Striking a balance

The travel writer's life is a very busy one. First there is the travel itself, going off to all the fascinating places you wanted to see and visit all your life. But, being a travel writer means that you do not want to keep it all to yourself, you have the urge to share with others and, hopefully, to inspire them to go too and enjoy as much as you did. So, next you put finger to keyboard and write your stories, add your pictures and submit your finished product to either the sites which already publish you or to pitch to new venues. But, the best story does no good if nobody reads it or knows about it. Hence, you have to get it out there by making use of social networks like FB, twitter, TBE, tripatini, linkedin...to name but a few. Which leads me to the subject of this post. The choice is endless and adding your work isn't all. You need not only to promote yourself but others too who in turn might or might not return the favor. Then you start reading other travel writer's stories, get carried away and before you know it, your fingers cramp, your eyes close and its midnight! This whole situation, rewarding and interesting as it is, can be confusing at times, so your life needs streamlining and you need to strike a balance between your own productivity and the promotion and enjoyment of other people's work. I have decided to dedicate two days a week which I call 'mutual promotion and admiration days' where I do nothing else but socialise in cyberspace. Any thoughts of my own writing are put out of my mind and I can fully concentrate on that task alone. The days of the week vary, depending on looming dead lines or a trip I just HAVE to take, but on the whole it's a system that works for me and brings results.

Let the travel Gods guide you!

After a few exciting days in Van in the east of Turkey near the border with Iran I wanted to go back home which is right across the country in Didim on the Aegean Sea. As, on the one hand, I love to travel by coach, but, on the other, that entailed a 27 hour ride, I suddenly had the idea to interrupt the trip half way and have a look at Cappadoccia. The travel Gods spoke to me and suggested I stop over in Kayseri. I did and what a find it was. From there I took a minibus to the town of Ürgüp, the true gateway to Cappadoccia. On my way the first bizarre formations of volcanic stone, eroded by time, wind and rain and shaped into incredible forms, hove into view. The further I travelled, the better it got. A landscape like from another planet and to be found nowhere else in the world. Instead of a stop over I stayed 2 days and would even have gone on one of the famous baloon rides if it hadn't started pouring with rain and all flights were cancelled. Sitting snugly in a little tour bus and dashing out from time to time to take a closer look was nice enough.To top it all, the travel Gods spoke again and guided me to a romantic cave hotel with only 7 rooms and family run. Now I feel ready to continue my journey home, happy to have had another unforgettable travel experience to share with you. The picture was taken by my travel companion Bev Sanders from Brusseles.

When stone seems to talk

I love to visit museums and historical sites and, not surprisingly, one of my first outings in Van on the shores of Lake Van in the very east of Turkey was to the historical museum. I have often found the monuments, statues and stone carvings are impressive because of their sheer size but, on closer inspection, the faces often lack expression. They are, in fact, 'stony'. Therefore an involuntary 'oh' escaped my lips when I came face to face with these 12 stelae which were mounted in the museum's courtyard. They were found near the town of Hakkari and date from the 11th century BC! A find which is unique to Anatolia. Tell me if it is just my imagination or do they seem to 'talk' to you too?

Merit Sahmaran Hotel-a true find in Van

I decided to take a trip acorss the entire country of Turkey, from Bodrum in the West to the fabulous Lake Van in the east, close to the border with Iran. That took 27 hours and the tired single woman traveler needed to place to saty and rest. And, by chance, happened upon the Merit Sahmaran Hotel in Edremit, located just between the city of Van and Gevas where the boats to Akdmar Island depart. The hotel sits right on the shore of Lake Van and affords beautiful views. The rooms are comfortbale and offer strong box, slippers, hairdryer and, most importnant, free WiFi. Best of all is the spa with about 20 different kinds of massages and a gym as well as an outdoor pool. The stuff are pleasant and helpful and their English is quite good. Of course, the single woman traveler enjoyed the luxury of the spa and recharged batteries with a meal in the Turkish restaurant. Shuttle service is provided if you arrive at the airport and also to Van if you ask nicely.My single room incl. breakfast was very good value for money at EUROS 55.

A few things to know about Mykonos

The Greek island of Mykonos is one of the most popular holiday destinations of the region. Images of windmills, narrow street with quait white-washed houses, beautiful beaches, a thriving nightlife and more spring to mind when thinking about Mykonos. It#s all there but there are a few practical things to know too to avoid disappointment. For starters, Mykonos has two ports where ferries dock: the old port which is close to Mykonos town and the new port which, unfortunately, is far, far away in the midlel of nowhere. I arrived on the big ferry from Athens, saw the town of Mykonos approach and then the ferry went right past and docked at the new port. What greeted me when I walked off was....nothing. A vast concrete parking lot, a bus stop with no buses in sight, a taxi rank with no taxis, a tiny shack which I misstook for some kind of tourist information but wasn't, in short, I was stranded with no means to get away. Mykonos town lurked far in the distance and I couldn't even make out a road to walk there! Nobody awaited me to take me to my destination and I wouldn't have known what to do if I hadn't remembered a fried who ran a restaurant at the other end of the island. I phoned him and he came to the rescue. Facit: make sure you know where you arrive and arrange for transport in advance. My friend told me that taxis are a rarity on the island and during my stay I found that out to be true. Another thing: there are, in my view, far too many cars and scooters on the island. The roads are narrow, steep and winding and in the summer season are clogged with cars which have nowhere to park and tourists on scooters who have little regard for the safety of pedestrians. I found it quite uncomfortable to have to jump out of the way all the time to maintain life and limbs in tact. So, be aware of these things and enjoy your stay and a marvellous very rare silver sunset.

