Turkey Sandwich
This blog entry about the events of Thursday, June 02, 2011 was originally posted on June 02, 2011.
IT’S BEEN HALF A YEAR since the last Global Trip adventure already, which means it’s about time to go out and see/blog some part of the world again, if only for nine days. Since I came back from Chile and Easter Island last January, it’s been six months of ups and downs with freelance employment, relationships, and everything else going on in my life — mostly stuff still going on for that other blog I have — one concerning food — which hopefully will be a published book by year’s end.
But it’s not like The Global Trip doesn’t speak about food as well; eating is an integral part of the travel experience, so much so that I don’t understand why vegetarians still stick to their guns when traveling to countries where eating meat is very much of the cultural exchange. (Cheat a little when you’re on the road, will ya? You’re missing more than half the travel experience.) And speaking of meat (here comes the segue), the next trip will be to a country which consumes meat so much that it’s named after one (albeit not one they usually consume): Turkey. More than just its food, it’s a destination that many tourists flock to for it’s cosmopolitan vibe combining Mediterranean and Arabian flair. Bridging the gap between Europe and Asia Minor, Turkey has a name which is actually fitting that it’s a homonym for a deli meat: it’s sandwiched between two continents.
This “Turkey sandwich” is a double entendre because it also deals with the fact that my trip there is sandwiched in between two other trips of mine. I’d just spent a week in Munich for a business trip, working long hours on an uninspiring corporate campus in the Bavarian suburbs — but still had time to squeeze in a beer and pretzel or two at the biergartens after work with my cousin and recurring TGT character Hans-Georg. It was in Munich that I worked alongside my friend and colleague Jeff, whom I met in New York at a gig a couple of years ago. More than just a guy whose day job is also in interactive design, he’s a kindred spirit who travels, hikes, and rock climbs — one that will actually meet me in Turkey for adventures to be determined.
But my main liaison in Turkey (or at least Istanbul) is my friend Meg, whom you may know already if you follow travel blogs. Having worked in travel PR in NYC, Meg writes for the travel site Gadling, plus her own blog, The Notorious M.E.G., where she chronicles her travels in the world and on the internet. Over the past seven months she’s written a Gadling spin-off blog “Knocked Up Abroad” which shares her experiences of being prego in Turkey with her husband Alex, during their year plus ex-pat stay in Istanbul — a stay that was originally only supposed to be for three months for Alex’s consulting job. Meg always had an open invite to her New York friends for a visit to Turkey (before she even knew she got knocked up), and with their stay extended time after time (it seems perpetual now), it was only a matter of time before I made the rounds — and with just about a month left on her pregnancy too.
With that said, I’ll be bringing a care package from the States to her, and in no time too: THE TRIP BEGINS JUNE 3 (on the evening red eye). Stay tuned!
Next entry: Turkey Jerky
Previous entry: It’s Not A Lonely Planet
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Comments for “Turkey Sandwich”
love the pic! (i’m STILL jealous!)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/03 at 05:09 AM
yay - hope to keep up day to day with this trip :D Thanks for taking the time to write Erik!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 06/03 at 07:19 AM