Well, I'm back in the UK at the moment. First I was in Ankara for half a week, visiting a friend and a professor at the university there. Actually, I contacted this professor 3 years ago, towards the beginning of my PhD, asking for a paper of his, and I never expected I would have the nice opportunity to visit him one day.
I also managed to have my one and only ill day of the trip, but my recovery was quick and I progressed on to Istanbul. Only stopping for a day to visit a friend, I flew back to the UK the next day, ending my trip in Turkey. Since then I have been pretty busy visiting family and generally organising myself again, hence the delay in posting this to the blog.
Flying to England from Istanbul is a lot quicker than taking the train... (for my trip, 36x quicker, actually)
Epilogue
I never expected to be back so soon. But there are 2 primary reasons for this.
Firstly, the inability to go to Iran. This was really the main reason I was travelling in this region of the world, and when it because impossible to go, I lost some enthusiasm for the region. Turkey is a very easy country to travel in, and while it's very interesting, it was never the aim. Having said that, I've learnt a lot about Anatolian history, and am now, even back in the UK, enthusiastically reading more about it.
Secondly, there is ongoing work required to secure a job for later this year, as evidenced by my skype interviews in the middle of Cappadocia. And until the job issue is sorted, one way or another, it is difficult to travel.
So until it is sorted, I am stopping here for a couple of weeks. Then, time permitting, I can make a journey in a different direction. So the journey is not finished, only this stage. I am awaiting the time, soon or later, when I can continue the journey again...
Sunset on London, and this stage of my trip...
