Any traveler that has ever considered a trip to Turkey has at least heard of Cappadocia. It is a famous place because of its strange, early Christian history and unique, subterranean architecture. It is a sparse landscape of unsurpassed beauty and boundless mystery located in central Turkey and it is the perfect place for any adventurous tourist to explore at a leisurely pace, provided that they are not too claustrophobic. Everything I had heard about Cappadocia excited me greatly. Being a troglodyte at heart, the stories of intricately decorated rock-cut churches, mysterious subterranean cities reaching several levels underground and the virtually unknown, thousand year old culture that built it all made my imagination run wild. My excitement began to build when the maniacal bus driver slammed the bus into a lower gear, throwing us forward in ... read more

My first three days in Istanbul went by at such a quick pace that they had all blurred together. I had taken in three huge tourist attractions as well as countless others. All of the exotic sights and sounds, which were unlike any I had ever experienced, had worn me out and I was approaching sensory overload. All of the sightseeing had been wonderful, but I needed a break, so I decided to slow it down a bit. On my third morning in town I ate another leisurely breakfast at the hostel and I talked about several of the sights in the city with some fellow travelers. I was intrigued by one of their descriptions of the archaeology museum, so I set my sights on it - I know, spending all day in a museum is ... read more

It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. A slight breeze flowed in through the large windows beside my table and filled the room with the scents of the sea. I woke up well rested and ready to start my day. I had been initially shocked when I walked up to the breakfast room and saw the food spread out in front of me. It was my first introduction to a Turkish breakfast and, I must admit, my first impression was not favorable. Of course, after I had spent a few minutes getting acquainted with the food we became fast friends. My plate was piled high with cucumbers and tomatoes and fruit and olives and a big slab of feta cheese. Off to the side was a basket full of ... read more

Southward we went into the luxuriant Irish countryside. My mom was at the wheel of our little red rental car and Ken, my stepfather, was navigating from the passenger seat. I was in the back seat with my camera gear and all of the overflow baggage from the trunk - It was definitely a tight fit, but, compared with all of the mini-bus rides I had had in Africa, it was a comfortable and roomy ride. We were embarking on a week long journey through southern Ireland, from Dublin to Limerick. We were following a route that my parents originally dreamed up for themselves as they planned their yearly vacation. I was there as an afterthought and at times a moocher. Dublin’s busy streets quickly gave way to open highways and then to two lane country ... read more

I suppose it technically happened in Zurich when I stepped off of the plane and walked through security to the gate for my onward flight, but I never left the airport, which makes me think it doesn’t count. I watched its undulating landscape go by beneath me in the early morning sunshine, but I was thirty-thousand feet above its green fields and ancient cities. So it was that on the morning of July 25, 2007 I strolled out of Heathrow airport in London and completed a quest that had started on a soggy, sleet-pounded patch of Andean soil twelve-thousand feet above the sea back in July of 1998. The words that started the quest were uttered by a fellow traveler on the Inca Trail. It had been my first solo trip out of America, an insanely ... read more