The city of Prague is one of the top destinations in Europe. It boasts a lot of history, great food, amazing beer, and some of the most interesting sights that can be found in any big city. People flock to this city to check out the Prague Castle, stroll across the Charles Bridge, and set their watches to the Astronomical Clock, but one that is often overlooked is the amazing viewpoint that can be found on top of the Petrin Tower on the top of Petrin Hill.
Petrin Hill stands looking over the old town square on the other side of the Vltava River. It is a little bit of a hike to make it to the top of the hill, but still you can make it to the top in a matter of twenty minutes going at a reasonable pace. For those who do not like to do hikes uphill, there is a funicular that will also take you to the top. It is not too expensive, and it runs every fifteen minutes. Space is limited, so I would recommend getting there earlier in the day when there is less of a crowd.
Once up top, there are many things to see that do not include the Petrin Tower. There is a medieval wall that adds to the atmosphere on top of the hill. A couple of restaurants offer food, and coffees, as well as a beautiful garden that you can stroll through. I was out here in the middle of winter, so the garden was in its dormant state, but I could still tell that it would be a spectacular place to wander through when it is in full bloom.
It is a little cooler on top of Petrin Hill because there is nothing to stop the wind that is blowing. I would recommend dressing in layers if you plan to come up during the winter months, and it would be the perfect place to escape the heat of summer though I do suspect it will be more crowded during those months than what I found when I was up there.
Hiking to the top of the tower is not too stressful either. It was designed rather well with an up stairs case and another one for those descending, so you are never stuck in a place where you have to wait while others pass going the opposite direction. There is even an elevator that will take you to the top, but it does cost a little more to be able to get up that way. The views from up top offer the perfect perch to see all of Prague. It is fun pointing all of the places that you have been and would like to go, and it has one of the best viewpoints of any European city I have been to. It is a little expensive, and during the summer months, I would suspect that it would be pretty crowded. Still, it is a nice little getaway for someone looking to do something a little different on a trip out to Prague.
One of the greatest benefits to being a teacher is the time off during the holidays. The final lessons have been taught, the grades are in, and there is nothing to do for the next couple weeks except get together with family and friends. For an international teacher that amounts to a little more effort than many would think. Two of the days of the break were lost traveling back and forth to the States, and then there is always the headache of jet lag to contend with.
Still, with all of the downsides of getting there, it is still worth getting back to the place where I grew up. There is a certain sense of comfort being back in Colorado that I just can’t get anywhere else in the world. Yet the longer I stay away from the place, the more I feel like I am no longer a part of this place. I am always on the search for those things that remind me of my hometown when I am abroad to feel that same sense of comfort.
It can come in the most unlikely places as well. Seeing a fox curled up under a bush might not be a common thing to see in Colorado, but it is not out of place either. There are many times that I ran into wildlife during my decades of living in the state. I can’t even count the number of times I have come across deer, elk, coyotes, foxes, and raptor birds. They were always something to marvel at when I came across them, but at the same time, I did not believe that I would have to note every time that I did.
I do not come across wildlife in Jordan like I did in Colorado. That is not to say that I am not reminded of that wildlife form time to time. There are the moments where domesticated animals give me the same kind of joy that I would get when I see a fox sleeping underneath a bush. It makes me start to realize that there are not many differences between places in the world. I might sit in Jordan over the school year and miss the place where I came from, but it takes me going there and back again to realize that I can find the same kind of joy no matter where I am in the world. It just takes a matter of perspective, and a shift of attitude. And traveling to my home state allows both of these things to happen. It makes coming back to my current life a pleasurable experience.
I know that I am not the only one that made this voyage over the holidays. I could see it in the airports with their packed in crowds, and people weighing their bags to make sure they could return home with all of the presents that they received. It is a wonderful distraction this time of year. It allows us to take pause and reflect on the life we have and we are living. I am grateful that I am given that opportunity to be able to do that every year, and I hope you find yourself in a similar situation.
Have a Great New Year, and I am looking forward to sharing my adventures with you throughout the course of it. Thanks for reading.
It has been another year around the sun, and it is time to look back and reflect on those moments that made this year great. It has been nice to know that the recent lockdowns brought on by the pandemic are behind us, and the world has opened up again. This means that travel is back, and many people took advantage of this fact to get out there and see many places on their bucket lists. I was no different. I was in eight different countries last year, three of which I have never been in before. During that time, I was able to tell you all about my experiences in this blog, and what follows are the posts from last year that connect with you the most.
Every year my siblings get together during the summer to go camping some place in the Colorado mountains. It has always been one of my favorite trips of the year because I get to visit with my family in one of my favorite places in the world, the Rocky Mountains. Usually, we get site at the state park close to Golden, Colorado, and spend our time hiking, cooking, and hanging around a campfire. It is a great place to visit if you find yourself in Colorado during the summer, and one I would recommend looking into.
It had been a few years since I had made it to Vietnam, and the last time I was out there, they were still putting in place the infrastructure to turn it into the tourist destination it has become today. Even before this, the Old Quarter in the heart of one of its greatest cities, Hanoi, held a fond memory in my mind. It is the place where all of the Vietnamese people converge to enjoy a night out. It has amazing food, jazz can be heard playing on the street corners, and there are tons of shops to find that perfect souvenir. I didn’t think it was possible, but it had become even busier than the first time I had gone out and visited, but still was worth the effort to make it back to.
There were many highlights from my trip to Scotland, but the one that stood out the most had to be the Isle of Skye. We arrived by ferry, and left by bridge, but spent the whole time exploring every nook and cranny that this island had to offer. Some of the best hikes in the country can be found here with views of mountains, rock formations, and the ocean that stretches out beyond. I was lucky enough to be out there during the off-season, but even then, we had to plan ahead to make sure we got reservations at restaurants, but still there were many times where it felt like we had the island to ourselves. It is one of those places that I know I will come back to visit again some day, and it holds some of the fondest memories from the year for me.
This was one of two poems I posted this year that made the list. It had been one of my favorite ones that I have written because it highlights one of the biggest reasons why I started this blog in the first place. I wanted to share those memories with people out there, and inspire them to go out and collect some of their own.
This was the first post I added this last year, and the second sonnet to appear on this list. It reflects on the time that I spent last holiday season in Oman, and like many poems I write at the end of the year and the start of a new one, it had me thinking about where my life had taken me. I know that nothing really changes on New Year’s Day, but it still is a nice time to take reflection of our lives, and think about where the next step in them will take. It is the reason you see so many posts like this one at the end of the year.
Edinburgh is easily one of my favorite large cities in the world. It is so atmospheric, and it reminds me of walking into a Charles Dickens’s story. One of the spots that I enjoyed the most stood at the edge of town. At this spot, a big hill, or small mountain, (depending on your perspective) beckons for you to hike to its top. Of course, I had to heed that call with a bunch of other people on one of the coldest days I experienced while out there. They call it Arthur’s Seat even though it has no connection to this legendary king. It is still worth the effort to see the view from the top.
Like a lot of people, during the Covid years, I got back into board gaming. It was something that I enjoyed a lot during my youth, and now that there are a bunch of games being created with adults like me in mind, it was the perfect time to get back into the hobby. Since then, I have spent some time with the games I have been adding to my collection by writing reviews about them. This year, I wrote about a classic light role playing game, Betrayal at House on the Hill. This wasn’t going to make the list this year, but right around Christmas time, it got a surge of hits as people started to wonder if this was a good gift or not. I just hope my review was helpful to them in deciding whether or not it was.
Though many of my travel posts come from other countries that I live near, I still do some traveling in the country I live in. I discovered a hidden spot this past year that has easily become one of my favorite in Jordan. It is not as dramatic as Petra, or Wadi Rum. It is not as touristy as the Dead Sea, or Aqaba. It is not as historic as Jerash, or Amman. But it is the place that many of the people of Jordan go to in order to unwind. Hidden in the mountains near the Dead Sea is a hot spring call Ma’in that I have found is the perfect place to unwind.
I travelled with my school’s track and field team to compete in a meet in Chennai, India this last year. It was a really busy trip, and I spent most of my time going back and forth between the school and the hotel with the team. I did have a short amount of time where I was able to get away to do some shopping for my wife for Valentine’s Day, and got to ride in a tuk tuk to get that shopping done. It was not the most unique experience of my life time, but it did make me reminiscent of my time spent living in Thailand.
