TRAVELOGUERESS

The colour of water at Porto Katsiki and Kathisma is as if a higher power used a unique palette only for this corner of the Mediterranean. C

As my husband wished to be somewhere sunny and warm over the Christmas holidays, within Europe (as it is particularly difficult to travel with two little kids), we chose the island of Mallorca. Luckily, throughout the week, even though the evenings were chilly, during the day the temperatures reached beyond 20 C and under the sun, it was sometimes burning hot. Besides being a place where one is able to get some Vitamin D in mid-winter, Mallorca has plenty of cities, villages,

When I was about 10 years old, we went to Northern Cyprus as an extended family holiday. By extended, I mean uncles, aunts, cousins. My parents and I flew there from Istanbul. We were warned not to get a stamp on our passports but on a separate sheet of paper as otherwise, this would jeopardise any future travel into Greece. We were later joined by our extended family in our hotel in Girne. They had arrived on a ferryboat from the Mediterranean cost of Turkey. It had ta

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

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

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.

I had never questioned why the British prefer to holiday and retire in sunny and warm countries. A rat-race life in a country with dull and cold weather takes its toll. However, once I visited Cornwall, I started questioning. If your country offers you a location which boasts natural beauty, sea, sandy beaches, occasional sunshine and a charming, easy-going life style, would you bother with going to a place where you don’t speak the language and know nothing about the healthc

Can you imagine a place, which is grey, dark, windy and cold in August and still beautiful? Well, I found it and that’s Edinburgh. There is something about Edinburgh that one cannot easily put one’s finger on. It is striking, mystifying, modern and yet historical. The town is so graceful and picturesque that you easily forget that you are freezing in the gusty and chilly August wind. It is quite amazing how a country can be so different than the ones it shares its land with:

Malta is a rocky island stuck in between Europe and Africa where green is rare to find. Due to its historical connections with the Ottomans, I had always wanted to explore this country. As soon as we arrived in the airport lounge, the Maltese language grabbed my attention. First, the language sounds a bit like Turkish, then it transforms itself into Arabic and finally into Italian. Malta’s geographical location and its history may be the cause of this blend of Italian and Ara