Tag Archives: Latakia
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).
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 […]
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 […]
Tuesday Train Journey – Aleppo to Latakia, in Syria
This year every Tuesday I will be recounting an overseas train journey. It could be a short hop or a long-distance overnighter. Every journey is special to me – the greatest way to travel by far. In 2009 I was extremely fortunate to visit Syria where first stop was Aleppo, which remains my favourite city […]
The Syrian Conflict – Ten Years of Misery for Millions of Innocent Children
UNICEF have just sent me an email to remind me that the conflict in Syria will now been tragically going on for precisely a decade as of Monday. This is what they have sent me: Powerful stuff. Ten years. TEN YEARS! Close your eyes and imagine yourself ten years ago and then think of your […]
Sunday Photos – Citizens of Syria
Yesterday I was honoured to give a talk about my 2009 journey from Istanbul to Damascus at the wonderful Globetrotters Club in London. The journey took me from Istanbul to Ankara, Adana, Antakya, Aleppo, Raqqa Province, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Palmyra and finally Damascus, a distance of over 1,000 miles in 12 wonderful days. I finished […]
Syria Before The Conflict Part 7, The People
Now I have come to the end of 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 has happened these […]
Syria Before The Conflict – Part One, Aleppo
After our long journey by land from Istanbul (see previous posts) our taxi dropped us off at the iconic Hotel Baron. The famous colonial style classic had been frequented by the likes of Agatha Christie, Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill in the past and with its marble staircase & floors and wood panels the hotel […]
