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Tears for Turkey
The thing about having been to 22 countries is that it has caused me to have a more global perspective. I seem to take international news much more personally than a lot of people I know. In a time when there is so much violence in the world, this can be a bit overwhelming. While…
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Underground Cities
It seems they’ve just found a 5 million square foot ancient city under the Nevşehir province of Turkey. That’s amazing news, but it doesn’t surprise me at all, because I’ve been to Nevşehir. After learning about the Cappadocian Kingdom, founded by the Hittites, then taken over by the Assyrians, the Mendes, the Persians, the Ariarthes…
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Epic Journey
If you read no other blog besides this one (I’m so freakin’ modest), you absolutely must check out that of Paul Salopek on the National Geographic website. He is the man who is taking the Out of Eden Walk, a seven year, 21,000 mile journey from the cradle of civilization in Ethiopia to the tip…
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Kayaköy, a Turkish Ghost Town
Relocation is in the forefront of my mind these days, as I just moved to Washington State from Florida. This made me recollect something I hadn’t thought of in years, the ghost towns of Turkey. There are many of them. Because of the Greco-Turkish War from 1919-1922, Turkey would like us to believe that there…
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The Bird Village of Kuşköy, Turkey
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I LOVE learning new things! Somehow, during my random meanderings down the cyber highway, I came across a story about a mountain village in a remote region of Turkey where the people use a very interesting form of communication. They call it the bird language, and…
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It’s No Honeymoon
I heard recently that the tradition of having a honeymoon after one gets married has some very nefarious origins. Back when abducting the bride from a neighboring village or tribe was even more commonplace than it is today, it was a good idea for the man to hide the woman for a couple of weeks.…
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The Past, Present and Future of War
If I were an historian, I think an interesting exercise would be to see if I could pinpoint one day in history, just one single precious day, when no country on earth was at war. I think it would be a lot harder to find than any of us would care to believe. Having said…
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Those Moments
That moment when you realize that you’re a fundamentally decent person: It’s a lovely spring day and you’re having a picnic in the park with your boyfriend and your two dogs. Along comes a crack addict with her mortified 4 year old in tow, and from 50 yards away she starts screaming at you that…
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Perfect Moments
Andy Warhol said that we’d all get 15 minutes of fame. To that I say, “Pffft, what’s the point?” If you’re the type that wants fame, having only 15 minutes of it would be cruel at best. Fortunately, fame is not nearly as important to me as experiencing perfect moments in time. Have you ever…
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Foreign Travel Advice for Americans
Recently my amazing nephew contacted me for travel advice. I have been to 19 countries to date, so he figured I’d have some useful information. I’d forgotten what it was like, planning my first overseas trip. Those were the days. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years, but I’d…