Luminance Travels

02/04/2024

The Russian arctic and Istanbul were our favourite destinations.

May there be many more destinations to pursue for all of us who travel to find beauty, humanity and meaning - and, of course, fun.

For me, that's easier to attain when travelling solo; when you are forced to open yourself to new places and new experiences (notably navigating public transport or buying food off the street in a language other than English). This is when you have to rely on the kindness of strangers - of which there is still an abundance in the world.

Stay happy and stay safe!

04/03/2024

Fabrika is a Tbilisi institution. Before getting a second lease on life, the building was used as a sewing factory in soviet times after which it was abandoned for decades.

Rejuvenation then started, creating a modern space with co-working areas, hostel beds, apartments, shops, artist studios, music, café’s, bars, pop-ups and markets. Fabrika is an urban hot spot with a creative soul and its vibe is loved by many like-minded individuals, independent of style, age or social status.

Join a group of independent-minded, adventurous women over 50 to Tbilisi and optional Istanbul in October 2024. Mail [email protected] for the full itinerary and costs. Don’t miss out!

🇬🇪

04/02/2024

The Basilica Cistern (or Yerabatan Sarnici in Turkish) was constructed in the sixth century. It is one of hundreds of underground reservoirs in Istanbul ad can hold 80 000 litres of water, but today it is kept with little water for public access to the space.

After the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans, knowledge of the Basilica cistern seems to have been lost. It was rediscovered by Pierre Gilles during his tour of Constantinople in 1545. He found locals selling very fresh fish in the nearby streets. Since their houses were located above the cistern, they had sunk wells into it and sometimes caught fish from it.

A crucial feature of the Basilica Cistern architecture is the 336 marble columns on which the structure stands. They are arranged in twelve rows in groups of twenty-eight columns, each spaced around five metres apart. The columns are mostly Corinthian or Ionic, with a few in the Dorian style. Many columns were recycled from older structures from various parts of the Byzantine empire.

The city has spent the last 5 years making the cistern earthquake safe and other major upgrades include a sophisticated lighting system that enhances the visitor experience. Spotlights bathe columns in amber light. Blue lights give the water beneath the platforms an aqua glow. The effect gives the space a more expansive feel and highlights architectural details.

The cistern has a mystical appearance and should be visited when you are in Istanbul. Join a group of adventurous, free-spirited, and mature women on a tour to Tbilisi, Georgia, and Istanbul in October 2024. For details, mail us at [email protected]


Pics: Rista Fabricius

28/01/2024

In Mtskheta, not far from Tbilisi, stands the Jvari monastery, a sixth-century Georgian Orthodox monastery, on the rocky mountain top at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, overlooking the town. It is truly an awe-inspiring sight.

Join a group of independent and free-spirited, mature women on a tour to Tbilisi, Georgia (and optional Istanbul) in October 2024. Mail us at [email protected] for full details.

18/01/2024

Georgia has the world’s oldest wine-making culture. The country’s mild climate and humid air, affected by the Black Sea, provide the best conditions for vine cultivation. There are about 500 grape varieties in modern Georgia.

Traditional Georgian winemaking involves crushing grapes and placing the grape juice into a clean qvevri (egg-shaped clay pot), which is buried in the ground for fermentation. Once the fermentation is completed, the qvevri is covered with a lid and sealed with beeswax or clay. After 6 months the wine is decanted for bottling. For some reds wines, decantation takes place into a different qvevri for continued aging.

Wine is produced by thousands of small farmers (using primarily traditional techniques of winemaking), as well as some monasteries and modern wineries.

Family wineries prevailed even when Georgia was under Soviet rule. Just as a family would grow a garden, a family would grow grapes and make their own wine for the year.

The capital Tbilisi has an abundance of wine bars that guide visitors in the pleasurable discovery of the best of local wines.

If you like wandering and exploring, join a small group of independent, curious, and fun women to Tbilisi, Georgia (with an optional 6-night add-on to Istanbul) in October 2024. The estimated tour price (as on 18 January) for 7 nights in Georgia and Tbilisi is between R40 000 and R42 000. The add-on to wonderful Istanbul brings the estimation to R57 000. This includes international flight tickets, travel insurance, single rooms in a decent hotel and daytrips in Georgia and Istanbul. Contact us at [email protected] if you are ready to roam!

14/01/2024

There could be rich rewards in deciding to stroll through a city armed with a heightened sense of curiosity and without a guide. Of course you should know what you are looking at, but in this case we didn’t know at the time.

We decided to explore an underground tunnel and was rewarded with an interesting photo exhibition. We walked on and were astounded to see the Metekhi St. Virgin Church on the left bank of the river Kura – our tunnel led us to the Kura and we were blissfully unaware of this.

