Europe
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Great Drive Series – A Switzerland Sampler
More Details: Great Drive Series – A Switzerland SamplerWhen I worked in Paris many moons ago for 6 months, one of the neat weekend trips I took was a rather rushed visit to Switzerland. More than anything, we just wanted to leave France. Having visited Heidelberg and worked in The Netherlands during that period, we opted to go south: Switzerland (or Schweiz or…
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Crawling around Heidelberg
More Details: Crawling around HeidelbergI have visited Heidelberg a couple of times and I have to say: it is a fun town. The second time I went, an expat living nearby took us into town to see the sights but also to sample all the beer styles on offer. A pub crawl for sure! I was invited by my…
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Great Drives Series – Around Bordeaux
More Details: Great Drives Series – Around BordeauxI have done a couple of trips into Bordeaux where I have explored the region by car. There really is no better way to explore the diversity of the region (and its wines!), which may seem at first to be more homogenous than it actually is. To venture inland, near where Bordeaux runs into the…
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More Than Just Where a Treaty Was Signed: Charming Maastricht
More Details: More Than Just Where a Treaty Was Signed: Charming MaastrichtThe charming town of Maastricht sits in the “tear drop” southeastern corner of The Netherlands by the Meuse River (“Maas” in Dutch, hence the town name). a stone’s throw from Belgium and a hard ball kick from Germany, as it were. The town is known these days more because of the European union project since…
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Top 8 Climbs for a Great City View in Europe
More Details: Top 8 Climbs for a Great City View in EuropeThere are so many ways to see and experience a city. But one of my top ways to get to “know” a city is by getting up high and looking down at it. Of course, this is not hard to do as there are usually man-made or natural high points. While I like getting a…
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On the Other Side of the Golden Horn
More Details: On the Other Side of the Golden HornA visit to Istanbul is not complete without crossing the Golden Horn to the other side of European Istanbul. And it cannot be any easier. A short walk from the Grand Bazaar you can cross the Golden Horn (which back in the day was closed with a long chain to prevent ships from coming in)…
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Great Drive Series – Frankfurt to Maastricht
More Details: Great Drive Series – Frankfurt to MaastrichtAmong the many ways to travel and explore, few things beat driving around yourself, whether it be Tuscany, New Zealand or across the U.S., there is a freedom that comes with being on your own, able to stop at will for a photo, to rest or… to relief yourself (yes, I said it …). I…
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Love Shopping? I Have a Grand Bazaar for You
More Details: Love Shopping? I Have a Grand Bazaar for YouThis is one of the neatest places to go in Istanbul if you like to shop and haggle, and even if not, it is still quite impressive by its sheer scale in size and offerings. You can almost picture business going on here for centuries! The bazaar is huge – it is a veritable maze…
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Going Under in Istanbul
More Details: Going Under in IstanbulI have shared in other posts about the incredible Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, and the beautiful mosques of Istanbul – definite must-sees in that great city. But be aware, right under your feet could be some of the remnants of good ole Roman engineering: the cisterns of Istanbul. Old cities tend to have lots of…
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The Ottoman Ruler’s Residence: Topkapı Palace
More Details: The Ottoman Ruler’s Residence: Topkapı PalaceTopkapı Palace sits at the entrance to the Golden Horn, an inlet of water that splits the European side of Istanbul. It is located quite close to the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. It was the Ottoman ruler’s humble abode for part of the time they ruled the empire (the rulers eventually moved to…
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Jewels of Istanbul: Its Mosques
More Details: Jewels of Istanbul: Its MosquesDuring my 5-day visit to Istanbul, I had ample time to walk around, often aimlessly, to get to know the city. While some sights were on the must-see list (like the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace), I also “discovered” places not on my list. I quickly developed an interest in entering the many mosques…
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History via One Monumental Building: Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia
More Details: History via One Monumental Building: Istanbul’s Hagia SophiaThe highlight of my visit to the great former Byzantium, former Constantinople, or current Istanbul is Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia. Getting there is always step one After having had some challenges getting out of Egypt, my arrival in Istanbul continued to offer “experiences” as there was an unexpected change of plans that I shared in my…