Istanbul–Week 2

Istanbul–Week 2

The Rahmi M. Koc Museum in Istanbul is one of the finest technological and maritime museums in the world with over 16,000 exhibits.  Mr. Koc is perhaps the most wealthy man in Turkey and owns about 140 businesses in his country.  He is also one of the largest...
Istanbul–Week 1

Istanbul–Week 1

Istanbul–one of the great cities of the world–is an amazing place to say the least dating back to 660 BC.  It’s about 80 km in diameter and home to perhaps 20 million people, depending upon who’s counting.  It spans two continents is built upon...
Eastern Europe and other Gulag-y Places

Eastern Europe and other Gulag-y Places

The last push from Budapest to Istanbul isn’t an easy one and involves five separate trains not including the maze of undergrounds from Halkali to my destination in the center of Istanbul. The Man in Seat 61 lays it out pretty well but it’s hard to grasp...
The Bridges of Budapest

The Bridges of Budapest

There are about a dozen bridges spanning the Danube River here in Budapest.  I didn’t know this as I trained into town but I was soon to learn.  From Venice, it was an all day trip to Vienna–arriving about 5pm.  I grabbed a room at the Motel One or some...
Stranded in Venice!

Stranded in Venice!

There is no equivalent to Venice. This city defines Italy with its elegance, renaissance marble architecture, music, shipping and world exploration, right up to the color palettes of its artists.  It also defines crowded tourism and near-extortion for many basic...
Naples, Pompey, Capri and JFK’s yacht

Naples, Pompey, Capri and JFK’s yacht

Let’s start in Naples. Before heading out to Capri, let’s talk about boats.  While my host, Bruno, does his maritime stuff here in Naples, I get a tour of the boatyard.  I won’t even begin to describe these beauties–Stradivarius of the Seas so...