Willkommen in Namibia! Namibia was previously a German colony (Deutsch Südwest Afrika) and the German influence is everywhere -- architecture, food, language... In several cities, German is even the preferred language to English and it was fun talking to fourth-generation Namibians whose mother tongue is German. It was so crazy to be in the middle of cafe with Bienenstich or a Kneipe with a Weissbier talking German to the waiter and realize that we're in the middle of Africa! But that wasn't all that Namibia had to offer. It has some of the most remarkable landscapes we've seen and we saw beautiful wildlife. It also has a special remoteness that creates a true sense of the vastness of Africa. We arrived in Windhoek after an uncomfortable 22-hour bus ride from Cape Town. As you may have ... read more

Egypt is a crazy, mystifying country. It is probably the most historically-fascinating stop on our trip so far, but it was probably also the most stressful. All-in-all it was a great week that we will look back on with amazement for years to come. We arrived in Cairo at about 3:30 in the morning after taking a night bus from the South in Egypt. We were exhausted, but we had met a lovely couple on the bus from Jordan and we all managed to find a place to stay without too much pain. The next day Florian and I got our bearings and walked around a lot in the City. The poverty, pollution and unsanitary conditions here were surprising. Perhaps my expectations were influenced by the wealth of the Egypt in the past - the present ... read more

We had a very short, but sweet (!), trip to Lebanon. After Syria, Lebanon felt very modern. For example, we hadn't seen a Starbucks, McDonalds (or any chain store) or a "cool" area of town. In Lebanon all was different and we felt like we were in a very Western city. Still, there is a very sad side to Lebanon, which also is very apparent. In Beirut there are traces of the war that stand out prominently against the most beautiful and modern areas of town (especially - see the hotel pic - how much has changed in the past couple of years). Not taking any "sides", I just find it sad. In particular because I have two very lovely friends from Beirut, who I have known for years. My personal connections bring the situation, perhaps, ... read more

So, after the small diversions in Greece we made it to Turkey! Ephesus Our first stop was the ruins of Ephesus. Ephesus has an amazing history - it was founded in the 7th century BC by a cult who worshiped a fertility goddess (Girl Power!). It became famous when the Romans took over, and it kept a woman as its goddess embodied by Artemis (goddess of fertility and hunting). Later, under the influence of the Christians, Maria became the central figure here. At its peak the population surpassed 200,000. Unfortunately it isn't terribly well preserved, but what is left is beautiful. Pamukkale We also went to Pamukkale, which is a geological wonder. There are thick white layers of limestone cascading down the mountain slope and resembles a frozen waterfall. Istanbul Istanbul is a fascinating combination of ... read more

So - we've had a lot to do to get to this point - but now we are really on our way! For the past few weeks we've been taking care of the logistics of leaving NY and visiting friends and family in the US and Germany. It was busy and wonderful. On Saturday we arrived in Athens and did the mandatory visit to the Acropolis. Besides the Parthenon, our most exciting experience there was that our hotel turned out to have nightly and, well, HOURLY guests. Not something we expected, but it certainly added a bit of "color"! The next day we arrived to Santorini, which is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful of the Greek islands. Unfortunately we arrived on the first day of the winter rains, but it was very dramatic - ... read more