It’s impossible not to love Istanbul. This magnificent city of 17 million people, more than 5000 years of history, and more than a little bit of shopping, sight seeing, and culinary adventuring.
Month: April 2019
The Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet in Istanbul, Turkey – #flashbackfriday
On our honeymoon trip to Turkey back in 2010, my wife and I were excited to visit the famed Blue Mosque in Sultan Ahmet, the monument and tourist section of Istanbul. The Sultan Ahmet region is named for Sultan Ahmet I who ruled from 1603 to 1617 AD. The Sultan Ahmet Mosque, known as the…
City and County of Honolulu – Many Neighborhoods, Towns, and Cities As One
Honolulu, Hawaii is an incredibly diverse place to live. With more than a dozen languages spoken by significant communities, a wide diversity of religions, and a culture that spans the globe. When you consider the fact that Honolulu is not just a city but actually a combined entity of the City and County of Honolulu…
Central Oahu Neighborhoods of Wahiawa and Mililani
Towards the center of Oahu you have two communities that sit higher than anywhere else on Oahu because they are on the central plain between the Ko’olau and Waianae Mountain Ranges. Mililani which is mauka (mountain direction from beach) of Pearl City and Waipahu and Wahiawa which sits in just about the exact middle of Oahu….
The Istanbul Archaeology Museum and the Basilica Cistern – Slideshow Saturday
Hanane and I decided to head back to Sultanahmet to see some of Istanbul and Turkey’s ancient history. Our first stop was the Istanbul Archaeology Museum which is located near the Topkapi Palace inside Gulhane Park. The museum has more than a million objects in its collections many of them from Byzantine, Greek, Roman, and even earlier civilizations.
Crveni Krst (Red Cross) Concentration Camp in Nis, Serbia
Travel is about seeing things that broaden your experience and
while I’ve never had any desire to see a Nazi Concentration Camp as either a victim or a tourist, when I found out that there was one in Nis, I decided it was important to visit. Plus, it felt in keeping with the whole creepy vibe my trip to Serbia had taken.
Ko Olina and Makakilo – Disney Resort and the ‘other Waikiki’
Makakilo means ‘observing eyes’ in the Hawaiian Language. This is a small community of about 15,000 people that is really a neighborhood of Kapolei. Sitting on the slopes of the hillsides moving away from the beach – there isn’t really anything to draw visitors here. Like nearly everywhere on Oahu, the really nice neighborhoods are…
Ewa and Kapolei Neighborhoods – Oahu’s Second City
Kapolei is primarily built on the old sugar and pineapple lands that were serviced by the little planation town of ‘Ewa back in the territorial days. From about the 1950s onwards, Kapolei has been the focus of a whole lot of government efforts to create a second major urban center on Oahu. The population today is…
Arriving in Rome – Scaring the Indians
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but you can certainly see some of it in 24 hours if you don’t have more time. A cheap flight from Fes, Morocco with no frills, uncomfortable carrier Ryan Air got me to Rome’s Ciampino Airport from Fes Sais Airport with an ultra cheap fair of about $60 including the taxes. Not bad for a transcontinental flight.
Goethe’s Tower and Modern Frankfurt, Germany – Beer and Weenies! #flashbackFriday
Frankfurt has the cleanest red light district I have ever imagined.