
This first week back in Istanbul has been a blur… So far, I’ve explored areas of Beyoğlu district and its endlessly-entertaining side streets! Since 2013, I’ve visited Istanbul several times. The last visit, June 2021, was during covid, so of course the atmosphere was entirely different. With a population of 16 million, the density can […]

The uneventful trip from Thessaloniki to Istanbul was short but tiring, mostly due to airport taxi pickups on both ends. I found taxi pickups in Thessaloniki problematic, primarily because the drivers seemed short-tempered and spoke minus-zero English. Since my apartment was on a sidestreet not open to auto traffic, it was difficult communicating the exact […]

In 2024, the remains of an ancient Roman road were discovered during excavations for a new Thessaloniki subway station. Archeologists say the thoroughfare, paved in marble and lined with columns, was built “more than 2,300 years ago”! _____________ “Metro engineers argued the historical remnants needed to be moved to continue subway construction. Cultural preservationists insisted […]
Oh thank you for the reblog. Such striking photos.