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Unloxit 2023

January - December 2023
As 2023 unfolds, a collection of experiences along the way. Read more
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  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 248

    Europe, not Asia....

    September 5, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    ...and Istanbul, not Constantinople, is the largest city in Europe, bigger than London or Paris. The Grand Bazaar, with at least 6,000 businesses under its roof, is said to be the largest covered market in the world. And pretty orderly and well kept it is too, with each business allocated to a particular quarter. Next door is the Spice Bazaar, guarded by the steely gaze of Ataturk, father of the nation. And as the sign says, although the sales staff are persuasive, there's little hard sell or hassle. The trolley bearers, weaving in and out of the narrow streets, are unmistakeable features of the city. As are the fast-food shops, Turkish style. 19th century gems, both ornamental kiosks and the brooding Sirkeci station, crop up from place to place.

    In Istanbul, you're never far away from the water, be it the Galata bridge with its hopeful anglers or the Bosphorus linking the two continents. This palace is one of several from the 19th century built to catch the summer breezes.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 250

    Taxi to Taksim

    September 7, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    A quick way of getting to the other side of the Golden Horn and inexpensive if you insist on the driver using the meter, is by taxi. Taksim, whose name has nothing to do with transport but has the prosaic meaning of water storage container, sees a more modern, sophisticated side of the city. This retail arcade would hardly look out of place in Milan or Paris and the pedestrianised Istiklal Caddesi is a mile-long parade of fashion shops.
    There are quiet corners as well, useful for photo shoots and general street life. There are few dogs but as you can see, parts of Istanbul are Cat City.

    Lastly I find the beautiful little Christ Church, a 19th-century memorial to the Crimean War.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 251

    Room with another view

    September 8, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    One thing that's so satisfying about an extended stay is being able to see a place at different times of the day. Here's an afternoon view from the crow's nest of my hotel, long after breakfast has been and gone. Around Sultanahmet, the quarter where I'm staying, there are lots of quiet corners and views. A return to the Grand Bazaar is a must; the numerous porters and their trolleys could be symbols of this bustling commercial life.Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 252

    Istanbul: the far side

    September 9, 2023 in Turkey ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    After another stroll around the Grand Bazaar, I cross the Golden Horn with its hopeful fishermen and am back in Taksim. The pedestrianised, mile-long Istiqlal Caddesi has a dignity that for now is missing from our own Oxford Street. The back streets reveal more of this fascinating parallel universe too.Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 282

    The other end of Europe

    October 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    With Istanbul at the far east of the Mediterranean, Andalucia in Spain is at the farthest west. Until the last 15th century it was part of a Moorish kingdom and part of Morocco which itself is named after the west or sunset.

    It's far from sunset however when I start this 10-day trip with Russell and Alan, my partners in crime from northern Europe in July. Our Sunday afternoon flight was postponed to a dawn start the next day. Aircraft shortage? Staff dispute? Airline overbooking? Who knows? Anyway, a 6 a.m meet up at Victoria and then to Gatwick.

    Apart from a long immigration queue, it's a seamless arrival, and the booking agency refund the unused night in our very comfortable studio in the heart of Malaga. Our first visit is to the Alcazaba, the Moorish hilltop fortress which allows excellent views of this half-million-plus city. As you can see, it's popular with cruise ships but there are also quieter, typically southern Spanish, quarters. But also, as to be expected from a provincial hub, public demonstrations---thankfully, peaceful this time.

    For us, the highlight of Malaga is its covered market and especially its stained glass showing nautical scenes. Euromillions do run in Spain but the traditional lottery ticket sellers seem to be more popular. Inside, this Aladdin's cave is stocked with butchers, cheesemakers, confectioners---you name it. An enjoyable way to start the trip.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 284

    An Englishman, an Irishman and Scotsman

    October 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Instead of picadors and matadors, we start to see dozens of middle-aged men men in kilts and sporrans. What is going on? The answer is a European Championship qualifier between Spain and Scotland. Unusually, instead of taking place in Spain's national stadium in Madrid, it's here in Seville. History has suggested that there could be trouble but thankfully, everyone we meet is cheerful and friendly. But it does remind me of the Monty Python sketch in which men all over Britain turn into Scotsmen and stream over the border, leaving England as deserted as if in lockdown. The irony is not lost on us as when asked by a tour guide where we're from, I declare Englishness but Russell is thinking of moving to Ireland and Alan often goes to Edinburgh.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oXpc-59Cdo

    Back to reality, we visit the Plaza de Espana, centrepiece of the Spanish Americas Fair of 1929. It's an outrageous concoction of neo-baroque, neo-Moorish and neo-various other things, and we love it. Administrative buildings on the other side of the historic centre continue the architectural excess.

