I am reporting from Israel. The good cop/bad cop getting in, well, one cannot help but make religious allegories. The first sarcastic, no nonsense angry woman was like the angel guarding the gates of heaven. She saw into my very soul, every sin. She sent … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Antioch, Adana, Mamistra & Tarsus”
I met with a very friendly academic from Antakya’s Mustafa Kemal University who has published two books in Turkish on the history of Antioch and has recently appeared in a BBC documentary (hosted by someone in my bibliography) which will air in January. He was … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “First Day In Antioch”
Hatay. Antakya. Antioch. The city where the word ‘Christian’ was invented. The city that the First Crusaders besieged for nearly a year. When they finally captured it, through betrayal, they were quickly then themselves besieged by an army which greatly outnumbered them. The citadel, five … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Ballooning”
We went up in a balloon in Cappadocia. It was part of the deal of enticing my friend Tisho to come – Cappadocia and a balloon ride. We saved enough couchsurfing that it wasn’t too expensive. My favourite parts were when we hit a tree, … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Couchsurfing In Turkey”
We’ve been doing ‘couchsurfing’, where you basically stay with people for free. It’s a ‘hospitality exchange’. It works really well. You actually meet and stay with locals. Couchsurfing dominates the moods and stories of the last week. And in medieval times, pilgrims would stay for … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “The Battle of Dorylaeum”
I went to Eskisehir, a marvellously modern student town once called Dorylaeum, and I trekked out to the highway junction where once the Crusade was nearly destroyed during the Battle of Dorylaeum. I thought it would all be quite boring but still I walked along … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Hilltop Ruins”
My friend Tisho and I start marching up a hill. We can see the remains of a fortress at the very top. It soon becomes clear the track will not take us to the ruin so we leave the path and start scrabbling up through … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Travelling Alone”
Look at the picture. The chimp is sad because a) National Love-a-Chimp day only comes once a year; and, b) He has a banana allergy and can only eat soy bananas. I was going to write a long, maudlin entry about travelling alone. But instead, … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Istanbul/Constantinople”
‘Do you want to buy a fez?’ ‘Do you want to buy a carpet?’ These are important questions my visit to Istanbul has forced me to consider. Never mind the minutiae of eleventh century life. Do I want to buy a fez? Oh, the existential … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Down Time”
One of the perks a research grant is that you get up to fourteen days ‘down time’, off the clock. I timed these to coincide with the wedding of two friends. I once went on exchange to Iceland. I lived in a dorm and I … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Paris”
The tyranny of cheap flights had me stuck in Paris for a few days. I know, woe is me. Still, I didn’t want to waste the time if I could help it. There must be SOME research I could do in the City of Lights. … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Bayeux and Mont St Michel”
Next stop was Bayeux, beautiful Bayeux, to see the famous tapestry again. I had seen it before but it was important to look at it with fresh eyes, after two straight years of thinking about the Normans, and I’m glad I went. It really is … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “In The Footsteps Of The Crusades”
My name is Adrian and I am on a research trip because I am doing a PhD in Creative Writing. Never ask a PhD student exactly what their thesis is about because you don’t want to know all the boring details, but suffice to say … Read More
Adrian Thurnwald – “Pilgrimage’s End”
My cloth cross has been taken from my arm and sewn on my back; a palm leaf is being held aloft; my pilgrim’s purse has been tied. The pilgrimage is over. I tried to make the most of short time in Israel. I visited Masada, … Read More