It always surprises me what becomes the most popular post of the year. I usually think it would have to do with the ones I spend a lot of time on, and have deep philosophical things that I contemplate on. And then there are ones like this one where I got stuck waiting in Denver International Airport while waiting for the late arrival of my wife’s plane. I used to work at this airport, and it is currently undergoing a renovation, but it still has retained its weird nature. This post talked about how proud I am of my hometown as it retains its strangeness in this iconic airport.
There a some songs out there that are ear worms. Once you hear the song, the melody digs a hole through your eardrum to burrow itself some place deep in your subconscious. They are the songs that you find yourself singing all day long even though you keep on telling yourself that you need to quit singing it. Some of those songs don’t even need to be heard in order for them to emerge again. All it takes is the mention of something that reminds you of the song, and all of a sudden allusions to the song pop up all over the place. If you do not believe, start telling your friends that you are planning to visit Istanbul soon, and see what they say. Will they start telling you that even old New York was once New Amsterdam? Will they ask if you are sure that you are going to Istanbul, and not Constantinople? Will they ask you if you have a date waiting in Constantinople? Will you respond that it is nobody’s business but the Turks?
If you want to hear that ear-worm play in your head even more, actually take that trip to Istanbul, and the whole time you are there, you will be singing along. Or at least that was what I was afraid I would be doing, but let’s be honest, how often do you mention the name of the town that you find yourself in. Despite this fact, my mind kept wandering back to this song while I was there, and not just because of its jaunty beat, and memorable lyrics. There is something behind those lyrics that give meaning to this world famous city, and the identities it has carried over its history.
Istanbul is a city centered around duality. It sits on edge of two continents, and it is one of the places in the world where you can travel easily between Europe and Asia. The Bosphorus Strait splits the city right down the center, and there are many places where you can peer across it to see the other continent. It also sits in the middle of the trade routes for both the continents, and the varying ways of looking at the world. There are many times when you wonder if the city has more of an Asian feel to it or if it is in fact part of the European ethos. The strange thing that you will realize when being out here is that it is actually both, and they can live together in harmony rather easily.
The people of Istanbul will claim that their spiritual nature is definitively in tune with the Middle East and its values, but this is not necessarily accurate either. Though there are many mosques and the call to prayer can be heard at the usual times of the day, there are not the restrictions on alcohol and other vices that are prevalent in other countries in the region. If you look hard enough beyond the Roman ruins that can be seen all over the place, you will find the Catholic, and Greek Orthodox churches that you would find in a typical European city. Even the city’s most historic monument, the Hagia Sofia, demonstrates this duality within the culture. It was at one time the greatest cathedral on earth, but was turned into a mosque, then a museum, and back to a mosque. Though it supports the current Muslim culture, it is hard not to walk through it, and not see the remnants of the original plan still all over the place.
This duality creeps its way into all aspects of the culture, giving the city of Istanbul its own unique flavor. It feeds into its food, its landscape, and its people. It gives context to the novelty song from the 1950s, so it is no longer an ear worm that will stick in your head from the moment your hear it, but instead will guide you through this amazing town supplying it with meaning.
Until next time, I hope to see you in Istanbul, not Constantinople.
Today is the day we turn one-hundred, A monument that not many can claim. Many thought we would have ended up dead, And would have never reached our current fame. We endured in order to prove them wrong, And built up something mighty upon this site. In a world where they think we don’t belong, We will continue to put up the fight. Today we’ll sing of our national pride, Lining our streets with our Turkish colors. We will celebrate our historic ride, Giving us reason for our hearts to stir. We’ll meet again in the next century In honor of this day’s great memory.
I never plan for it to happen. I just want to go on vacation, get away from my life for a little bit, and see a part of the world that I have never seen before. Every once in awhile though, I find myself in a part of the world during a time of great celebration. These have always been some of my favorite travel experiences, and my trip to Istanbul supplied me with another one of the these experiences.