If you like wandering and exploring, join a small group of independent, curious, and fun women to Tibilisi, Georgia (with an optional add-on to Istanbul) in October 2024. The estimated tour price for 7 nights in Georgia and Tbilisi as on 11 January 2024 is between R40 000 and R42 000. This includes international flight tickets, travel insurance, single rooms in a decent hotel and daytrips in Georgia. Contact us at [email protected] if you are ready to roam!

11/01/2024

--The Queen of Georgian Cuisine --

Khachapuri is a cheese-filled bread and a fundamental dish in Georgian cuisine. The main type of Khachapuri is considered to be “Imeretian/Imeruli khachapuri”, which is enjoyed widely. It is often baked with high-quality dough and white salted Imeretian cheese. They might also feature an oozy and stringy cheese called sulguni or, less frequently, a briny sheep’s milk cheese called bryndza.

Cooks frequently mix and match cheese types to achieve a certain flavour and consistency.

There are more than 50 types of Khachapuri from different regions of Georgia.

The cheese is placed in a softly mixed, risen dough, then salt is added, and the dough is formed into a round, boat- or square shape. It is baked in an oven or earthenware bread-baking dish.

We had Imeruli khachapuri in Tbilisi and did our best to walk off our excesses - we’re talking many calories per khachapuri, but every one worth every step we took.

Join a small group of independent, curious, and fun women to Tibilisi, Georgia (with an optional add-on to Istanbul) in October 2024. The estimated tour price for 7 nights in Georgia and Tbilisi as on 11 January 2024 is between R40 000 and R42 000. This includes international flight tickets, travel insurance, single rooms in a decent hotel and daytrips in Georgia. Contact us at [email protected] if you are ready to roam!

01/01/2024

Happy travels in 2024 from Stonehaven, Scotland.

29/12/2023

Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress near the village of Blackness in Scotland. It is on the south shore of the Firth of Forth and was the setting for the 1990 film “Hamlet”, starring Mel Gibson and Glen Close.

28/12/2023

Auld Reekie 💜

24/12/2023

Sweet memory of last year this time: wine tasting in lovely Tbilisi, Georgia. Mighty fine city filled with spirited people.

19/12/2023

The Dezerter Bazaar in Tbilisi, Georgia, is located near the Station Square Metro. Apparently, it was named after soldiers who deserted from the Russian-Georgian war in the 1920’s and who came to sell their gear and weapons here.

This chaotic, huge market is a foodie’s heaven with meat, a tasty variety of cheeses, spices, fruit, and veggies, pickles, nuts and much more on sale.

The best honey we’ve ever tasted is sold here, along with honeycombs, bee pollen and wax. The honey is from the Sveneti, Imereti and Kakheti regions. Other specialities found here are Tkemali, a zesty, earthy sour plum sauce Georgians use as a condiment on eggs, meat, potatoes, or for dipping bread into, and Svanuri mareli, a mixture of salt, coriander, blue fenugreek, marigold, garlic, red pepper, and gitsruli (wild caraway seed).

Experiences don’t come more authentic than a visit to this market.

Join a group of independent, free-spirited women travellers on a trip to Tbilisi and Georgia in October 2024. Email Luminance Travels and [email protected] for more information. It promises to be unique, Georgia is beautiful and has a lot to offer.

17/12/2023

Happy memories of our early 2020 trip to the arctic. It was such a fabulous experience, northern lights and all.

We are visiting Georgia (country) and Istanbul in October 2024. If you want to join a group of independent, female travellers mail us at [email protected]

03/11/2023

24/10/2023

-- Georgian street food --

Lobiani is a traditional dish consisting of (yeast-based) bread filled with spiced mashed beans. The filling is made with cooked kidney beans or other types of beans, mixed with onions, garlic, and various spices. The bread is folded or rolled around the bean filling, creating a delicious and substantial meal.

Lobiani is filling, it’s cheap and a popular choice for breakfast or a snack.

Join a small group of independent, free-spirited women travellers in October 2024, when we will visit the interesting and exciting Tbilisi and Georgia. Mail [email protected] to reserve your place.

(Picture credit: viciousfoodie)

19/10/2023

Join us on a trip of a lifetime with free-spirited, independent women.

What you will get:

• Knowledgeable local guides
• As much freedom as you need
• Small group (12 people max)
• Like-minded travel companions
• Women over 50 only
• Single rooms for everyone – no additional charge
• 3 Day trips in Georgia
• One-day food tour in Istanbul (starting with breakfast in Europe and ending with lunch in Asia). You will be treated to sumptuous Turkish cuisine.
• Four-hour walking tour to Balat and Fener in Istanbul (the old Greek and Jewish neighbourhoods).
• Private yacht cruise on the Bosphorus (2-hour long trip, include snacks and cold drinks and a guide).
• Ample time to explore the two cities .

Mail us at [email protected] to secure your place.

