I fell completely in love with Istanbul the first time I visited, in 2015 with my sister. When I planned my 2016 summer trip, I knew I had to go back to Turkey. I had originally scheduled a return to Istanbul followed by a few days in surreal Cappadocia, but a slew of terrorist attacks […]
A Love Letter to Travel
Watching my entire industry be torn to pieces by the COVID-19 outbreak has been absolutely devastating. This pandemic is wreaking havoc throughout the world, of course, but all I can speak to is my own experience. I’ve been trying to figure out how to express all of my emotions, but it’s all tangled up. I […]
My 12 Favourite Hostels in Europe
EUROPE PREIKESTOLEN FJELLSTUE: NORWAY I’m writing about the Pulpit Rock hike in Norway again?! Seriously Bethany, shut up about it already. Anyway, in my post all about the hike I talked a little bit about where I stayed, but it’s just amazing. Sitting in the lounge, watching the sun set (which didn’t happen until around 10:30PM) […]
The Best of 2016
In my mind, 2016 is kind of broken into three completely separate parts. From January to April I was at university for the last semester, working at a cafe and hanging out with friends constantly. In May and June I went on an incredible whirlwind trip to eleven countries. In July I moved to Toronto […]
Islam in Istanbul: The Blue Mosque
Neither I or my sister had ever been to a Muslim country before. We had never seen a mosque, and didn’t really feel like we knew very much about Islam at all. Istanbul was our introduction to this world, and we were instantly hooked. The mosques we visited were insanely beautiful, the people were so […]
The Perfect Weekend in Istanbul
I visited a lot of cities and a lot of countries this summer, but Istanbul is one that stands out the most. At least once a week, my sister and I text each other something to the tune of “ugh can we go back to Istanbul plz”. I think part of our love for the […]
What to Expect at a Turkish Hammam
The Turkish woman gestured for me to remove my bikini top, something I thought I had gotten away with wearing. I shouldn’t have felt weird about semi-nudity at this point, considering the other women of all shapes and sizes scattered around the room were mostly totally naked, but my North American upbringing shone through and […]