A travelogue on sound, music and inevitable associations
— JAPANESE SAYING — JAPANESE SAYING Little forest in the Belgian Ardennes Maybe, at first glance, you like this view of a forest in the Belgian Ardennes. However, when you look carefully, it becomes clear that this is not a natural forest. It’s a plantation. A monoculture. A wood factory. What is the impact of […]
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At the beginning of a second coronavirus lock-down, I manage to stay optimistic about the future. Thriving on memories of beautiful camping spots and longing for future ones, I collected some stunning examples of really nice pitches that we found on past journeys. Morning in Kazakhstan Indeed, often one just stumbles upon places like these […]
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Crossing the Turkish-Georgian border near Batumi feels like entering a forgotten part of Europe. Or better yet, one that we vaguely knew. Paradoxically, the contrast between modern Turkey, which feels pretty European, and Adjara, this autonomous republic in the southwestern part of Georgia, is rather big. Turkey is well organized, Georgia feels more chaotic. Where […]
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Imagining the enigmatic faces of Nemrut Dağı who stare into eternity from an altitude of more than 2000m, I wonder if they might know about fake online Turkish travel agencies.* Would they, at least once in a while, blink their eyes? I bet they do. Although clearly not because of internet fraud. About 100 km […]
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It’s just one village in a row of many, as one passes through this charming valley full of hazelnut orchards. A dead end no one would ever visit, save for some special reason. After a few kilometres we have to stop at a police checkpoint. A friendly officer asks for our passports and checks them […]
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Loaded with lasting memories of Armenia, we’re back in Georgia. After refueling and buying supplies, we leave Rustavi on our way to the David Gareji monastery located along the Azerbaijani border. While night is falling, we park along the dirt track, assuming that not much traffic will pass through here. As so often happens, what […]
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Driving the 0-1 national road straight through Istanbul feels like being part of a blood vessel system. At sunset, one could be easily convinced that the red blood cells are being pumped to the east, while the white ones are driven to the west. In both directions they seem to be propelled by a heart […]
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Most tourists arrive at Ancona for no other reason than to embark on the ferry as soon as possible. Some years ago, having just returned from Greece, we were in search of a garage. The desperately needed part for the old Iveco wasn’t immediately available that Thursday. We were, therefore, obliged to stay for the […]
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What’s the quintessential sound of Kazakhstan? Trains! Like distant howling caterpillars, Kazakh trains bravely tackle enormous distances throughout this sparsely inhabited country. Trains transporting people, of course, but more importantly oil and gas for thirsty cars and trucks. Soon after passing the Russia-Kazakhstan border at Kotyaevka, trains will cross your path, mostly at a serious […]
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In fact, there is no difference in leaving home for a long journey like the Silk Road or just leaving for work. One just steps into the car, starts the engine, and off you go. In the case of work, at the end of the day, you take the same road in the opposite direction. […]
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