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Feb

The Street Cats of Istanbul

by Joyce McGreevy on February 29, 2016

A cat sleeps on an awning in Nine Lives: Cats in Istanbul (Kedi), a film documentary that reflects a creative effort to preserve Turkish tradition and this aspect of Turkey's cultural heritage. (Image © Termite Films)

Wherever you go in Istanbul, you see cats. A new documentary explores the
charms and challenges of their urban habitat.
© Termite Films

How a Cat Kit and a Movie Keep Cultural Heritage Alive

They greet you from doorways, welcome you to parks. If you are kind, they may join you for a stroll. Others watch shyly from rooftops and balconies.

Still others enjoy people watching from the windows of businesses they have adopted.

A cat in a hat shop in Istanbul captures the city's concern for stray cats and reflects the desire to preserve Turkish tradition and this aspect of Turkey's cultural heritage. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Cat in the Hat (Shop): Some street cats find homes in
Istanbul’s commercial districts. Not all are so lucky.
© Joyce McGreevy Read more...

Joyce McGreevy 1 Comment

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Turkey

Feb

Three Ways to Make Travel Adventures More Memorable

by Meredith Mullins on February 15, 2016

Clown in the carnival celebrations of the Canary Islands; travel adventures of the best kind. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Welcome to the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival.
© Meredith Mullins

Carnival Celebrations in the Canary Islands

When I told people I was headed to the Canary Islands, most folks responded with some form of a “W” word. Where? What? . . . and the ominous Why?

Some had heard of the islands, but couldn’t quite place them. Most had not.

Even as I finalized this trip from many possible choices, I wasn’t quite sure myself where or what these islands were. Or if canaries would become a dominant theme in some strange Hitchcock-like way. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 7 Comments

Art of Travel/Spain

Feb

Wordplay and Watercolor: Edward Lear in Gozo

by Joyce McGreevy on February 8, 2016

Edward Lear's watercolor painting of Gozo, Malta, a place he visited with a traveler's wanderlust and one that inspired his wordplay. (Image by Edward Lear, public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

A tireless traveler, Edward Lear expressed the magnificence of Gozo, Malta,
through delicate watercolor paintings and colorful wordplay.
Edward Lear [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Wanderlust on My Lear-ical Visit to Malta

It’s winter in Malta, 1862. Edward Lear, lover of wordplay and watercolor, is writing a letter. His phrasing echoes the rhythm of Mediterranean tides against this tiny archipelago:

“I draw constantly on the Barracca point; meaning to paint a picture thereof one day; and I wander up and down the beautiful streets of Valletta and Senglea; and rejoice in the delightful heat and the blue sky; and watch the thousand little boats skimming across the harbor at sunset.” Read more...

Joyce McGreevy 8 Comments

Literary World/Malta/The World's Art & Design/Wordplay

World Views: