Crusader Castle

Growing up I never, ever dreamed that I would go to Europe or anywhere else. When I was in high school I felt smug and very well-traveled since I had been to San Francisco, Montreal, and the Bahamas. Hell, I even had a passport to go to the Bahamas. Once in college I made friends with people from Iran and Hong Kong. Some of my friends went abroad to Europe and Israel. I never imagined crossing the Atlantic myself.

Then I got married. Before I knew it I found myself walking along a dirt road in rural Turkey looking for an abandoned mosque. I found myself in Notre Dame cathedral, the Forbidden City, Easter Island, and Machu Pichu to name a few. I have been to India twice. Most of the pictures on this blog are my photos from my travels with Eric. My new addition to the right sidebar area is one of my favorite of Eric's shots of my back. Often when Eric felt a shot needed something he would call out to me "go over there and provide scale." He would indicate a general area and it was up to me to come up with some sort of pose that seemed spontaneous and natural. I never showed my face when providing scale because I didn't want the picture to be about me.

This particular shot was taken in a crusader castle in Syria. Our driver was taking us to Krak des Chevalier, a huge and very well preserved castle in Syria, when he stopped at this smaller "extra castle." It was cold and pouring rain when we headed up the muddy slope, not sure what we would find. We were out of the "Lonely Planet" guidebook. The castle was dark and cold. I got a great feel for what a drag it must have been for the men from southern France to have to be holed up in one of these places for the winter. When Eric told me to provide scale I stripped off the rain jacket, wool sweater, and backpack to provide the most attractive looking scale possible.

When I first saw this slide I was shocked. I remember the day as very dark and dismal, but the light at the entrance of this little castle is amazing in the slide. This was my first castle and I remember the awe and wonder of having the place all to ourselves. Everyone else had the good sense to be inside on a day like that.

Now I can't imagine not going back to Turkey, Japan, France, and especially India. I haven't left the country now in over a year and it seems like I need to pack up and get going somewhere. Now that I am thinking about traveling alone though, the rules have changed. I would not go to India alone for example. I have traveled alone for brief periods in the past. I traveled from Malaysia to Singapore, spent some time in Singapore, and flew back to the US alone. Traveling alone presents a new set of challenges. You have to haul all of your stuff to the bathroom with you if you are in transit for instance, nobody to watch your stuff.

I am not sure if my international traveling days are over or not. I still have the internal frame backpack, the experience, and some funds for a trip. I have yoga workshops lined up for the late winter/early spring, and fall '06, but nothing this summer. What I may lack is the time off from work and the ability to part with my money. Overland trip across Turkey? We'll see.