Walking for Peace Photo-story 23 (Crossing into Syria)

Our footsteps were now clearly directed south, as we glimpsed Jerusalem in the distance - a mere 700 kilometres away. We had already walked over 4,000 kilometres, and to us, it felt as if we were in the home stretch. We walked with purpose, closing the gap to our destination. 

In those last days in Turkey, away from the tourist areas, we experienced the magnificent heart and generosity of the Turkish people. I was glad to be leaving on that note, after what was an arduous and emotionally draining four-month trek through the country. 

My trepidation in entering Syria, however, surprised me. I was after all in the Arab world, in a culture and language that I knew well; but the terrible stories that I had heard growing up about the hard-handedness of the regime now haunted my memories. It also didn’t help getting persistent warnings the closer that we got to the Syrian border.

The Syrian hospitality, however, was beyond compare, and took us by surprise, with daily invitations to meals and places to stay from people who didn’t even ask why we were walking but who wanted to welcome the two strangers in their land. Our transit through Syria was brief, but most memorable. 

In this collage, you see our signs in Turkish and Arabic, and us enjoying the typical Arab “meze” foods and the traditional “argileh” or water pipe.



Walking for Peace Photo-story 22 (Sanli Urfa, Land of Prophets)

Şanli Urfa, City of Prophets

 “From our hotel room, we had an unobstructed view of Halil-ul-Ruhman, the city’s holiest site and destination of all pilgrims. It was a lush oasis of gardens and ponds, accentuated by two beautiful mosques; one venerating the cave where the prophet Abraham was allegedly born, the other the stuff of legend. 

It was told that the ruling pagan King Nemrud ordered Abraham to renounce his God, but when he wouldn’t, the King commanded that Abraham be catapulted into a raging fire at the bottom of a tall cliff. In the spot where Abraham landed, the fire was transformed into water, and the firewood into fish. A mosque was built on that site. The fish are considered sacred, and the waters holy. It is here that pilgrims come to be renewed, and where we intended to join them.” (Excerpt taken from our book “Walking for Peace, an inner journey”.)

Walking for Peace Photo-story 21 (Physically and Emotionally Depleted in Turkey)

Our first decision in Turkey was to walk along the coastline, rather than cut through the centre of the country, as we learned that this more tourist-oriented area would offer greater possibilities for shelter. 

The July heat was making air conditioning a necessity. We were now waking at 4:00am to begin a day's walk that would hopefully end before 10:00am, when the heat would become unbearable. Skin rashes caused by sweat, and repeated bouts of diarrhea plagued us and slowed us down at a time when we should have been making faster progress. 

These challenging walking conditions were made more so by nagging arguments that now erupted between Alberto and I. I witnessed my once-confident partner become all too-human, as insecurities I never would have suspected in him, surfaced. They depleted us emotionally, while the heat depleted us physically. 

The Walk took a back seat to the struggles of two ordinary individuals trying to hold on to their integrity on all levels.

Walking for Peace Photo-story 20 (Romance in Turkey)

Our beginnings in Turkey augured well, with our sublime romance continuing to blossom in ways unexpected. 

In this photo, we are forced to make a short ferry crossing; and if you look closely at our hands, you will see two silver objects, purchased from a silversmith in an open-air Turkish bazaar, that would symbolize the union that, with each passing day, appeared to be more permanent.