Checking Out Downtown Bucharest Not too much to report today, unfortunately. Had breakfast and took the train to downtown Bucharest. I love the train. The trip was about two and a half hours and the first portion followed a little river through the mountains. Flat farmland after that. Romanian Rip-Off Artist No trip would be […]
Touring Eastern Europe v.2: Visiting Sozopol, Bulgaria
Crossing the Turkey-Bulgaria Border O . M. G. That’s all I have to say about today. So glad to be at my final destination in Sozopol, Bulgaria. Woke up at 5:30 to the first prayer call of the day. I had no idea prayers started that early, but it’s pretty dang early. What discipline and […]
Touring Eastern Europe v.1: Sightseeing in Istanbul
Getting to Istanbul Before we get to sightseeing in Istanbul… I don’t typically do this for my journal posts, but for this one, I think it’s important. I’m beginning by giving some context around what sort of political events were happening in this region at the time of our visit. Because it does actually come […]
My Personal Travel Rites of Passage
Some time ago, I was forwarded James Kay’s Lonely Planet article, “The Traveller’s Classic Rites of Passage” and asked which of these rites I, personally, have encountered in my explorations. The answer is all of them. “Reader’s Requests” came to life shortly after and, well, telling those tales on this forum seemed a perfect fit. […]