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3 Ways To Celebrate The 4th of July Outside of the US

by Anil Polat | Jul 3, 2009 | Advice, Culture | 7

This is probably old news for expatriates and long-term travelers but if you’re on vacation or just set out on the road outside of the US, you don’t have to miss out on the 4th of July (Independence Day). There are 3 good ways to get in touch with Americans abroad who are celebrating the 4th of July and join in with them.

red fireworks

1. Call the US Embassy or Consulate

They will most certainly have a party or get together to celebrate. Where it’s possible, you might even get to see some fireworks, have drinks, food, and meet up with other travelers who might be from your hometown. If you happen to be far from an embassy or consulate you can still give them a call and they’ll let you know if there are any 4th of July meet ups or organized parties going on near you.

2. US Army Bases

us embassy in prague It depends on where you are in the world and the nature of the base but generally if you give the embassy a call you can find out if there’s a 4th of July bash going on at a nearby army base (i.e. Germany, Turkey, Japan). If you do find one don’t forget to bring your US passport.

3. Find Expats

Groups of expatriates (US citizens living abroad) often organize 4th of July parties which are a good way to mix up your travel routine, meet new people, and add unique experiences to your trip. Start with some Google hacking and a search should yield some expat groups around you. Transitions Abroad has a good list of expatriate resources and Twitter is also an excellent resource. Do a search (‘Find People’) and type “expat” and see is any of the results are close to you.

Two Other Good Options

Have your own party or go out and celebrate like the locals do.
Contact big US companies or charities close by who usually have parties for their employees.

Celebrating the 4th of July abroad is a good way for Americans to make a trip or vacation more memorable, especially if you party like the locals. I’d be interested to hear how you American expats will be celebrating the 4th of July this year and any tips you’d like to add. Much of this advice isn’t limited to the 4th of July or for American holidays for that matter – you can adapt them to your country and national holidays and celebrate wherever you are traveling.

[photos by: foxypar4, joshua_d]

St. Petersburg in 48 Hours – Day 2

by Anil Polat | Jul 2, 2009 | Guest Post | 4

This is a guest post from Priyank, a traveler who is preparing to explore the whole world some day. He keeps a detailed account of his travel stories, pictures and experiences on his blog: Final Transit. For the past 2 weeks, Priyank and I have exchanged imaginary posts about St. Petersburg and Manila. Catch up with day 1 in St. Petersburg if you haven’t already and head over to Final Transit to catch my guest post, Manila from perception to reality part 2.

After exploring the central street of St. Petersburg (Nevsky Prospect) on Day 1 (previous post), I spent the next day walking around the city trying to get a feel of the place and seeing various sights it had to offer. The weather was not the best, but the day was very enjoyable.

Metro

st. petersburg metro - priyank
St. Petersburg’s deep Metro system

To get to the downtown, I took the Metro. St. Petersburg’s metro was built in 1955 and is one of the deepest metros in the world and also among the most elaborately decorated. I got off at the Admiralteyskaya subway station, 105 meters below the surface, and the escalator seemed to take forever to get to the surface. The city is well networked by subway, buses and trams and you don’t need a taxi to go visit touristic areas.

Cathedral of Peter and Paul

The Cathedral of Peter and Paul (golden) seen as a backdrop

Founded on the small ‘Hare’ island on the north bank of the Neva, the fortress of Peter and Paul. St. Petersburg was built in 1703 CE to protect the city during the Northern War. St. Petersburg has no skyscrapers and this is the tallest building (122.5m) in the city. If you are curious about Russian Orthodox Church services, this is a good place to go and I especially liked the musical chanting by priests.

Aurora

aurora warship st. petersburg - priyank
Aurora, the symbol of the Russian revolution

After the Cathedral, I visited the warship Aurora, which is a symbol of the Communist Revolution. Aurora’s crew took part in the October revolution by firing a blank shot at the Winter Palace, which signaled the victory of the Red Army. The ship is preserved as a museum today, and one can get on board and feel its size and strength.

Night

Rostral column with a figure representing Dnieper River

Kunstkamera, from the from Dvortsovy (Palace) Bridge

Church of the Savior on Blood

St. Petersburg literally glitters at night. The city does a great job of highlighting its decorative architecture, sometimes giving the impression that the whole city is a museum. The city has a great nightlife and an overall artsy feel. I found St. Petersburgers very friendly and relaxed, compared to Moscowites who seemed to be in a rush.

Then You Eat

Dinner with friends - priyank

After a long day its imperative to relax and enjoy some Russian food. I met some friends there and there were a variety of things to eat. After a couple of shots of Vodka, everything tastes even better. Adding anything to Vodka (lime juice, soda, etc.) is considered blasphemous. There is a specific way of drinking Vodka too, and it’s best to learn it in person rather than me describing it here. 🙂

You’ll thoroughly enjoy St. Petersburg despite its weather. I did!

About This Post

Over a month ago, Anil came up with this idea of ‘imaginary travel’ as part of which he wrote 2 posts about his imaginary trip to St. Petersburg and I wrote about Manila. We then followed this up my real experiences in St. Petersburg and his real experiences in Manila. It was interesting to see the perceptions and realities in a creative and fun manner. Thanks Anil!

Thank you Priyank, it wouldn’t have worked out as well as it did without your excellent writing and amazing pictures! -Anil

How To Drink Raki Like A Turk

by Anil Polat | Jul 1, 2009 | Culture, Food | 20

”The best accompaniment to Raki is good conversation.”

-Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

how to drink raki like a turk

Raki, the unofficial national drink of Turkey is more than a glass of alcohol, it’s an experience in itself. There is an entire culture around this strong, anise-flavored liqueur that is very popular throughout Turkey. Visitors to Turkey often wonder what that milky stuff in narrow glasses is and leave without a taste.

