Central and Eastern Europe

View at sunset over a mosque and minarets in Istanbul, Turkey

Buying a SIM Card or eSIM in Turkey (Türkiye)

Everything you need to know about buying a SIM card or eSIM to stay connected in Turkey.

Pantheon

What You Need to Know Before Visiting the Acropolis

Everything you need to know before visiting the Acropolis, including the best way to beat the summer crowds.

Woman in window, Istanbul

The other tour of Istanbul

“Happy birthday, Dave!!!” It was our first night in Istanbul, and I had already fallen for the city.  My birthday...

Sailing yacht

Sun, salt and school dresses: sailing a yacht in Turkey

I love sailing. Well, let me refine that.  I love sailing in sunshine and calm seas, with a bunch of...

Pamukkale

Cotton candy and bikinis? Welcome to Pamukkale

Pamukkale is a weird place. Bright white terraces climb out of this little section of southwest Turkey, stretching away for...

Ephesus crowds

Braving the crowds at Ephesus

In classical times, Ephesus was a city that mattered. The largest Roman city outside Rome itself, it was home to...

Gallipoli gravestone

A day at Gallipoli

It was all just so fucking futile. Over 100,000 dead.  Hundreds of thousands more wounded.  Those somehow spared by machine...

Spice Bazaar

Spicing things up in Istanbul

There are days on the road when all you want to do is explore.  You leap out of bed with...

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