terrycowan's VirtualTourist Home Page

I suppose a little background information is in order. I live in a small town in eastern Texas, about 12 miles south of Tyler, a city of 100,000+. I am married to Sallye, and we have a son John, in college. I have a business in Tyler, but am also a historian, and teach a history class at a local university from time to time. I am an avid reader and traveler. Oddly enough, I never traveled overseas until I was 39 years old. Its funny how so many Americans don't really travel. I suppose I have been making up for lost time since then.

Although my wife and I had traveled quite a bit in the US (and a short visit to Quebec, and I had been to Mexico a few times before we married), we have mainly traveled in the eastern states, particularly enjoying the Atlantic seaboard states from Virginia through Maine. For whatever reason (finances perhaps, care for parents, etc.), we never went overseas. In the late 80s, I made a new friend named Bill. He had been everywhere, it seemed. Our friendship awakened in me the desire to do the same thing myself.

Being of Scots and English background, our first overseas excursion was 2 weeks in the U.K. in 1994. We had no sooner returned home than I began planning the next one. Family illnesses prevented this until 1996, when we spent another 2 weeks in the U.K. By 1998, we were ready to move on. This time we spent 2 weeks in France, with a short dip into Spain, Monaco and Italy. In 1999, my friend Bill was attending Spanish language classes in Buenos Aires and invited me down. I spent an incredible 9 days exploring Buenos Aires and Argentina. In 2000, my family and I returned to France, with short excursions into Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg.

I did not travel overseas again until 2003, and this experience forever changed the focus of any subsequent travel. My friend Bill and I flew to Istanbul, then took the train to Bulgaria, then back to Istanbul, with a side trip to Ephesus. I was intrigued by the Balkans and Asia Minor. So much so, that I took my son to Bulgaria, Macedonia, Turkey and Greece in 2004.

I am an easy, laid back traveler. My only drawback is an utter inability to sleep on an airline flight. My pet peeve is people who complain about any little inconvenience or setback incurred in foreign travel. My advice is, "either stay at home, or take a cruise, but stop whining!" While I certainly enjoy the cities (my favorites being Istanbul, Buenos Aires and Paris), my real preference is for the backroads.

My future travel goals include Romania, Bulgaria (again), Patmos (again), and more extensive travels in Turkey. I particulary want to visit the Trabzon area, Lake Van, and Cappadocia in Turkey. Beyond that, I am interested in venturing into Georgia, Syria and Egypt. Right now, I am particularly intrigued with anything "Byzantine," which fuels my interest in this part of the world.