Unrest in Turkey, too?
“These protests that are spreading throughout the Arab world, will they hit Turkey?” A curious American citizen asks my fake alter ego, a Turkish affairs scholar sought after by the media for quotes. “No, no. Highly highly unlikely, anyway” my fake alter ego, with a Ph.D. and dozens of published works to his name, replies. […]
Towering Peaks, Wine Country, Medieval Churches. Georgia, baby.
I got up in the middle of the night needing to use the facilities. I was in the living room of a Georgian village home, and there were several beds in that living room containing my friends and travel companions to negotiate. I fumbled around past them – snores marking their spots in pitch blackness […]
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The Team from My Country will DESTROY YOURS! (maybe)
Howdy…it’s been a while since I rapped at y’all. Just wanted to remind all you basketball fans, baseketball fans, women in love with tall skinny dudes, etc., that the FIBA World Basketball Championships are coming to Turkey starting August 28. Now as most of you know I am from the US, and this is our […]
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The Lungs of Istanbul
Being from Oregon and appreciating a walk in the forest is like living in Turkey and being a kebap afficianado. You are a connoisseur, poo pooing the inferior choices. Istanbul will help remedy this malady of being a forest snob. It’s a concrete jungle that makes almost any horn-free setting blissful. That said, Istanbul Province’s […]
Get Your Fake Fruit, Liver and Wrestling
As our bus from Istanbul passed a statue of colorful fruit in a bowl, it was clear Edirne wasn’t going to be an average mid-sized Turkish city. As I sat in a creaky stadium and watched oil-covered wrestlers of all shapes and sizes dueling in the long grass, it was clear Edirne is a unique […]