After dropping DJ off in Shanghai, we needed a way to get closer to the time zone of Europe without starting the Schengen Zone clock, as we would need the full 90 days allowed for our Camino walk -- so not Europe. We had strongly considered Dubai but then Trump started his stupid war in the region so that was out of the question. Istanbul was the next best fit.An old colleague of Hillary's had spent years living in Turkey but beyond that we knew...
One of the things you see time and again on social media about Istanbul is cats. According to these posts you will find cats permeating all corners of the city, but I wasn't quite sure what we would find when we got here.True to the posts, we did, in fact, find cats everywhere. Most seem to be quite friendly, allowing you to pet them with ease. There certainly are cat fights occasionally but these seem to be few and far between.The cats of...
According to Wikipedia, Istanbul as the largest city in the middle east, and as the capital of the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1453, has the largest number of mosques of any city in the world.During our visit we walked through many different parts of the city. Along the way we saw dozens and dozens of mosques, large and small, new and old. There are active mosques that are well maintained and those that have fallen out of use and are falling...
Two big moments have arrived. First, we have left the USA on our long planned, extended travel. We aren't sure when we will return to the country. At some point we surely will, but we've got relatively solid plans in place that could take us through the end of 2027 (and more ideas are right behind).The second big moment is DJ's start of college at NYU Shanghai. We knew this moment would arrive eventually though it's hard to believe it's now come...
I'm finding it a bit ironic, to some degree, that I've ended up back in and around my hometown for our last week in the United States (at least for some time to come). I was born in Manchester, lived in Hebron, had a best friend in Columbia when I was young, and my father still lives in the area.So now 35'ish years after I left this part of Connecticut we've capped it off with intensive walking in prep for our Camino de Santiago travels, selling...
Towards the end of our summer adventure up and down the U.S. east coast we had the opportunity to spend a week with part of my extended family in Acadia. We all shared a house together on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Situated alongside Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor Maine, this visit allowed easy access to great hiking, extremely fresh seafood, and amazing wildlife. It also provided a great opportunity for us to visit with my father and...
As we continued our meandering trip up to Maine, we took the time to explore central Massachusetts a bit. Our Airbnb for this weeklong stay was a beautiful 18th century farmhouse, nestled in the woods of Ashfield. The owner, who shared the property with us, noted that she had spent a good amount of time restoring the property vs renovating, a difference I had never really thought about.By restoring the property, she and her husband had focused...
As we have traveled throughout the Eastern US this summer, it has been fascinating to see the stark differences in many parts of the country. We have been spoiled, culturally, in the Washington DC area over the past 30 years. Sure, Loudoun County (Virginia), or at least the western half, has been less culturally diverse. Yet, so many of the areas from Eastern Loudoun on to the District of Columbia are highly diverse. In Annandale (Fairfax...
As I write this post, I'm wondering in my head, if this area isn't akin to the "hill country" regions like the Cameroon Highlands of Malaysia, the Central Highlands of Vietnam, or the Darjeeling region of India. We haven't visited any of these yet, though we will in the next few years. As I understand it, during the Gilded Age, the area around Newland, North Carolina, which has been our home base for the past week, have historically been regions...
During the summer of 2026 we traveled from Virginia up and down the east coast to change our state of residence and see family before heading overseas. We spent the longest portion of our time in St. Marks, Florida where we could visit with friends and be close enough to Tallahassee to take care of certifying our Advance Healthcare Directives with the Secretary of State.Our Airbnb in St Marks was quite new, had everything we needed for a long...
