While planning for our year, both in advance and on-the-go, TripAdvisor became our sixth family member. We poured over reviews and suggestions of restaurants, apartments, hikes, hotels, trains, and self-guided tours. As a school writing assignment, we even studied what makes a good review and...
ColorFull
posted by S
I had the most beautiful ice cream cone the other day. The rain was just stopping, and the Kyoto street colors were accentuated by the wet. Red lanterns, dark wood, carefully arranged potted plants, flocks of bright umbrellas. As I savored both the green tea color AND flavor, I remembered...
Tooth Fairy Economic...
posted by S
The tooth hangs by a thread, flicking back and forth almost as easily and mindlessly as breathing in and out. If you ask him why he doesn’t just pull it out, the answer is quick and firm: “NO. I DON’T WANT TO.” H is on the verge of losing his second tooth of the trip....
Armor and Fences
posted by J
(Soldiers parade through Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s mausoleum in Ankara.) Some recent facets of our journey have been a bit heavy, dark. During our recent swing through Istanbul, three Kurdish activists were found dead in France. We were a bit oblivious to the developments … until we...
Faces Update
posted by S
New friends for a new year! We are so thankful to get to know several sets of amazing people who have shared their meals, their homes, their time, and their STORIES with us over the past month or so during our travels. Click on the “Faces” link to meet some terrific people who...
The Siren’s Ca...
posted by J
Oh my, how far we’ve come since November 18. We were robbed on that day … in Spain … (in the rain). The wrenching experience relieved us of a fair amount of our THINGS. Some of the loss, if we’re honest, was for the best. It made us leaner, more mobile … less...
One Less Tooth
posted by J
E — pictured above with his brothers at Istanbul’s astonishing Hagia Sophia — delivered the Quote of the Day early this morning: He attacked S and I in bed as we woke up, landing between us with a morning roar. “Mom and Dad smell differently,” he then...
Pop Thank You
posted by J
From a GORGEOUS, frigid, and delightfully snowball-friendly storm in Istanbul, a few excerpts of how pop culture has made its way to our mobile hearth and home: A recent gift of CDs for our journey has introduced us to Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe.” I think it’s...
Hold On, Tight
posted by J
This may horrify some of you … but we rented some sweet off-roaders today and, well, went off-roading in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Yes, E drove by himself a handful of times. And, yes … he nearly drove himself off a cliff. Seriously. True to form, as the ATV...
Prescription Epiphan...
posted by J
S made an announcement at dinner this evening, over chicken shish kebap, cheese pita pizza, and some seriously wiped out children: “When we get to Istanbul, I’m going to get some prescription glasses.” She apparently was having difficulty reading the fine print on her water...
Lyrics For An Unfami...
posted by J
I want to share something that has been shared with us. Our recent hosts in Antalya, Turkey made two music CDs for our travels. Those CDs have been on constant play for the last two days … and one song in particular is a close second to Owl City’s “Sunburn.” It’s...
Permanence
posted by J
I met a man in England’s Lake District named Martyn Leaver who rebuilds ancient stone walls. He told me he’s called a Waller, a title given to craftsmen like him who have helped divide land and livestock between neighbors and farmers for centuries and, more recently, UK...
Paper Runway
posted by J
So — purely coincidentally — all the males in our family were dressed up in newspaper costumes on New Year’s Eve. Apparently, four out of six separate groups needed a Wildman to decorate their entry in the annual Antalya Turkey Fashion Show … modeled after the great...
Talk of Dreams
posted by J
Earlier this week, S was asked about her vocational dreams: What is your passion? (Asked by Uncle J, our host and excellent listener.) It’s fair to say — and this sentence has been pre-approved — that S does not have a clear answer to that question. I’m able to answer...
The Assault, The Rui...
posted by J
It’s true: the boys and I had a 2-on-2 Nerf gun battle inside the ruins of the ancient city of Perge … where Saint Paul and Barnabas surely traveled on their first missionary journey. Our first game was delayed indefinitely by a wandering tour group. The second game was won by W...
Fostered Beauty
posted by J
BEAUTY has been a wonderfully constant companion on this trip. There was profound beauty in these places in Iceland, for example. Body-calming beauty. Severe beauty. We have just spent the last ten days in Turkey being FED by beauty of an entirely different degree. It began in the...
A Timeless Message
posted by S
Christmas greetings from the ancient city of Perga – a stopover for Paul and Barnabas in 46AD, and for the Wilds in 2012AD. Merry...
Advent Day 23
posted by J
Singing SILENT NIGHT on Christmas Eve at the St. Paul Cultural Center in Antalya,...