cat in Gazientep

Sounds of Türkiye: Minarets and the Cats’ Meow

Asia, Culture, Europe, Middle East & Africa

The eminent archeologist was explaining how the discoveries at Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Türkiye were changing the way people understood Neolithic history. But most of my attention was directed toward an affectionate tricolor tabby posing coquettishly in the foreground of the ruins. This is a common occurrence in Türkiye, where an estimated five to 10 million cats, ranging from domesticated to feral, roam urban boulevards, lavish resorts, trendy shopping centers and country lanes. In Istanbul, you’ll find street-dwelling felines lurking in and around structures that include Byzantine cathedrals, spice markets and Ottoman palaces.

Aurora 3 Chena

Fairbanks in Winter: “But It’s a Dry Cold”

America, Culture, Travel

It’s 35 below zero, and the snow is as crisp and crinkly as cellophane.Welcome to winter in Alaska’s Interior. Bring warm clothes, a sense of adventure and a cheerful disposition. The keys to winter life up here are remarkably simple: Stay active, go outdoors, sleep well, and maintain your sense of humor. “Best part about 30-degrees below is you can drive as fast as you want,” deadpans local radio personality Glen Anderson. “The cops won’t pull you over. Would you want to get out of your car at 30 below? They’ll just wait and nab you in the spring.”

tourisme-sete

Boats, beaches and music festivals make the Gallic city of Sète a great vacation destination. Here you don’t need to dress up

Culture, Europe, Travel

The Mediterranean seaside playground of the Cote d/Azur  has long been known for its exclusive nightclubs, pricey restaurants and tanned and toned beach bodies. But 190 miles west there is another Mediterranean coastal paradise – Sète. The city often is compared to Venice because of its canals, which are lined with houses, shops and restaurants serving fresh tuna and oysters. Beyond the canals and central business district are dreamy lagoons and 12 km of protected beaches

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European Roots Run Deep in the Fertile Soil of America’s Midwest Heartland

America, Culture, Travel

By Mary Bergin New Glarus, Wisconsin, is a village of 2,247 residents that takes pride in being known as “America’s Little Switzerland.”  Located 30 miles southwest of Madison, the community supports a männerchor (men’s choir), kinderchor (youth choir) and jodlerklub (choir of yodelers). The mournful sound of meters-long alphorns (used long ago by the Swiss…

Bucarest Millineals copy

There’s More to Romania than Transylvania, Dracula and Ghostly Carpathian Forests

Culture, Europe, History, Travel

Romania conjures mysterious and sinister images of Count Dracula and the Transylvanian forests. The foreboding Bran Castle high in the Carpathian Mountains certainly looks like the location of Irish writer Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Stoker’s story of vampires rising from their coffins is an invented tale. But in autumn when twilight comes early it’s easy to imagine ghostly spirits of the undead lurking in the shadows.

Yet the Bucharest I saw was a bustling metropolis with museums and traffic jams, wide boulevards and cobblestone streets, good restaurants and late-night clubs. And a handful of lakes and gardens.

Four Nearest Green bottles

Two American Whiskey Legends, One Of Them Largely Unknown

America, Business, Culture, History

Tennessee has two products that are famous around the world – country music from Nashville and Jack Daniel’s Whiskey from the tiny town of Lynchburg about 80 miles south of Nashville and 25 miles north of the Alabama state line. The story of how country music blossomed in Nashville is well documented, but the origin story of Jack Daniel’s Whiskey has been one that few people even thought about – until recently.