ZORIAH - A PHOTOJOURNALIST AND WAR PHOTOGRAPHER'S BLOG

Tied Up

I was really hoping to keep on top of these posts during this trip but getting on line has been a nightmare.  I have sailed for 75 hours this past week and the rest of the time has been spent making repairs and sleeping.  I have also not had internet the past several days, which makes blogging quite difficult.  I do promise to give more details about this trip once I am in Paris.

For now, here is a picture out my window as I am tied up to the banks of a canal, pecking away at this keyboard.

Amsterdam To Paris By Houseboat - My Barge Trip Through Europe - Part 1

A year and a half ago, as ten years on the road began to wear on me more and more, I decided to work on making a home base in Europe. I ended up buying a 1930's Dutch houseboat barge, not realizing what I was getting myself into (turns out this might be a theme in my life!)

Since then, when I have not been shooting in the field I have been working on restoring this rusty beast. I have gotten a captain's license for large ships, learned a bit about electrical wiring, carpentry, metalwork, plumbing, navigation, heating, painting etc etc. I went from having no electricity, water, sewage and heat in a ship that sat for decades to having a home.

This week I have begun the move from Amsterdam to Paris. It might not seem like anything that difficult, but try it in a 60 foot long, 20 ton ship built for shipping coal and restored by someone who has no idea what he is doing. From my navigation system down to the engine and my piloting capabilities, there are a lot of things that could go wrong over the coming weeks (if you live anywhere in the Netherlands, Belgium or France I suggest you stay FAR away from any rivers and canals!)

Since this is what I am up to for the next two or three weeks, I have decided to share some of my experiences here. Now, I can't guarantee the quality of the photos, as I am finding it hard to shoot out the window while trying not to run aground. But if you all can handle some snapshots I will post some from my journey.

I will be trying to do all of this from a mobile device, so hopefully these posts will look decent and hopefully my service will hold out as I cross countries. This is all new to me, but I look forward to bringing you all along for the ride.

 

The Man In Front of The Shop

After having some chaos with my schedule this past week I am now getting ready to embark on a new adventure which I hope to share here in detail.  But for now, here is another shot from my recent trip to Istanbul.

 

A man sits in front of a shop in the Kumkapy neighborhood of Istanbul, as area frequented by refugess and the smugglers which sell passage into the EU.