    The oldest quarter of the city, Barrio Santa Cruz, is a maze of alleyways and passages and we quickly lose the plot and the way. It's not helped by the fact that the city maps are sideways with north pointing left not upwards.
    And that the Moors designed the street plan to protect the houses from excessive sunlight, and from intruders. And tourists. Some of the churches look more Arabic than European, and the houses face inwards with enticing courtyards, as is the way in the riads of Morocco. The weather is North African as well, with a plume of hot air pushing the temperatures above 30C.

    The bus station with its elegant wall paintings is a consolation for leaving this fine city. And the scoreline? Spain won 2-0 but Scotland are still well placed to continue to the Euro Championship finals.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 286

    What did the Phoenicians ever do for us?

    October 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    They founded one of the oldest cities in Europe, that's what! With a perfect natural harbour, Cadiz was taken over by the Romans. After a decline under Moorish rule, it became important again after the Reconquest, despite Sir Francis Drake's attack in 1587 when he "singed the King of Spain's beard."

    We check into a small guest house, getting some good exercise up the three flights of stairs to the top floor. The city views are beautiful, especially in early morning with the towers and domes, and a narrow alley devoid of pedestrians. Later in the day the waterfront is bustling but the stretch of water is the Atlantic, pleasantly calm.

    With a street layout less confusing than that of Seville, daytime strolls are rewarding. I can't remember seeing a city with so many plazas per square mile, large and small. Plaza de Espana hosts a pompous monument built in 1912, a century after the Constitution drawn up when Spain was struggling through the Peninsular War. The airy Plaza San Antonio is popular with kids while Plaza Ayuntamiento (City Hall) is favoured by people looking at their phones. Yet another plaza is the scene of some operatic singing; I'm not sure what the occasion was but it was fun. And here's a detail of the neo-Moorish theatre nearby.

    Street life is everywhere; while Euromillions and its ilk are in evidence, Spain's national lottery carries on in a more traditional way. The final image is perhaps the result of some lucky wins.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 290

    Ronda valley....

    October 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    ....or gorge. This is the most impressive urban scene of the trip, with a breathtaking view of the town perched 400 feet above the ravine. The elegant bridge connects the new town with the intimate streets of the old town. A tiled mural records reflections of literary visitors.

    Our final day tales us back to Malaga and its endlessly fascinating market. Will there be another trip in 2023? Maybe....    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    Day 338

    Going west in Portugal

    December 4, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    For the final exodus in 2023 I'm back on the Iberian Peninsula. Just me and my camera this time, for 7 days. The word "Algarve" comes from the Arabic for "west", which it was in the later years of Moorish occupation. Faro, the capital, tends to be overlooked in favour of the famous beaches (rather like Malaga in Spain) but it's an attractive, historic city. And lucky perhaps, as the stork's nest on the church opposite my hotel shows.

    Not many buildings survived the disastrous earthquake of 1755 but gothic's loss is baroque's gain. The church of Carmo, a short distance from the hotel, stands out among the mundane office blocks. There are also some outrageous examples from around 1900 of Portugal's art nouveau, plus street art that would put Banksy to shame.

    The Algarve is a gastronomist's delight. Just a stone's throw away is a tiny cafe called Chelsea. Don't mention the football---they were beaten twice in the week that I was away---but the cafe serves up some outrageously good pastries. The croissants are double the size of those you get here, covered in chocolate vermicelli and oozing with a gooey chocolate sauce. You ought to go on a 5-mile run after that!

    As it happens I don't, but enjoy another Portuguese institution---covered markets. The one at Faro is on 3 floors and most of the products here are naughty but nice as well. Finally I round off the day with a sunset view of the seashore and the airport in the distance.    Read more

  • TravelerUnloxit 2023
    11
    Day 339

    Fishy and cheesy

    December 5, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    There are good transport services in the Algarve and no sooner am I settled in Faro than I use them for day excursions. East along the coastal train line leads to Olhao, one of the main fishing ports with a lively market. Some of the architecture is quirky too and recalls the past Moorish occupation. Even stranger is this long abandoned church-like structure which was actually the home of a fish canning magnate.

    The next day I take a bus to Loule, whose market harks back to what the architects of 1908 imagined was Moorish. The approach to Christmas is in full swing. Loule being inland, the focus shifts from fish to flowers and cheese. Not sure however what those characters with devices in the final image were looking up!    Read more

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