Aksaray hidden city Often I will hear a Brit say something like, 'I went to Spain but I didn't go to the tourist places, I went where the...

I was woken up on Monday by a message from a friend telling me about the earthquake. I disturbed Mark from his sleep and over the next...

See link youtube.com/watch?v=sBBbq2g7yf8 Fortunately for me, I am told that doubt isn’t the antithesis of faith; fear is the antithesis...

To Middle Earth and back Does anyone else remember the old hymn, 'To be a pilgrim'? It was published in 1678 and taken from John Bunyan's...

Mark and I are back in the Wales...not for long. On Sunday we fly to New Zealand to be at our eldest daughter's wedding. But I had...

C14th Byzantium. Syriac Rabbula Gospels, C6th The greatest scandal of Christianity, I believe, is that God allowed Himself to be...

Only joking. This is the Ramadan drummer. He wakes us up faithfully every night at about 2.30pm to call us to get ready for the meal...

For my birthday, in the middle of March, Mark took me to Ankara Opera. We thought the performance would be at the opera house, but no it...

Yes I should really be studying for my first exam in Turkish. For those who are in the know, it is the first half of A1. I am reliably...

Mark and I stumbled on this building in the middle of a shopping district of Ankara. We had seen little mausoleums like this in another...

This is the problem with having limited Turkish. I went to buy lipsol and the shop assistant sat me down and gave me a make-over!...

Yes I'm presuming that covid feels the same whether you catch it in Llanelli or Ankara. Mark caught it first and then I caught it; I...

With my conservative and fearful palate, I was glad not to have to attempt the brains and ankle soup. Mark seems to have polished it off...

Today Mark and I went exploring in search of old Byzantium. I had always been under the false illusion that the Roman Empire fell in the...

I don't know if this photo portrays accurately just how steep the hills actually are. Some of them, especially in the ice, are lethal....

Yes, why can't I have perfection? My parents managed it. We lived in a very white bungalow that, and I do not exaggerate, was redecorated...

If you want a tour of our new flat you can see it on my instagram account which is marieleespioneerinitiative. And I'll post some more...

Our introduction to Turkey has been surprisingly easy due to our host family. They have kindly helped us with everything from meeting us...

You may know that I like castles about as much as Mark likes ballet, i.e. not very much. This castle, however, interests me and for a...

I remember an Amy Grant song from the '80s. Anyone else remember Amy? It was titled 'Growing up to be a child'. As I prayed this morning...