A Borderlands Quatrain
Position: 39°33’19″N 44°03’57″E An eye is meant to see things. The soul is here for its own joy. A head has one use: for loving a true love. Legs: to run after. – Rumi There are ghosts out here on …
Photos: Georgia
Position: 41°55’33″N 45°29’08″E Cat pee. That’s what Simcoe hops taste like, cat pee. Their powerful, unmistakable flavour is typically added at the end of fermentation to give an IPA an added ‘oomph’. Sipping the first true craft beers we’d had …
Midnight in Georgia
Position: 41°41’17″N 44°48’15″E There is an abandoned railway line that runs alongside the road between Tbilisi and Telavi. The gantries that carried the electric power are still there. Some are broken, their big glass resistors dangling low over the middle …
Georgia Bound
Position: 41°31’12″N 41°32’52″E On a whim we decided to ditch Trabzon’s unseasonably cold, wet weather and head to Georgia. Where the weather was even colder. Given our planning skills we felt more than prepared after a couple of Google clicks. …
Black Sea Strolls
Position: 40°59’44″N 39°44’47″E Amasra If Turkey’s southern Taurus mountains are a series of giant crested waves, then they’ve crashed and run out in the roiling hills and tumultuous folds here on the northern edge of the country. Near Istanbul the …
Puppies!
Position: 40°39’25″N 35°49’30″E With the world in turmoil puppies are one of the few things you can unconditionally rely on to cheer you up. Having learned how many stray dogs and cats there are in Turkey, we never go anywhere …
Ukraine Memories
Position: 47°06’33″N 37°56’03″E Almost 11 years ago I drove a Suzuki Swift from the UK to Mongolia with my buddy Tom. In recognition of last week’s horrific events in Ukraine, I’m posting the relevant blogs with the hope they give …
From Empire to Footrest
Position: 37°03’58″N 38°22’41″E All great empires fall at some point. Or at least they have so far. The ultimate cause of failure is usually internal. If you’re a small kingdom, a duchy say, or have a castle at the far …
Americans, Antiochus, and Arsameia
Position: 37°58’04″N 38°43’52″E Slipping on the snow and ice, Clio’s tyres whined with increasing urgency. She refused to move forward. Fortunately, she wasn’t involuntarily moving backwards either. The steep, narrow road was in relatively good condition. Only, it was covered …