Hello Dearest Chıldren of my heart I had forgotten about this lovely idea over the past few days and lamented the death of our facebook thread only to have one side of my brain remind the other that all, indeed was not lost. I am at the exact midpoint of my traverse and travails in Turkey. In 10 days I have made my way east along the southern border with Syria. Now I am in Van, a drab modern city built on the outskirts of the once flourishing Urastrian capital...

So, a few thoughts from Paris... First of all, I must confess though I chose the Eiffel Tower as my picture, I have not actually been to it yet! A month I know, but I'm trying to avoid the super touristy places. I went to the Champs Elysee this weekend with my mom and almost got run over by all the people trying to sell me little figures of the Arc de Triomphe or pictures of the Mona Lisa and have decided to avoid these areas for awhile. Instead I have picked...

Having your fortune read in a cup of coffee grounds by total strangers in the middle of nowhere is the kind of unmanageable risk guide books and worried mothers warn you against. This aversion is the first among many indications that this is, in fact, a wonderful idea, if you can manage it. On yet another foggy, rainy day in Istanbul, my first experience with the much touted "Bosphorus tour" put me in the kind of close contact with the loud-and-obnoxiou...