Jia Jia and the Warriors, a short story from China. After a prolonged period of stability, I finally bid farewell to Belgium in the summer of 2009. Uninspired by life in grey, uneventful Brussels, I headed off to China for an unforgettable year of teaching and traveling. —- The slow train from Beijing to Pingyao […]
Read MoreGoodness Gracious Great Wall of China! After a prolonged period of stability, I finally bid farewell to Belgium in the summer of 2009. Uninspired by life in grey, uneventful Brussels, I headed off to China for an unforgettable year of teaching and traveling. —— “Put your cookies in the bag!” I cried, addressing the group […]
Read MoreBites & Gulps: Mouthwatering Moments in Istanbul. September-October 2020. Well, dear readers, we have at long last arrived at my final Istanbul article. It is my 20th piece, and with today’s focus firmly on the city’s excellent food and drink scene, I hope very much to go out with a bang. So let’s get going, […]
Read MoreCool Spots Around Istanbul (Part II). September-October 2020. Following my recent article, Cool spots Around Istanbul, it’s time to wrap up my last batch of sights from across the city. So let’s get going with… Cool Spots Around Istanbul Part II. Sometimes the most memorable travel moments can just be soaking up the atmosphere of […]
Read MoreCool Spots Around Istanbul. September-October 2020. At long last I am edging towards the end of my Istanbul series. What an incredible city it is, something I have hopefully succeeded in showing over the last seventeen articles. Now, as per Leighton Travels tradition, it’s time to round up the best of the rest. And boy […]
Read MoreThe Magnificent Mosques of Istanbul. September-October 2020. The mosques, the mosques, the mosques of Istanbul. Much like the city’s ubiquitous cats they are an ever-present feature wherever you go and whatever you do. Punctuating the skyline on both sides of The Bosphorus, these often stunning structures stand as vessels of community, faith, Turkish history and Islamic […]
Read MoreThe Adorable Cats of Istanbul. September-October 2020 & August 2022. I’ve been looking forward to putting this piece out for months. Sladja and I are both passionate and unapologetic cat lovers. Everywhere we travel, without fail, we end up befriending the local kitties. We nearly always stop to stroke friendly felines. Moreover, we have often fed […]
Read MoreMemories and Meanings at the Museum of Innocence. August 2022. Two years after our unforgettable visit to Istanbul in the autumn of 2020, Sladja and I were in Serbia getting ready for an exciting new adventure. We were about to set off on another extended period of travel and online work. It proved to be a memorable […]
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Traveling the world, one country at a time.
