Hostel – Page 15 – VirtualWayfarer

BackpackingMarch 22, 2012March 25, 2012

Hagia Sophia and The Sultan Ahmed “Blue” Mosque

Hagia Sophia Every art and architecture student has studied the beauty and wonder of Hagia Sophia. It is a premier example of Byzantine art and construction. This fortress-esque structure has stood as a testament to human ingenuity since 537 AD. That's not a typo. This massive sprawling cit…

BackpackingMarch 19, 2012

Istanbul: The City That Took Me By Complete Surprise

When I chose Turkey as the destination for my holiday trip, one key factor was weather. While I still didn't expect it to be terribly warm, I was hopeful that the weather would be notably warmer than what I had grown …

BackpackingMarch 15, 2012

Packing For Long Term Travel – Ask Alex – Travel Question Wednesdays

This post is part of the Ask Alex, Travel Question Wednesdays weekly series. To see previous questions click here. To submit your own; tweet it to @AlexBerger, ask it in a comment on this post or send it in by e-mail. …

BackpackingMarch 11, 2012

Tallying Up The Cost: 17 Days in Turkey

Turkey: A country that spans two continents, has seen the rise and fall of numerous empires, and offers an amazing melting pot of contrasting cultures and geographic terrain. When the time came to choose the destinat…

BackpackingMarch 4, 2012

An Unexpected Introduction to Istanbul

I swallowed hard with an expression that was no doubt a mixture of delight and annoyance as I suppressed that small lump clawing its way up into my throat as the airplane descended the final few thousand feet before bo…

Tips & TricksFebruary 29, 2012

One Must Have Item – Ask Alex – Travel Question Wednesdays

This post is part of the Ask Alex, Travel Question Wednesdays weekly series. To see previous questions click here. To submit your own; tweet it to @AlexBerger, ask it in a comment on this post or send it in by e-mail. A quick introductory note - When I began authoring VirtualWayfarer in July of…

BackpackingFebruary 26, 2012

Awe Inspiring Argentina – A Video Blog

When I set out to explore Argentina over the course of a 21 day trip in December 2010 I was drawn by the stories I had heard of Buenos Aires. Stories of passion, romance, great food and tango dancing so sensual it woul…

Friday Photo GalleryFebruary 24, 2012February 24, 2012

Friday’s Weekly Travel Photo – Plaza de Espana in Sevilla Spain

Can you guess what decade this photo was taken in? It might surprise you to learn that I shot this photo in December, 2008. The Plaza de Espana is located in Sevilla (Seville), Spain. It was initially built as part …

Tips & TricksFebruary 22, 2012

Traveling With or Without a Schedule – Ask Alex – Travel Question Wednesdays

This post is part of the Ask Alex, Travel Question Wednesdays weekly series. To see previous questions click here. To submit your own; tweet it to @AlexBerger, ask it in a comment on this post or send it in by e-mail.…

BackpackingFebruary 16, 2012

Budapest’s Royal and Regal Palaces and Castles

Hundreds of years of history, empire, wealth and culture shape the now unified sister cities of Buda and Pest. In my previous post, A traveler's journal: meandering Budapest's Streets, I took you through some of the ci…