18/10/2023

Kuzguncuk is a picturesque, arty village in the Üsküdar municipality on the Asian side of Istanbul. The village with its tree-framed maze of cobblestone streets, appealing shops, and vivid-coloured houses lends itself to people-watching. The slow pace of life, with strolling passersby and many chilled-out cats stretched out in the sunlight, adds to a feeling of peace and well-being and is worlds apart from the relative chaos of some other Istanbul neighbourhoods. Kuzguncuk is shaped by natural borders: the Fethi Pasha Woods to the west, and the medieval Nakkaş Baba cemetery to the east and its history stretches back to the Byzantine era.

Join a small group of independent female travellers during October 2024 to the enigmatic Istanbul.
Mail us at [email protected] to register your interest.

22/09/2023

The Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul is a challenging waterway to navigate because it’s a narrow and winding passage, there are strong currents, traffic congestion and possible limited visibility due to fog and adverse weather conditions. Wind funnels and turbulence can be created by surrounding steep hills and cliffs, which can affect ships’ stability and control. The strait is only half a mile wide at its narrowest point, which can make things tricky for huge vessels like freighters and oil tankers.

Traffic on the strait includes cargo ships, oil tankers, ferries, pleasure boats, fishing boats. The strait carries around 48 000 ships annually, three and four times denser than the traffic of the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal, respectively.

Turkiye has established strict regulations and traffic control systems on the Bosphorus. Foreign-flagged vessels, as well as Turkish vessels over a certain size, must use the services of local, certified maritime pilots when navigating through the Bosphorus.

27/06/2023

This page will be inactive for the foreseeable future while I ponder new destinations.

08/05/2023

“ … the silent and melancholy quarter of Fener, where the soul of old Byzantium has taken refuge.”

Fener is the old Greek neighbourhood of Istanbul and is tucked inside the ancient sea walls of Byzantium, as Constantinople was known before it became Istanbul.

The Fener High School (Greek) dominates the hilly area and is sometimes referred to as the Red Castle of Istanbul or the Red School. The large dome at the top of the building is used as an observatory for astronomy classes and has a large antique telescope inside.

Today around 50 pupils remain.

Travel with a small group of independent, adventurous and mature women to Istanbul in 2024. Mail us at [email protected]

--- Like travelling solo in a group ---

07/05/2023

Türkiye's national flower is the tulip and contrary to popular belief, the flower is actually from Türkiye and Central Asia.

During the 16th century, tulips were taken from the wild and became a part of gardens and homes. It is also when the bulbs were exported to Holland, which is today the major exporter of tulips.

April is the time to enjoy tulips in Istanbul's parks and other open spaces.

Join a small group of spirited, mature women and visit Istanbul in April 2024. Mail us at [email protected]

-- Like travelling solo in a group ---

04/05/2023

A legendary place in Istanbul

In 1957 the Çolpan brothers opened the Lale Pastanesi restaurant on a busy street opposite Sultanahmet Square.
The restaurant became known as “The Pudding Shop”, a gathering place of young beatniks or hippie travellers in the 60s and 70s. The "pilgrims" travelling East often drove old cars or Volkswagen vans, according to Idris Çolpan.

Travellers used the restaurant as a base to negotiate rides to India, Afghanistan or Nepal, leave messages for others, share expenses and experiences and get tourist information on Turkey.

The Pudding Shop sold delicious Turkish desserts, hence its nickname. The restaurant is still there, still serves Turkish cuisine but the hippies are gone. So is an age of innocence.
Feel like having dessert in The Pudding Shop with a small group of free-spirited, matured women in April 2024? Send us an e-mail at [email protected]

** Travel solo in a group **

30/04/2023

The Blue Mosque (or Sultanahmet Mosque) was designed by the architect Sedefkar Mehmed Aga for Sultan Ahmed 1 between 1609 and 1616. The massive dome is supported by four enormous columns, each measuring 5 meters in diameter. The lower parts of the walls are covered with more than 20 000 pre-dominantly blue and white Iznik tiles, hence the mosque’s colloquial name.

Come experience this majestic building, one that is believed to be a “thin place”, with us in October 2024. We cater for small group tours up to maximum of 10 women. To secure your place, drop me an email at [email protected]

** Travel solo in a group **

26/04/2023

Çiya’s chef, Musa Dagdeviren is internationally known. He is part chef, part culinary anthropologist and tries to preserve the best of the forgotten foods from the Turkish countryside. His genius is knowing when to leave these recipes intact and when to add a twist of his own.

Çiya is a cluster of three restaurants in a street in Kadiköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul. There are two kebab restaurants and one sofrasi, with salads, soups and stews. These all have their origins in regional peasant cooking and is like nothing else you have ever tasted or will taste again. (A personal favourite is the bean and lamb stew.)

Take the ferry to Kadiköy and hasten to Çiya Sofrasi. It could very well be a sin to miss it when you are in Istanbul.

Pictures: Petra le Roux

19/04/2023

Istanbul colours.

17/04/2023

A perfect day in Balat and Fener.

17/04/2023

In Kadiköy during the epic Taste of Two Continents tour. 🇹🇷