Tag Archives: Politics, history, and culture – This is a story about my visit to Ephesus, one of the most famous and popular ancient ruins on the entire Mediterranean. It’s a story about how I planned my visit, what I thought, how it compares to the multitude of other ruins I saw in Turkey, and how you can make the most of your own visit to Ephesus and beyond.  Bruno has been telling me about Cappadocia ever since I met him. You’d think three years of gushing over a place would have created unachievably high expectations. It did – and yet I was still blown away. That may be the most surprising part of this incredibly surprising destination.  Before visiting Oman, I didn’t know a thing about its history. I’d been drawn to its exotic location and intrigued by Bruno’s photos from his time here a decade ago. I knew that Oman was photogenic. I didn’t know that it had so many photogenic forts. Thanks to Vasco da Gama and a little-known Omani sailor, Oman is filled with them.  Merry Christmas everyone! Except, that is, the people of Ethiopia. They have to wait another two weeks to celebrate the birth of Jesus. As with all things in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church likes to do things a bit differently than the rest of the world. Lalibela, the site of eleven thousand-year-old rock-hewn churches, is living proof of that!  Dian Fossey is one of the most famous names in primate study, and she conducted her research right here in Northern Rwanda. Even though we couldn’t come face to face with her infamous mountain gorillas, Bruno and I decided to follow in Fossey’s footsteps. It was an illuminating journey. |
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