If you’re heading to Turkey any time soon, savor the food, conversation, and drink raki like a Turk.

Ordering a ‘Kadeh’

Raki is served in a small narrow glass that is specifically used for the drink. The glass is half filled with raki and ice or water completes the rest. At restaurants you can let the waiter know how much for a stronger or weaker drink. The addition of water turns the drink a cloudy white, which is where the nickname “lion’s milk” comes from.

yeni raki kadeh

Melon and Feta Cheese

Raki is traditionally served as an aperitif, to be slowly enjoyed with several appetizers. The traditional raki meal varies and can include anything from kebabs to salads. The two essentials however are yellow melon and feta cheese.

the inside of a yellow melon

Ice and Water

Don’t be surprised to see a bowl of ice on the table. You can plop a fresh one into your drink as needed and the water will help take the edge off of your stomach. It’s also common to see a raki glass filled with water sitting next to everyone’s raki – also to be sipped on.

ice cubes

Sip, Don’t Chug

Raki is a drink that is best savored and you want to sip and drink it slowly. Be prepared to eat for hours, if you’re eating out you’ll be served food and drink all night until you’re done. Don’t worry, you’ll still get drunk in time (it’s 90 proof) but you won’t get the most important thing out of the drink.

sipping raki

A Good Conversation

That’s what drinking raki is all about – not so much the drink but the ambiance that is created around it. Have some raki with friends and spend hours of talking, laughing, reminiscing, and of course eating.

two people talking at a cafe

Raki is a has a strong anise flavor (much like Greek ouzo or French pastis) and you might be put off on your first taste, which will be easily forgotten as you finish up your first glass and get to a second.

Turkey Travel Planner has a good guide to ordering raki and more about the traditional ‘raki sofrasi‘. So, if you’ve got 48 hours in Istanbul spend an evening out and have a kadeh, some melon, more food, and of course, good conversation.

[photos by: colm.mcmullen, arteunporro, karstenkneese, stevendepolo, meg and rahul, Shutter Pea]

Some More Travel Blogs You Should Read

by Anil Polat | Jun 29, 2009 | Discussion | 13

reading a book The past few months have been blogging for me and one of the benefits has been meeting a number of new travel bloggers who specialize in a number of travel niches. If you love to read about travel, these blogs are worth checking out.

Istanbul Trails – Max Forlani’s blog (recently featured) is dedicated to helping people making the most of their stay in Istanbul.
Africa Freak – Although Michael Theys is on vacation now, his blog about everything African safari is a fun and informative read.
My Melange – A travel blog specializing in Italian and French culture, food, and wine which also lead me to this video on how to use a squat toilet.
Have Pack – I see a lot of myself in Jeffery’s writing style. Have Pack, Will Travel aims to help independent travelers experience the world on their own terms.
Dan’s Adventure – He’s 27, Scottish, and left the UK in February 2009 to travel the world.
Dream a Little Dream – It’s always inspiring to read about couples who pack up the 9-to-5 life and travel the world. Scott and Dee just did so you can read about their adventures as they begin.
Travel Sights With Lilly – A new travel blog following Lilly’s general travel advice and adventures learning Turkish.
Two Go RTW – In August 2008 Daniel and Kathryn traded in their clotheslines for Tibetan prayer flags.
The Brooklyn Nomad – Andrew is obsessed with travel and constantly on the look out for a great deal to…well anywhere.
Ever The Nomad – Anja Mutić travels to make a living, writes to travel, and lives to take the next trip. Born in Zagreb, Croatia, she’s lived, worked and traveled on all the continents, except Antarctica.
Wild Junket – Join Nellie in her roller coaster ride around the world, as she explores every nook and cranny of the Earth… just for the fun of it!

EDITED [6/30]: Max has a scoop for us and is announcing Istanbul Trails Photo here first. Go check out his great pictures from Istanbul!

I hope that you’ll take a look at some of these travel blogs that might interest you. I inevitably left out some great travel blogs. For some more links check out some of the travel blogs I read regularly, some travel blogs I discovered recently, or my full list of links. If you have a travel blog and aren’t on any of those lists, contact me and drop your link below in the comments to introduce yourself.

[photo by: Keenahn]

My Interview With Nomadic Matt About His eBook

by Anil Polat | Jun 26, 2009 | Money, Travel | 4

Matt Kepnes writes the very successful travel blog Nomadic Matt and recently released an eBook, How to Make Money with Your Travel Blog. (Which I reviewed 2 weeks ago.) He recently took some time to answer a few questions about the book, his websites, and future goals.

How long did it take you to gross $3,000 a month?

About 8 months from when I started thinking about monetization.

How were you making ends meet before?

I was teaching English in Bangkok.

What’s your typical travel blogging work day like?

Write a blog, find advertisers, tweet, comment on forums, build links to my sites (about 4-5 hrs).

Any specific advice for travel bloggers with day jobs?

Spend all your free time on your websites. Once they start rolling, they are pretty self sustaining but there is a lot of upfront work. Better to get it out of the way all at once.

Do you think any travel blogger can take the advice in the book and replicate your success?

I do. All you need is motivation, patience, persistence. There are many travel bloggers out there who make money.

If you could offer one ‘most important’ piece of advice about making money with your travel blog, what would it be?

It takes time. Be patient and don’t give up.

In a ‘tweet’, why should someone buy your eBook?

“You get access to advertisers.”

What are your future goals with your websites?

I’d like them to make more money and, for NomadicMatt.com, I’d like to double the traffic by the end of the year.

Thanks Matt for taking the time to answer these questions which I’m sure a number of other travel bloggers have. Matt’s eBook, How to Make Money with Your Travel Blog is $27 and available for purchase from his website.

About Anil Polat

Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More