Sounds of Türkiye: Minarets and the Cats’ Meow

Asia, Culture, Europe, Middle East & Africa

The eminent archeologist was explaining how the discoveries at Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Türkiye were changing the way people understood Neolithic history. But most of my attention was directed toward an affectionate tricolor tabby posing coquettishly in the foreground of the ruins. This is a common occurrence in Türkiye, where an estimated five to 10 million cats, ranging from domesticated to feral, roam urban boulevards, lavish resorts, trendy shopping centers and country lanes. In Istanbul, you’ll find street-dwelling felines lurking in and around structures that include Byzantine cathedrals, spice markets and Ottoman palaces.

Hiking Hadrian’s Wall, Virtually

Europe, Travel

I’m a purist trekker when it comes to walking long-distance designated trails. I insist they be step-by-step odysseys with no skipping of sections deemed to be of lesser interest. In the summer of 2005, I hiked a portion of the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail that rolls across northern England. I followed a wall of tightly fitted gray stones to a high point above Crag Lough where a pair of swans drifted over the still water. It was there that I vowed to return someday and walk the whole thing. Earlier this year, I did just that. Virtually.

Lake

Picture Yourself In A Boat On A River

Europe, Travel

The river cruise market is expected to grow by $3,206 million over the next three years, surpassing all travel sectors. Forbes reports that industry leader Viking began with four river ships in 1997 and expanded to 79 in 2022 when it added Mississippi River cruises. River cruising is for people who enjoy learning about history, eating great food, experiencing amazing architecture, and meeting new people. Read More

The House of Neptune and Amphitrite gets its name from this stunning mosaic in its dining room

HERCULANEUM THEN AND NOW

Europe, History, Travel

By Beth Reiber The first thing you notice upon entering Herculaneum is how resplendent it is, how unapologetically it asserts itself as Rome’s resort town for the rich and famous. To be sure, you’ve seen plenty of wealthy residents and villas in your hometown of Pompeii, just 5.5 miles away. But whereas Pompeii is a…

Bridge

When in Mérida, Do as the Romans Did

Europe, History, Travel

  By Richard Varr Corinthian columns stand double-stacked across a wide Roman stage, and although chipped and riddled with cracks, the remarkably well-preserved blue-streaked marble pillars add to the splendor of one of Spain’s most visited landmarks of antiquity: the Roman Theatre of Mérida. “Most of it was hidden in a thick layer of earth…

There’s More to Romania than Transylvania, Dracula and Ghostly Carpathian Forests

Culture, Europe, History, Travel

Romania conjures mysterious and sinister images of Count Dracula and the Transylvanian forests. The foreboding Bran Castle high in the Carpathian Mountains certainly looks like the location of Irish writer Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Stoker’s story of vampires rising from their coffins is an invented tale. But in autumn when twilight comes early it’s easy to imagine ghostly spirits of the undead lurking in the shadows.

Yet the Bucharest I saw was a bustling metropolis with museums and traffic jams, wide boulevards and cobblestone streets, good restaurants and late-night clubs. And a handful of lakes and gardens.