Istanbul is definitely one of the great cities in the world and Turkey has loads to offer. I was in Turkey for about 18 days or so, and I did not even scratch the surface partly due to time constraints and partly due to the fact that I am a sissy and can't stand cold weather. As a result, I did not even attempt to head to Eastern Turkey which is supposed to be like night and day different from Western Turkey. If you are looking for a place to spend two to six...

Highlights of the week include sleeping on a Minnie Mouse pillow and listening to Turkish Folk Songs (Folkloramma) in Antalya, Turkey. I also managed to visit some WWI battle sights, visit the ancient city of Troy (yes, there is a horse there), and visit Mary's House. I've commented in the past how the French really knew how to build a city. Well, they have nothing on the Romans and Ancient Greeks. These guys not only built some great places, but they...

I entered Israel with high expectations. I am happy to say that I left more impressed, more confused, and more interested than I thought I would be. If you try to figure everything out here, this place will blow your mind. It would definitely take a lifetime. Everything you see can be viewed from so many different perspectives (religious, political, economic, sociology, etc.), and depending on who is doing the viewing, an infinite number of opinions and conclusio...

It’s been a rough couple of weeks. In that time I’ve seen 3500 year old temples including King Tut’s and 5000+ year old pyramids. I’ve had dinners in the homes of local Egyptians and Nubian villages. I’ve floated down the Nile River in a felucca (sailboat), and visited WWII battle sites.  I’ve seen The Burning Bush and climbed to the top of Mount Sinai.  All of this while bouncing in between the beautiful coastlines o...

If you ever have two to three weeks of vacation available, then you should definitely put Jordan on your short list of places to visit. I promise that you will be very impressed. From checking out Moses' final resting place, to Jesus' Baptism Site, to Nubian civilizations (Petra), Crusader Castles, Lawrence of Arabia stuff, cool hiking, beaches, and finally the Dead Sea; the options of "things to see" are limitless, but as always, the people...