ArleneandBenj

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Of all the places where you could feel in the centre of the world, Istanbul has a good claim of being the most central. Geographically bridging Asia and Europe, an important part of the Middle East, and a stones throw from Africa. Historically, it has been coveted by many and possessed by a few. It was the great capital of the East Roman Empire. The Byzantines made it their epicentre, and made sure it would withstand the most severe storm with massive walls securing both the European and Asian parts of the city. As soon as we hot footed it down to the waterfront to catch a spectacular sunset on our new-found Marmara Sea, we were treated to the massive Byzantine walls ensuring its defense from the sea. And our memorable last sight of Istanbul as ... read more

Our first sight of Cappadocia came shortly after our arrival - having been dropped at a town called Goreme in the dark at 5am. The dawn light teased us with such a treat - the whole town was partially blanketed in fresh snow, enhancing Goreme's mindblowingly fascinating landscape. Ditching our packs, we were immediately enthralled by walking the roads surrounding the unusual rock formations, with more modern buildings blending in and around rooms chiselled out of the hillsides. Beginning with volcanic eruptians that formed a nice soft blanket, the following centuries of selective erosion provided "Fairy Chimneys", unusual mushroom shaped, more erosion resistant rock formations - perfect for sensibly minded people to dig into for a nice little hobbit hole. During the Christian Byzantine era, the region had a golden era, with many developments for peoples' ... read more

The Aegean is that beautiful stretch of Turkey's West coast that eventually wraps around the corner into the Mediterranean. İts waters are that glistening turquoise that makes the Mediterranean so famous. And wıth the Greek Islands just a stone throw from the coast, their grey shapes give the oceanic skyline a majestic splash of increasingly deep blue colour that has inspired so many artists. How these allurıng İslands ended up in Greek hands when they are just a stones throw from Turkey's coast has its roots in the demise of the Ottoman empire followıng defeat in World War One. The Greeks made a bid to occupy mainland Turkey, and both sides now wish they had been that lıttle bit stronger to have taken more than what they ended up with. Atatürk's fatigued forces secured the mainland ... read more

Gallipoli. There is absolutely no place in the World like it. Not because untold thousands of people died there in a bloody deadlock, but because some of them were our family, friends, and countrymen. Gallipoli is part of the mindset of our little Country. The yearly celebration of ANZAC day with the country closing down, the silent dawn parades, the solemn school ceremonies, the sad songs recalling honour and pride amidst the wreckage. "Lest we forget". The 19th Century. After 100's of years of achieving the previously impossible, the now powerful European empires had not only explored the world but established colonies as far away as the massive Pacific to contribute to their power base and wealth. Still with a mindset of expansion, the scene was primed for these giants to smash each other on a ... read more

Polarity - the Human talent for finding differences in everything. Black - White. Friend - Enemy. East - West. So it was that some guy named Bush lumped a country called Syria in with some 'Axis of Evil', perhaps as opposed to some 'Axis of Good'. And overtly or sublimally, Syria has been dubbed anti-West, with its personality being associated with military and religious 'extremism', and hanging out with good mates like North Korea and Iran, not to mention Hamas and Hezbollah. Making a last minute decision to enter Syria only because it looked like we would be let in, we went for it. Being unprepared with useful things like history books, we were fresh and ready to meet Syria first hand without much of that baggage of being on one side. And once we got ... read more