Participating in Blog Action Day

This year's theme is water and I just posted a blog on my nileguide/Lebanon page. www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/beirut-lebanon/2010/10/15/waters-of-lebanon.

Finding the Van cats

For once one of the principal reasons for my recent trip to Van in the far east of Turkey near the border with Iran and Armenia was not to look at museums, archaeologial sites and breath taking nature (I did that too) but to find animals. Two in fact: one being the famous monster of Lake Van and the other, more realistic, the Van cat. These cats are very special and only bred and raised in Van. They are all white, have different colored eyes and their most intersting idiosycrasy is that they absolutely love water. That part of Turkey is not a prime destination for tourism which means that if you want to see something you very much have to find your own way there. I love that because it makes travel an adventure and so much more interesting. How did I find the Van cat? Well, my first port of call was the hotel manager. He brust into laughter when I mentioned the monster and said that he would call it at midnight so I could see it. When he was finished laughing he got serious and told me about the 'Cathouse' located within the campus of Van university. A map of the city revelaed the location. So, I took the dolums (minibus) into Van and then went about finding the next one which runs to the university. Not an easy enterprise but everybody I asked for direction were trying to be helpful, but...there was the little matter of communication. Nobody speaks English or any other language I know, so I got a crash course in Turkish and my limited konwledge of the language increased out of necessity. I got on the right bus and when we came to the entrance of the university, an armed guard (!!)got on the bus and asked me where I was going. 'Kedi evi', I beamed, proud to know the words. He beamed right back, motioned me off the bus and then accompanied me all the way to the cathouse...and stayed. There they were, hundreds of little, white, wooly balls, running around in their enclosure and looking at the foreign visitor with one brown and one green or blue eye. It is as if they know how special (and expensive) they are, because they didn't feel like posing for me. Just gave me a big, pink jawn. Nevertheless, I found my Van cats and managed to get a few pictures of these extraordinary and so,so cute creatures.

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.