Turkey - a study in contrasts. From the incredibly diverse landscapes to the fact that it is the one country that straddles two continents - Europe and Asia, this is a place with neighbors like Bulgaria, Syria, Iraq, Greece;  a history of trade and relationship building, fortunate enough to be rich in resources and from all outward appearances a really thriving economy. It all seemed to be happening in Turkey.The people we met on our journeys were also the m...

One year later and I am back in Istanbul. As I try and write this - nearly three weeks late, it reinforces why I write my blog. So much happens in a day, in a week when I travel that, if I don't try and record some of it, it is gone...until I look at some pictures. Even then, many funny things I want to remember often are lost until I see something or smell something and it comes back.So, as memory serves me....I got here by flying Turkish Airlines (wow ...

Istanbul with Andrea - A week of laughing.  Andrea and I met in Vietnam last year: we spent a couple of days cycling through the rice paddies in Nimh Binh. She is 35, Dutch, works for government, lives in the city of Arnhem and is an only child. Her parents live in a tiny village between Arnhem and Amsterdam and they are adorable.The Dutch election was on while I was in Amsterdam. Andrea had lots of election related tasks and had been working long days so...