Margilan Day Trip: Silk, Worms, and Dresses

Khushnud and I were chatting at the pottery wheel, as always.  For two people from different cultures, different generations, different religions, and opposite sexes, we found no shortage of things to talk about. At first, all we shared was a common language, Russian, and a love of pottery. Within a […]

The Student Becomes the Teacher

But by the third day, I had settled into the rhythm of life in the studio. We ate breakfast of bread, cheese, and tea and then Khushnud and I spent the morning at the pottery wheels, throwing new pieces, decorating, and trimming whatever had dried enough to handle. Before long, it […]

Detained at the Uzbek-Kyrgyz Border

While Julia was busy taking pottery classes, I got my ass in trouble. Funny story. When we arrived in Rishton, it was already dark outside, and we barely saw the surroundings.  But as we settled for the night at the pottery studio, I looked at Google Maps on my phone […]

Pottery for Pets

I woke up the next morning with my heart fluttering. It was the first day of my pottery retreat. I threw on older clothes I didn’t mind getting dirty with clay and hurried outside. I hadn’t really seen the courtyard the night before. We arrived after dark, when little was […]

First Lesson. Rishton.

It was late evening, and we had just arrived at the pottery studio of one of the most famous ceramic artists in Uzbekistan. We were exhausted and sweaty and weren’t sure if our long day of travel was over or if we would now need to look for alternative accommodation. […]

Izmir Food Special

By Julia / November 16, 2023

When Victor visited Istanbul last year with his parents, he was so impressed with Turkish markets that he later wrote three blog posts on this topic (post #1, post #2, post #3). So obviously, while visiting Türkiye this year, we couldn’t skip Kemeralti Market in Izmir, one of the oldest […]

Leblebi, Leblebi Everywhere

By Julia / November 9, 2023

In the evening of Day 6 in Türkiye, we were driving from Pamukkale down to Fethiye, after having spent the whole day exploring what Turkish people consider to be the 8th Wonder of the World.  There’ll be a separate post about that later with some of the most surreal photographs […]

Getting Clean in Türkiye

By Victor / November 2, 2023

My motionless body lies inside the octagon.  I’m on my back, in a state of total disorientation, hardly registering what is going on around me.  I feel neither my legs nor arms, and can barely hear any sounds.  My eyes are closed, and when I squint them open, all I […]

Surviving the Apocalypse in Türkiye

By Julia / October 26, 2023

After visiting the archeological treasures of Ephesus, one of the most famous and well-preserved ancient cities, in the morning, we were in the mood for something easy and delightful, with a bit of indulgently sweet on the side.  And so, a stop in the village of Şirince, just 8 kilometers […]

Welcome to Lycia!

By Julia / October 19, 2023

We visited Lycia, and I am here to tell you all about it.  If you are staring at a map, confused and bewildered, let me get you a little better situated.  Lycia is a maritime district of southwestern Anatolia and can be found on the Teke Peninsula, surrounded by the […]

Türkiye: The First Time

By Julia / October 5, 2023

The first time we ended up in Türkiye was back in the winter of 2013, and to be perfectly clear, we didn’t go to Türkiye, we went to Thailand for two weeks and had an overnight layover in Istanbul on our way back.  And so, Türkiye was an afterthought.  We […]

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