Category Travel
Bric A Brac V – The Cannon
On my desk and shelves, in my home office and in my office on Parliament Hill are some objects that have a certain amount of significance in my life but which are otherwise useless. It is not like I need more ornamentation or decorations after all. Each one though has a story attached to it, […]
Worship On The Danforth
I was in Toronto recently and spent a couple of hours walking up and down Danforth Avenue to stretch my legs after the five hour drive. The street is known for its restaurants, many different ethnicities being represented in a few blocks. There is a large Greek section, but I also spotted various Chinese […]
Rabban Hormizd IV
They’ve stopped saying mass in the church due to the security situation in the area. There’s a police checkpoint at the foot of the mountain, intended to prevent further looting. This part of Iraq is predominantly Christian, a throwback to the time when Christians were the majority in the entire Middle East. Muslims resent that, […]
Hiking In The Rose Valley V
Time to let the pictures speak for themselves. I walked for a couple of hours, no more, and really only scratched the surface of what there was to see. I’ve been back to Turkey a couple of times since, but on those occasions I never got out of Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. I’m hoping that […]
Hiking In The Rose Valley IV
I knew from the faded frescoes on the walls and ceiling where I was though I didn’t know its name, if indeed it had one. It was perhaps the most emotional experience of my trip to Turkey. I was wandering through the Rose Valley and choosing caves at random to explore. People had been living […]
Hiking In The Rose Valley III
Before my son visited there in 2009 I knew Cappadocia only from the New Testament book of Acts, which doesn’t actually say much about the place. After seeing photos of his trip I knew I had to go too. You can squeeze a lot into a day if you have to. Weather conditions in Istanbul […]
Hiking In The Rose Valley II
Our balloon pilot said the caves in the Rose Valley were no longer inhabited, that the Turkish government had moved everyone into the towns about 50 years ago. Supposedly a safety issue. He was wrong. Oh, I’m sure the government did make that edict. But just because the government tells you to do something doesn’t […]
Hiking In The Rose Valley
For more than a year I have been meaning to tell you about an afternoon spent wandering through the Rose Valley in Cappadocia, Turkey. And I just never seen to find the time to sit down and tel the tale, to really do the place justice. I don’t have time to do that today either, […]
Rabban Hormizd III
There must be some sort of special devotion that causes a person to choose a monastic life. Part of me wishes I had that kind of faith. Though I would probably miss my creature comforts. When I look at the cliff that is Rabban Hormizd Monastery I image what it must have been like for […]
Rabban Hormizd I
You can look out from the terrace of the monastery and see where ISIS’ advance was stopped in 2014. Destroying this place would have been the first task on their “to-do” list. High above the Iraqi town of Alqosh, Rabban Hormizd monastery has been a site of Christian worship for almost 1400 years. Founded in […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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