A boutique hotel in Salzburg

When during my travels around the globe, I find a boutique hotle which is particulalry suitable to the single woma traveler I write bout it on this blog. I happened upon a lovely specimen on my recent trip to Salzburg/Austria. The hotle is called Hotel am Dom, which 0erfectly indicates its location: in the heart of the historical center of Salzburg, near the Dom and the Goldgasse it couldn't be more conveniently located for explring the wonders of the Mozart city. The hotel is very welcoming, modern with a hint of minimalist but not cold and uncomfortabel as such hotels often are. The rooms have every amenitiy including WiFi and are reasonably priced from EUROS 90 for a single and EUROS 130 for a double depending on season. See the website www.hotelamdom.at for further information.

Victoria Hislop and Spinalonga

My recent trip to Crete and the island of Spinalonga inspired me to write my latest article for Literary Traveler. Of course, following Victoris Hislop's book 'The Island' and its intricate story was a brilliant guide.

Romantic Prien am Chiemsee

I'm just touring the south of Bavaria/Germany and used Prien am Chiemsee as the starting point for trips to the two islands in the Chiemsee, Herreninsel and Fraueninsel. What makes Prien so romantic is that it still uses the world's oldest and still operaitng steam tramway which runs from the Hauptbahnhof to Prein/Stock which is the dock from which the small ferries depart.

Hotel Samos - a woman traveler's dream

It's not often that the single woman traveler happens upon a hotel which not only is excellent value for money but also provides all the necessities and features a female traveler of a certain age requires. The Hotel Samos on the Greek island of the same name is a point in case. First to mention is the location which could not be more convenient. You walk off the ferry, cross the road and walk into the cool and welcoming lobby of the Samos to be greeted by manager Maria, multi-lingual, friendly and eager to help you with any information you need. The rooms are spacious, very clean and comfortable and have a balcony with French doors which overlook either the sea or a quiet side road. In full season, a double room costs €65, which is very reasonable and includes all taxes and an ample breakfast buffet which is served from 6.30 am on to accommodate travelers who have to catch an early ferry. Every woman will appreciate the presence of a dresser with a wide well lit mirror above it to spread out and apply her make up. Hangers abound in the closet and the bathroom leaves nothing to be desired including a working hair dryer. TV, phone and AC do not even have to be mentioned. But there is more: a very nice pool and bar is to be found on the roof top and coin operated internet in the business center downstairs. Meals are to be had in the restaurant or the open air bar and I have had one of the best Greek salads I have ever tasted. The Samos has 'only' 3 stars, but it would deserve one more for excellency. A comfortable, peaceful, safe and utterly enjoyable place to stay.

Glamour-chick goes camping

Glamour-chick goes camping! You wouldn’t believe the things that can happen to a single woman traveler. I met a dear friend of mine on the Greek island of Naxos to spend a few days. I knew she was a camping enthusiast and would pitch her tent, but I also knew that there were studios available for those, like me, who are not such ‘close to nature’ fans. However, when we arrived at the camp site, no rooms, apartments, studios or any decent beds of any kind were available. The lady at reception smiled and said: “But you can rent a tent! We’ll also give you a sleeping bag and a mat. It’s only for 2 nights”. I don’t know what possessed me, but I AGREED!!! A tiny tent was pitched for me next to my friend’s, a sleeping bag and a paper thin mat were handed to me and instead of a 5 star hotel, glamour-chick found herself in the wilderness, facing the very alien experience of camping. First obstacle: you can only crawl, no standing up and even on your knees your head hits the tent roof. You discover a whole new world of standing up and sitting down, not to mention trying to get in and out of your clothes without making a spectacle of yourself for all the world to see. Never ever have I tried to sleep on a harder ground which of course meant next to no sleep at all. As if that wasn’t bad enough, tiny ants found their way inside and crawled all over me all night long. At sunrise I couldn’t take any more and thought a shower would help. Of course, there are only communal showers and a bunch of very young French took that literally: at 6am boys and girls were having themselves a party, showering together in the ladies shower room. When I, who could have been their grandmother, entered, they, at first gave me the evil eye, waiting to see if I would kick up a fuss. But, I thought better of it and asked with a wide grin if I could join the party. I was offered a slug from a litre bottle of appalling red wine and a spoonful of melting chocolate ice cream. Taken in good grace, I even got a shower stall to myself and was able to kill the ants which were still crawling up my legs. That dawn party was actually the funniest part of the whole experience but at least, now I’m an expert on what NOT to do when you are past the age of 20.