TRAVELOGUERESS

I will now take a couple of weeks’ break from sharing snippets of my travel diaries and write about my recent short trips within England. England is really not about London or the big cities. It truly is about the English country side. The Lake District in Cumbria is a testament to that. Just an hour and half drive away from Manchester, you find yourself in serene and lush green countryside. The quaint villages are certainly special yet they don’t really compete with the fair

At the end of a road trip across Eastern and Central Europe in 1989, my parents and I had stopped over Salonika before crossing the border and entering Turkey. We had arrived in town late at night and were keen to go to sleep at the hotel where we had made reservations. However, the receptionist would not allow us to check-in because she had noticed that we had Turkish passports. In her opinion, we were not suitable to stay in that hotel. So late at night, we had to find a

I have been to Belgium for more than I have ever wished for. I now lost count. My trips were mainly for business in nature; and no very welcome. When you are in Belgium for work, you are mainly stuck in Brussels: easily the dullest, greyest, the most doggie city in Europe. It is actually quite sad that it is supposedly the “capital of Europe.” It is full of dark grey buildings. Streets are dirty and don’t feel safe at all. Weather is rainier and duller than London. The main a

It’s odd to be writing about Russia and Denmark at the same time. These two countries could not be more different. The reason for this combination is due to the fact that I got to see Denmark on my way to Russia. My mom had to make a business trip to St. Petersburg one August in my teens and my father and I had tagged along. My mom’s company did not want her to travel on the Russian airline, Aeroflot as it did not think the airline was safe and worthy enough to carry its empl

Each time before I go to Germany, I lack enthusiasm. I don’t know why. This feeling has no conscious basis. But each time I do go to Germany, I realise how silly I have been. Perhaps I subconsciously think that Germany and Germans can be cold and unwelcoming. This could not be farther than the truth. I have been to this country a number of times, during different periods of my life and each time I have been impressed by its charming beauty and convenience. Often German

Italy is a country I regret not documenting during my travels. It is very unfair to write a short blog about a country so rich in history, art, culture, cuisine, religion and landscape. It is an absolutely gorgeous place in every sense of the word and to an outsider the Italian life always appears pretty “Dolce Vita.” Yet, whenever I express my admiration for the beauties of the country to Italian friends, their reaction is usually one of disagreement. I guess for the locals,

Oh sunny Spain! It really is a beauty. It is modern yet full of historical character. You can experience all four seasons. You have beaches, you have mountains. You have cities full of art and life and you have idyllic villages with cobblestone pathways, maze-like narrow streets, mansions with heavenly courtyards, which could have jumped out of 1001 Nights stories. That’s why in many ways I find Spain to be very similar to my home country, Turkey despite all the many differen

The “Emerald Island”, true to its name is really emerald. The most dominant feature of the land is the rich and luscious green. Despite the weather being greyer and rainier than England even during the summer months, its reputation is not as bad as its neighbour across the Irish Sea. Perhaps because the stunning natural landscape, the bubbly and friendly people, angelic music and dance overshadow the climate. Whilst Dublin is not that different than any other European city, i

Eight years of probably the most important period of my life has been spent being cultivated in the French culture and language. As a devout student of French missionary schools in Istanbul, I always had a biased admiration toward the country, much to the dislike of people around me. As a young teenager, I dreamt of living and studying in Paris. I had the opportunity to first visit Paris when I was fifteen. It was cold, it was distant and it was grand. Yet, it had the romanti

Unfortunately, my visit to this magical place was during the darkest time of my life. I was physically and emotionally anguished by grief and anxiety. I still had to go due to various reasons. Given my state of mind and heart at the time, I could not bring myself to physically hold a pen and keep a diary. For this reason, I will leave it to you to enjoy one of most beautiful pieces of land and unquestionably the most romantic place on Earth through the pictures I have taken.