Sunday marked the 100th anniversary of the modern republic of Turkey. It was on this date that Mustafa Ataturk raised the country up from the rubble of the Ottoman Empire and turned it into a secular republic. The busier parts of the city were draped in Turkey flags, and people came out to show their support for the momentous part of their history.
It was not the craziest of celebrations that I have found myself in. People were quietly enjoying the day off by wandering the streets of town and waving their flags. There were some fireworks at night, and a small display of the country’ navy, but beyond that, it was not the party that it cold have been. Still, the day was filled with joyous people, showing their appreciation for their country.
It reminded me a little bit of my youth when I celebrated the bi-centennial of the United States. There was a moment of nationalistic pride in being able to mark this occasion. Some of the celebrations seemed to be appropriate to what was happening; whereas, others used the moment to push their agenda with simple displays of propaganda. Every business went full out to show their support with even McDonald’s creating a special menu board for the day. It makes sense and will allow the moment to stick in the minds of the youth that witnessed it longer because they will remember how the whole country went overboard to celebrate.
As for me, there was only one thing that I could do, join in the celebration. Why would I do anything differently? I was already here, and a moment like this would not come again for another hundred years. You have to enjoy these moments when they come whether you planned to be a part of them or not.
Until next time, keep going out and finding those celebrations, and make sure you get the most out of them when you find them.
Istanbul has a lot of treasures above the ground that bring people to the city, but they also have one hidden gem that sits underneath its busiest part. If you look around the opposite side of the street that holds the parks and greatest monuments, you will see a line to a modern looking building that could not possibly hold the crowds that are gathered in the line. It has to be something though, if so many people are lined up to see it, and it would be worth your time if you joined the group to see what it was all about. If you did, you would be taken down to an underground cistern that at one time collected the drinking water for the city of Constantinople, but has sense been drained so people can wander around it and check out the structural marvel that the Emperor Constantine had made back during his rule in the fourth century.
The place is massive. It covers almost 10,000 square meters, and during its heyday, it could supply enough water for 100,000 people for one day. The design has arched ceilings and a variety of columns to keep all of this water safe. The people who constructed it did not spend a lot of time making sure all of the columns matched each other. They knew that they would be covered in water and nobody would be able to see them anyways, so when they built it, they grabbed columns from old buildings and used them to build this cistern. This made it so the columns have their own charm depending on what part of the cistern you find yourself in.
This leads to some interesting design choices in certain parts of the building. In the far corner, in the place they thought nobody would ever come, they had found some shorter columns used to keep the ceiling up, so in order to make up for this problem, they cut off the head of a couple of Medusa statues and placed them underneath the columns to make them tall enough. This makes this the busiest corner of the cistern, and it it fun to check out the faces that they deemed perfect to make the structure sound.
Since they have drained the structure, they have added a bunch of art work in the shallow water that makes the place even more exciting to visit. Some of them are simple designs of leaves or jellyfish, but there are plenty of half completed statues of men and women some of which are pretty creepy. The Medusa is the most terrifying of them all, and they have her hidden in the corner of the Cistern. Others are not as creepy, but a lot of it depends on the color of the light they are showing at the time you find yourself next to one of these statues.
The lighting definitely changes the mood of the place, and at time makes it appear really creepy. No matter the lighting, it is still a must visit place if you are in Istanbul. I have been to a lot of places all over the world, and I can not think of another place like this one. It has been the highlight of my trip out here so far, and I am glad that I was able to see the Basilica Cistern.
Until next time, keep searching for those hidden gems in your travels and make sure you share them with others so they are stay around for the next group.
When visiting Europe, many tourists go to the cathedrals, and marvel at their beauty. When in Southeast Asia, they folk to the watts to check out what they have to offer. So it only makes sense that when you are in the Middle East region, you will head off to the mosques and see how they represent the spiritual guidance of the people in this region of the world. Over the last couple of years, I have visited a few of the more important mosques that the world has to offer, but it wasn’t until I traveled to Turkey that I got to see one of the oldest mosques, the Blue Mosque.
The Blue Mosque had finished its construction in the early years of the seventeenth century, and ever since, it has been an imposing figure over the city of Istanbul. It sits in the old part of the European side of the city, and it is easy to find, not only because of its blue dome, but also the six minarets that surround its grounds. The mosque itself is an important piece of architecture because it was the first time ever that a dome was successfully attached to a square building. Despite this feat, it is still a great place to visit for many other reasons.
