Old City Corner I spent three full days in Istanbul. At 8 a.m. each day, I met my tour guide, Gamze, at the Starbucks at Taksim Square. ...
Mar 5, 20234 min read
The Hippodrome of Constantinople
Ruins of the Hippodrome, from an engraving by Onofrio Panvinio in his work De Ludis Circensibus (Venice, 1600). The same morning I saw...
Mar 2, 20231 min read
Perspective
Hagia Sophia from the Bosporus Strait. I had a birthday yesterday. Getting older every year. I got the cutest card from the cutest...
Feb 25, 20236 min read
Hagia Sophia
Note: I am no historian or expert on this structure or region. As such, I am referencing History.com for most of the information...
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