The Backpacking Boomers

For us, Mexico is in some ways like an old friend. It’s one of the countries where, fifty years ago, we first dipped our toes into independent travel, and returning feels comfortable. But our old haunts, such as the Yucatan, are now over-touristed, so it’s on to new horizons. Our choice? The state of Veracruz. Xalapa, the state’s capital city, is only a four-hour drive east of Mexico City. And the state itself is home to diverse cultures and traditions. Six Pueblos Mágicos, o

Istanbul is a dream come true for cat lovers like us. These soulful furry delights are everywhere: lounging like royalty on a park bench, peering down at you from a fence post, snuggling beside you in a local cafe, waiting expectantly at the local butchers, or roaming ancient ruins. All are unperturbed by the chaos of Istanbul, seemingly without a care in the world. Someone had built a shelter out of an old tarp for this mother and her kitten. Photo: Noel Van Raes Nothi

The call to prayer from Istanbul’s Blue Mosque reverberates around Sultanahmet Square, just as it has for more than four hundred years. My mind swirls with heartwarming memories of my last visit here with my husband and daughter in 2004. But upon approaching the mosque, those memories are rudely disrupted by a disturbingly long line of tourists waiting to enter. A local approaches, telling us it’s better first thing in the morning or later in the evening. We heed his advice.

We hear the distinct smack of heavy goose steps before we see the soldiers. We’ve arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard at Ala-Too Square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Aside from us, there’s only a handful of people present for the ceremony, which takes place every two hours. Soldiers goose step during a changing of the guard ceremony at Bishkek's Ala-Too Square. Photo: Noel Van Raes This vast eight