Middle East

Conversion on the Road to Damascus April, 2011

I am very wary of road-stop stalls, open-sided caravans and cafes, selling queasy, greasy food and unripe strawberries, dotted along the by-ways and lay-bys of ‘A’ roads all over the UK. But in Syria it is different. I was converted on the road from Palmyra to Damascus as we drove past acres of pistachio trees and on into endless desert. There we stopped for a simple Bedouin lunch at the Baghdad Café, 142 km from the Iraq border. A delicious meal of sautéed onions and cracked wheat cooked in oil, and served with olives and sheep’s yoghurt – and it was perfect.

A Picnic in the Mountains of Jerusalem January, 2011

Winter is a very short season in Israel. In most years it starts 4-5 months after the summer ends. This type of climate produces a long autumn-winter, which in our part of the world means very fickle and unpredictable weather that alternates between heat waves and storms that can last several days. Even though it's really hard to decide what to wear when going out in the mornings, autumn and winter in Israel is a magical time which excels in beautiful days of mild temperatures and intermingled with soft breezes.

Delightfully Turkish December, 2009

I had no idea what to expect from my visit to Istanbul. But I was on a mission, to find the most delectable Turkish Delight, far removed from the sweet, gelatinous pink lumps that we can buy in England.

I knew Istanbul was bewitching, particularly Old Istanbul, but I had no idea that Istanbul was “hot.” Not the weather — it was late fall and raining — but the “happening” restaurants and bars, of which there are more than exquisite Ottoman mosques, domes and delicate minarets.Well, almost....

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