Category Syria
Syria Before The Conflict Part 7, The People
There seems to be the real prospect of regime change in Syria. What the future holds nobody knows but we pray that this is a new beginning for a freer, more just society. This is what I wrote previously about the Syrian people that I met in 2009. Now I have come to the end […]
Tuesday Train – Aleppo to Latakia, Syria
On my visit to Syria in 2009 I took a couple of trains. This rather worn train took us from Aleppo to the coastal city of Latakia, which became an important military port for Russia during the Syrian civil conflict. Here it is at Aleppo Station after we returned (on the left).
Severely Delayed Tuesday Train – Ankara, Turkey
In 2009 I experienced one of my favourite ever journeys. Istanbul to Ankara by the Dogu Express, on to Adana on the Toros Express, bus to Antakya, and finally taxi over the border to Aleppo in Syria. The journey started with a frog march from our hotel to the port to catch a ferry across […]
My Top 5 Countries Visited – Or Are They?
As somebody reasonably well travelled, I am often asked my favourite countries visited. This is pretty impossible, so diverse are they. I will give it a go. However, if you ask me again next week I am pretty sure the list will change! Japan I am just back from a fabulous two week trip. Fuji, […]
Tuesday Train – Aleppo in Syria
In 2009 I travelled to Aleppo by train, bus & taxi from Istanbul. An epic journey to what became my favourite city that sadly has suffered so much in the intervening years. Whilst there we took a train to Latakia on the Mediterranean coast. A strategic port, it became a base for the Russian navy […]
Monday Morning Blues – The Great Mosque, Aleppo, Syria.
Our hearts & prayers go out to the victims of the devastating earthquake in Syria & Turkey. The affected region in Syria has suffered so much for over a decade and now this. Heartbreaking.
Syria Before The Conflict Part 7, The People
Now I have come to the end of my posts on my 2009 tour of Syria it is time to consider the people who I came across. I have purposely concentrated on the Syria that I saw on the trip – fantastic history, fabulous architecture and wonderful people. As I now often reflect on what […]
Syria Before The Conflict Part Six, Damascus
The capital was to be our last port of call on our magical Syrian tour. The bus from Palmyra was packed, so we took the only available seats right at the back on the left hand side. Before long a soldier was leaning on Hamish’s shoulder fast asleep! We stopped half way for a foodstop. […]
Syria Before The Conflict Part Five, Saladin’s Castle & Memory Tricks
Are you ever convinced of something only to find that the memory has played tricks on you? Well this happened to me whilst chronicling my 2009 Syria trip. I have just discovered some notes I scribbled along the way and have found two long held beliefs to be incorrect. First of all we visited in […]
Syria Before The Conflict Part 4, Roman Ruins
After a couple of nights in Hama we were half-way through our Syrian adventure. We had decided to take another train part of the way for the hell of it – for less than an hour between Hama & Homs. We stopped briefly in Homs, first negotiating a taxi for the ride south, a price […]
