The Istanbul Canal: a major environmental challenge

By Albane Rousseau In the bustling city of Istanbul, a daring project is underway. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the driving force behind what he calls his “Crazy Canal Project”, a grandiose undertaking designed to relieve traffic on the Bosporus. Nevertheless, for Cemal Saydam, a retired oceanographer, “the proposed channel will not only affect Turkey but will cause an international environmental disaster that will affect … Continue reading The Istanbul Canal: a major environmental challenge

Abkhazia: A forgotten conflict

Ghost towns, bombed houses: The frozen conflict in the South Caucasus region Abkhazia is almost forgotten. It’s time to remember it, to find a possible solution. But is that even possible? Can the corona pandemic bring a change?  A podcast by Lea Dillmann Abkhazia, known as the favorite holiday spot of former Russian dictator Josef Stalin, located northeast at the black sea along the Russian border. … Continue reading Abkhazia: A forgotten conflict

How to travel green: an adventurous yet durable journey

Dutch sustainability advocates, Wiebe Wakker and Rudy van der Aar are known as unique travelers as they have made an adventurous yet durable journey. Sharing two contrasting stories of two different globetrotters with one goal: raising awareness about sustainability. Text by Samen Rehman, photos by Wiebe Wakker & Rudy van der Aar Wiebe Wakker drove 100.450 km through 34 countries, from The Netherlands to New … Continue reading How to travel green: an adventurous yet durable journey

Longing for a Büyükada without horse cruelty

For years, horse and carriage was the only means of transport on the Istanbul Princess Islands. Many horses were overworked, for tourism. But recently animal activists have started protesting this mistreatment. Nowadays, horse power has largely turned into electrical power on the island. Text and photos by Brendan McDade On the south side of Istanbul lays the island of Büyükada, the biggest of the nine … Continue reading Longing for a Büyükada without horse cruelty

Istanbul’s hairy business

Some people travel to Turkey for the sun and the Oriental culture, but others go for medical tourism. Turkey earns a lot of money from this group of travellers. In 2018 over 600.000 medical tourists went to Istanbul. One of the most popular treatments are hair transplantations. In Istanbul alone, there are more than 350 hair transplantation clinics. One of the biggest is the Dr … Continue reading Istanbul’s hairy business

Living a VANtastic life

Daphne Gakes (34) has been living in her campervan ‘Bartje’ in Amsterdam for three years now. Moving from one place to another, she experiences a feeling of freedom and danger at the same time.  Text by Lisanne van ‘t Riet and Julia Pulm, photos by Lisanne van ‘t Riet   Stepping out at Station ‘Verrijn Stuartweg’, a ten minute walk leads you through a business area towards … Continue reading Living a VANtastic life

Life changing events: winning, not gaining

Winning over a hundred thousand euros and then giving it all away, is probably not what most of us will do. But for Frans Harinck (81) that decision wasn’t even a question.  Text by Thirza de Raad Frans Harinck has lived in the small town of Vrouwenpolder for over 30 years. Five years ago, he got called by his housekeeper, who told him the town … Continue reading Life changing events: winning, not gaining

Must-Listens: podcasts that change your life

We love blog posts and videos, but they demand our full attention. Podcasts give us the gift of multitasking. You can do pretty much anything while listening to a podcast: clean the house, walk your dog, take the metro to school, you name it.  That’s why they are so popular these days. The editors of ‘Shift’ think that you must listen to these 5 podcasts. … Continue reading Must-Listens: podcasts that change your life

Back to the 30’s

Mark Davids is not like every other 47-year-old living in Amsterdam. He lives in the 30’s. Text and photos by Ingrid Godager Davids always dresses like a gentleman and never goes out without wearing a hat. His house looks like a museum, furnished like houses were in the beginning of the 1900s. It’s packed with paintings, newspapers, books and furniture from the 20s and 30s, … Continue reading Back to the 30’s