Posts by Rick Juliusson
Only one “n” in Istanbul
Four weeks living in the Turkish capital and I still sometimes spell it Instanbul – like it’s an Add Water & Stir cow mix. Four weeks in a place where Rick Steeves recommends 2-4 days, and I’m still discovering and reaching and wondering. Where have all the churches gone? After a month on the Camino…
Read MoreHere’s to Crazy Aunts (and Rock-Solid Uncles)
Everyone deserves a crazy aunt. The one in the movies who pushes the boundaries, buys outlandish presents and wears outlandish clothes, travels to exotic places, drinks with flair, and uses the word “Sex” in everyday conversation. I was blessed with two. Aunt Sally Aunt Sally, whose laugh was as full and real and nourishing as…
Read MoreWinter Swim in the Black Sea
Stimulating or overstim? After 2 weeks of Istanbul delights and Turkish markets, our souls are crying out for fresh air (today’s air quality index is 71: “The air quality is generally acceptable for most individuals. However, sensitive groups may experience minor to moderate symptoms from long-term exposure.”) We hastily pack an overnight bag and head…
Read MoreTurkish Markets
Today I’m going to take you on a photographic tour of the many markets we’ve enjoyed around Istanbul. Each outing includes a long walk there and back where we stumble upon other sights and discoveries about Turkey. Fish Market Just 10 minutes downhill from our AirBnB, winding through steep narrow streets filled with electric lights…
Read MoreTurkish Delight
“Find us our next adventure,” we asked our panel of friends and family. A place where we can recover and build from the Camino experience. A place with new foods and smells and sights. A place we’ve never been and maybe wouldn’t have thought to choose on our own. Our fantastic five zoomed together, swirled…
Read Moreto the End of the World – Camino Bonus Days 40-44 (Finisterre)
I’m blissfully alone in the world. Legs crossed, back to the lighthouse, shrouded in fog, mesmerized by Tofino-worthy waves crashing up and over the rocks. I suppose Sarah’s somewhere on some rock doing the same thing, but for this hour or hours it’s just me and the rest of my life and the end of…
Read MoreWe Did It! – Camino Days 35-39 (Santiago de Compostela)
39 days ago I wrote about starting a camino family, not really believing that the random group of pilgrims who just happened to start the same day and walk about the same pace could be any more special than the ones from the day before or the day after. But in these final 5 days…
Read MoreBeauty Cuts – Camino Days 31-34 (Somos)
Shortcuts are the fast route to missing life. By definition they cut something short in the name of efficiency. That’s why I’m notorious in our family for “beauty cuts.” When I announce, “I think this will be a better route – trust me!” the family groans (which I generously interpret as endorsement) and knows their…
Read MoreChariots, Crusaders, and Baby Jesus Playing Cards – Camino Day 30 (Cacabelos)
Before the invention of ATM’s, trekking the long isolated Camino with everything you needed to survive was a dangerous game, and the Knights Templar were created to provide protection. At sunrise we’ve reached Ponferrada, home to the Game-of-Thrones-worthy Castle of the Knights Templar – a church-created army designed in 1119 to safeguard pilgrims to Jerusalem…
Read MoreGonna Lay Down My Burden – Camino Day 29 (Iron Cross)
At the start of the Camino, Sarah told me to pick up a rock that I would later lay down at the famous Cruz de Ferro. Choosing (as always) to walk in ignorance, this is the first of only three things I knew to look forward to on the entire 800 km pilgrimage (the others…
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