From the inside, the building becomes even more impressive. The Blue Mosque’s dome looks even more intricate from this perspective. The artwork that adorns the ceiling is original and has had been protected ever since the mosque was built. The designs come from over 21,000 tiles that were places there even though it is hard to distinguish one of the tiles from another. Still, it has created one of the most intricate pieces of art that I have ever witnessed, and much time could be spent looking at the patterns that are created above.
The Blue Mosque is not as big as some of the more elaborate mosques that can be found in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, but that does not stop tourists from coming to see this sight for themselves. It does not hold a chandelier that has a spiral staircase inside of it so it can be cleaned, or a carpet that was hand-sown and covers every corner of the floor, but you can feel the same sense of reverence when you enter. The biggest difference I felt came from the focus of each mosque. Some of the mosques I have visited seemed more interested in make monetary gain from the people who showed up to look at the place; whereas, the focus of the Blue Mosque seemed to be geared towards spreading the knowledge of Islam to the people who visited. There is a corner inside of the mosque dedicated to pushing this passion on to other people, and it makes it feel more authentic when you arrive.
If you are in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque is a must see, especially considering there is no entrance fee to go and see its beauty, and feel its history. Just know that like many other holy sites, there are some dress codes that you must abide by. Conservative dress is suggested with women being asked to cover their hair when they enter, and men cannot wear shorts or hats. It is nothing that is too uncomfortable, and it is a small price to pay to see this place. Also know that, the Blue Mosque is not opened to visitors during the hour around the call to prayer. It gets packed as soon as it opens up again, so it helps to hold off for a bit to enter, if you find yourself here during that time. Still, there was not enough people in the place to make it too uncomfortable. All in all, it is a great place to visit while in Istanbul.
So until next time, get out there and see what the world has to offer.
Some times life can get really busy, and it is hard to find time for yourself. It feels as if people are pulling you fifteen different directions, and you have to navigate all of these requests at once or fall further behind. During these hectic times of the year, there is some times a small reprieve that is given to you, and you want to make the most out of that time. It helps to get away for a bit and see a different perspective, but it is not always easy to get that perspective with the time that is given to you. A whole change of environment and culture is not just right around the corner, but if you can squeeze in that change of scenery, I would highly recommend it because it will do you a lot of good.
I am lucky to have this as an option in my life at this time. Right now, I am living in Amman, Jordan, and though I love the country, and people a lot, I do need that escape from time to time so I can get a new perspective on the place I am living. The best opportunity to get this dramatic change for me is to hop on a short flight and land on the island of Cyprus where I exchange an Arab culture for a European one. Within a short time I can look at green fields instead of desert landscapes; I can drink good wine instead of mint tea; I can eat Greek inspired cuisine instead of Lebanese.
It is not just these small things that allow me the escape that I am looking for by taking that small flight. It is also a completely different culture with a completely different vibe. Now, I love the people of Jordan. They are friendly and have a great pride in their culture, but as somebody that comes from a different part of the world, I still feel a little like an outsider. Though traveling a short distance away, I will still feel like an outsider, but now, I am able to go around and marvel at the unique sights that have not become commonplace because I see them everyday. It becomes an exotic vacation where I am creating memories instead of making it through the week so I can enjoy the weekend.
I also get to partake in unique experiences by making this little trip. These always seem to be a part of those places that are a short distance away. In Oregon, it is the mountain lakes, and beautiful hikes that the state has to offer. Colorado has those hikes as well as some of the best skiing that the world has to offer. Cyprus has a bunch of quaint European towns to explore as well as a wine country that is fun to travel through and from time to time experience what it is like to try my hand at making some of the wine.
No matter where you live, I am sure there is some place nearby that allows you the opportunity for you to escape your daily grind. I feel lucky that this place is Cyprus for me. It is nice to escape if only for a long weekend. It makes going home a pleasurable experience again because I can get away for just long enough to make me realize how much I have when I get back.
Until next time, I hope you get to enjoy that close by escape as well.
John Collings 