Our destination is Sapanca, but we take a detour. Shell has anthropology running through her viens. History and the way we lived in the past is her passion. She has discovered an archelogical site nearby and head for a visit. I love these detours, but what I love most is how much Shell appreciates them….
Uçlerkayasi
We are heading north, inland away from Aegean Sea toward the Black Sea. There is an organic farm in the middle of nowhere that looks very cool. The drive is uneventful and we arrive with our two bottles of wine from Lucien Arkas Buğlari, both thirsty. Our host is Aziz, and he is having a…
Bozbük
We have a six hour drive ahead of us. We are up early and on the road with the sunrise. In the early morning sun, Hüseyinfaki is about as postcard Turkish village as you will find. We follow the coast down and as lunch draws near Shell has found us a place. Lucien Arkas Baglari…
Hüseyinfaki
The hire car is booked for 10.00 am. We arrive at Yenibosna right on time to collect only to find out I have booked the car for 12.00 pm. We sit around for a few hours and the day is pushed back. Shell is understanding. The whip is a Peugeot 2008, brand new. There is…
Be The Tourist
Breakfast is impressive. We are taking the day to look around the city and it pains me to admit it. I refuse to queue. I have never waited in line for any length of time, got to the front, and thought it was worth it. The last time we were in a tourist line was…
Arrivals – Istanbul
One of the reasons we moved to Dubai was the proximity to Europe. We are out of Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in under twenty minutes. Short lines and staff who confused us for locals, we are ushered through the residence gates. It is Türkiye these days, like Myanmar and Burma or Saigon and Hồ Chí…
Clean Your Plate
“Oh, pity the poor glutton Whose troubles all begin In struggling on and on to turn What’s out into what’s in.” ― Walter de la Mare Clean your plate. Here is some bread to wipe up the gravy. There are starving Africans somewhere. I am ungrateful. I am wasting food, and African…
More Bukowski
Charles Bukowski. You will probably get sick of me talking about him; fine with me. There is a raw beauty to his work—a brutal honesty. There are too many favourites. Get your hands on two of his collected works, The Last Night on Earth Poems and Love is a Dog From Hell. …
The healthy Unhealthy
The social media algorithm believes I need to see body transformations. I am bombarded with images of men losing weight and getting shredded. These miraculous diets and training programs not only build muscle and drop weight but also provide a tan, strip body hair, and allow for a manly beard. Impressive program. When…