'Staying Alive By Not Staying Still'
about writing a different kind of travel blog, inviting reader participation in the process
I reviewed a new travel book this week on amazon.con, “Go Now: Adventures and Advice Mostly About Travel, But Not Entirely” by Nick Zoa. Nick’s a friend of mine (one …
“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”
– Miriam Beard, American author, traveler, born in England (1901-1983)
An important part of the book I want to write about travel involves change. Here’s the beginning of an examination of the phenomenon that’s affected travelers since the first time someone wondered what lies beyond the distant horizon, and went off to find out.
The weather is dreary this Monday in Istanbul. Gray skies since early morning persist, and post-lunch raindrops have begun speckling the windows of my apartment by the park on the Golden Horn. The air is damp and cool for such a late-spring day.
This is in contrast to Sunday’s brilliance, just yesterday when the sun reigned in the glory of a regal blue sky, shedding warmth across the city.
Yesterday was perfect for a walk from my apartment in humble, colorful Balat in Fatih, across the Golden Horn waterway on the Galata Bridge, to historic Galata Tower in the bustling tourist area of Beyoglu. It’s an easy, interesting walk of about two miles.
Among the many pleasant aspects of life I find wandering the streets of Istanbul is the care that people share for the many dogs and cats that inhabit the city.
Felines and canines hold a special status in the everyday life of Istanbul.
I was reminded this week why I choose to live outside of the prime tourist locations in cities I visit.
Note: Ten days ago I arrived in Istanbul. I wrote this piece for the newsletter that goes along with this blog but I’ve posted nothing since for the blog itself. Subsequently I rethought the the idea of a newsletter and decided that everything I write should be on the blog and that the newsletter should be for other uses, not to send exclusive posts only to subscribers.
So for those who didn’t subscribe, I encourage you to do so, but here’s the first post that was only in the newsletter, describing my anxious flight to Turkey.
I’m launching my new blog today. It’s still a bit of a work in progress, but I never set out to make it a showpiece work of online art. I …