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Ia orana, Tahiti 

I always wanted to visit the Pacific. Just hearing the names of the places like Tahiti, Bora Bora and Tonga make my mind go overdrive and my heart miss a beat. Around a year ago, with a few good friends, we’ve decided to go on a Pacific adventure. We would do some island hopping, some sailing and some cruising.  Sun setting over Pacific After endless hours of planning, checking the flight…

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Martinique

Martinique is an island with many nicknames; ‘the Island of Flowers’, ‘The French Caribbean Gem’ , ‘The Blue Paradise’ … All ring true of course. But for me, it’s the island of gorgeous sunsets, beautiful people and endless ‘Anse’s (coves). Sunsets @ Anse Mitan And, yes, an incredible combo of French & Creole culture. Some basics first : Martinique is an Overseas Territory of France, in West…

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Guadeloupe - wings of a butterfly

Guadeloupe is completely unique, beautiful and huge. That is, compared to most of the Caribbean islands. In shape and color it resembles a giant green-gold butterfly, drifting lazily; the green comes from the heavy cover of vegetation, the gold from the constant play of sunlight and hectares of banana plantations. Sunset @ Deshais Guadeloupe is really two islands with the two butterfly wings…

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Discovering Saint Barth

Nestled in the azure embrace of the Caribbean Sea, Saint Barthélemy, or Saint Barth for short, is a captivating gem waiting to be explored. The name of the island, at least in my mind, was synonymous with rich and beautiful, mega yatches and super models; but to my delight, on a recent sailing trip to the French Indies, I found it quite charming and sailor-friendly as well. Like all Caribbean…

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Paragliding at Lac d’Annecy

My husband and I share a birthday. Which is not especially fun for me, but very convenient for him 😉. Lac d’Annecy We were at Annecy for our last birthday. We didn’t plan it that way, we simply happened to visit some friends who bought a chalet there, and invited us over for the weekend. Before that, I knew Annecy as a stop on the TGV Neige on the way to the French Alps. Vieille Ville It…

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Carcassonne: Explore the Past, Discover the Present

Carcassonne is a ancient city in southern France. Located in the plain of the river Aude between old trade routes that link Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea and the Massif Central to the Pyrénées. The first time I went to Carcassone; it was pitch black and we were tired and hungry after a long day’s driving. We were on a raod trip that had started in Bordeaux in September and continued in most…

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Cruising Canal du Midi

We recently went on a cruise on the Canal du Midi in France, the 360-km network of navigable waterways linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Built in the 17th century, and now a Unesco World Heritage, Canal du Midi was -and still is- a remarkable feats of engineering. Built in just 27 years, the canal and its 328 structures (locks, aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, etc.) made the rich Occitan…

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Bond in Motion

If you are a James Bond fan, you probably have your favorite Bond. But do you have your favorite Bond car ? Let’s face it: James Bond wouldn’t be so cool without his cars. They may not always survive the story, but Bond always does. If the most famous agent in the world has succeeded in his missions, it is often thanks to the vehicles designed by the ingenious “Q”. Some of the Bond cars are…

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Bruges - Disneyland for grown-ups

Bruges – Disneyland for grown-ups

Bruges is a city of canals, churches and chocolate shops. And tourists. Lots of tourists. Very cute and picturesque, it is attracting both the history buffs and the Insta generation. City of canals Bruges (or Brugge in Flemish) was built around the 1st century, when Julius Caesar was occupying most of Europe. A port town which was also getting famous for its cloths weaving, Bruges attracted…

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Autumn at Lac de Genval

Autumn at Lac de Genval

One of my favorite places in Belgium is Lac de Genval, located some 20 kilometers south of Brussels. The lake is on the edge of the Forêt de Soignes and the border between two states of the Federal Kingdom of Belgium runs through the Lake. Nature’s palette This means in practical terms that the Lake is divided into two parts: one French-speaking in the Walloon region (French: Region wallonne)…

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Büyükada; Queen of the Princes' Islands

Büyükada; Queen of the Princes’ Islands

Just a stone throw away from Istanbul, there are nine islands scattered around the Sea of Marmara, collectively known as Prince’s Islands. The plural ‘princes’ indicated in the name refers to various princes and noblemen who were exiled to these islands during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods of Istanbul; my timeless, magnificent city. Even Leon Trotsky, the famous Ukranian-Russian…

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Wining and Dining at Urla

Wining and Dining at Urla

I’ve always thought about Urla and Çeşme as sisters; Çeşme as the it-girl, fun and sexy; whereas Urla was the silent little sister, hiding at her dusty vineyards, reading books on oenology. Well, Urla is not that shy girl anymore, but a sophisticated young lady, relaxed and cultured, leaving her mark as a major gastronomic center on the Aegean coast. Wine has been produced in Anatolia since…

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Surrealist footsteps of Dali

Surrealist footsteps of Dali

Recently I was at a digital exhibition, sitting in a huge empty building watching clocks melting on the walls and elephants with giraffe legs walking to the music of Pink Floyd and I was smiling ear to ear. This is the world of Dali, maybe the most famous Surrealist artist of all time. I remember seeing the The Persistence of Memory for the first time.  I was in the middle of one of my time &…

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A day at the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg

Who doesn’t like to live in a château ? Well, honestly, I don’t. They are too big, cold, generally lacking even the most crucial necessities – running water, anyone ? – and probably haunted. And the upkeep should hurt even the richest A-listers. But while visiting the magical Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg at Alsace, I couldn’t help but think myself as the Lady of the Château, knitting a carpet…

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For the love of cars

For the love of cars

This is the tale of two brothers and their 150 Bugattis. Plus almost every brand of luxury car that was ever manufactured until mid 1970s. While visiting friends that moved back to their native Alsace, we came upon the Cité de l’Automobile, a wonderful museum full of classic luxury cars. When our friends, both natives of Mulhouse where the museum is located, told us the story behind it, I was…

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Aquila’nın Öyküsü

Ben bir kitap yazdım. Aslında yıllardır yazmak istediğim, ve anlata anlata yakın arkadaşlarımı bayılttığım bir kitap fikrim var. Bu o değil. Arada gelen, ‘sen bu gezi yazılarını bir kitap haline getirsene’ tarzı yorumlar oluyor. Bu o da değil. Bu kitap Osmanlı’nın son dönemleri ile Kurtuluş Savaşı yıllarındaki havacılarımızı anlatan bir kurgu roman. Konu seçimi güncel veya popüler değil,…

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Coffee - The Great Soberer

Coffee – The Great Soberer

How do you like your coffee ? A scalding hot espresso, a frothy latte or a Turkish coffee with just a tad of sugar. When you prefer it to your exact liking, you hold the cup to your nose, inhaled its wonderful aroma and took a sip. You suddenly felt more alert, more in-tune and ready to face whatever the day might throw at you. That’s the small magic that I, together with billions of other…