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Continue reading →: From the Mists of Avalon to the Gates of Al-Andalus – Threads of DestinyToday’s writing prompt asks: “How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?” Looking back from today, February 2026, my life feels like it is a map where the ink is only just beginning to dry. At nearly 50, I’ve finally understood that the…
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Continue reading →: (De)MotivationWhat a beautiful winter’s day! Sunny, bright, crisp… yet very short. And for a person who is not a morning person, this is even worse. Why?
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Continue reading →: Food That Speaks to SoulOk, you take spices, tomato puree, onions… and wait a second?! Are we talking about the Finnish macaroni casserole or something more metaphysical? What’s your favorite thing to cook?
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Continue reading →: “You just need a small screwdriver…”Let’s go back the memory lane to the mid 1980s. Yes, I am that old. And just the other day I was reminiscing about how much the computer tech has gone forward since those days. Write about your first computer.
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Continue reading →: Is The Sky is Falling?In the wee hours of the morning, I woke up gasping, the image of a well-known Asian airline’s plane falling from the sky still burned into my retinas. It was one of those terrifyingly vivid nightmares where you can feel the pressure change in the air and hear the roar…
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Continue reading →: The “Invisible” Author: My Biggest Complaint in 2026Everyone complains, but in the world of endless supply of Karens, you have to have substance. I could give you a long list: the rising cost of milk and other groceries, the dark, wet, and cold Finnish winter that seems to last until June, or the way my coffee machine sounds…
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Continue reading →: The Legacy of Al-Andalus: A Perspective on Tolerance In 2026This is something I have thought long and hard, have written some pieces of it, and now I am updating something I first wrote back in 2022. Several years have passed since then, but the topic still haunts me as the modern times have not calmed down, rather more turbulent.
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Continue reading →: Beyond Tolerance: Finding Acceptance on the Open Road (and in Our Hearts)During our recent trip to Lisbon, while capturing the city’s vibrant atmosphere for our Open Road Tales channel, we stumbled upon a powerful, unassuming memorial stone for the Jewish massacre of 1506. Unlike the vast, sobering grounds of a place like Dachau, the concentration camp museum just outside of Munich,…
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Continue reading →: Beyond the Five Stars: Finding the Balance Between Confidence and Arrogance in Travel and LifeWe recently traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, a city brimming with history and charm that we’re excited to share glimpses of with you soon on our Open Road Tales YouTube channel. And it was during our stay in an AirBnB apartment there that I was led to ponder something that will…
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Continue reading →: The Persistent Pull: Wanderlust and the Road AheadEver since my early twenties, that persistent feeling of needing “something more” has followed me. Over the years, I’ve come to recognize it as wanderlust. And now, that very yearning is taking a tangible form in our new YouTube channel, Open Road Tales!
Hello,
I’m Khalil
Welcome to Travelling Thoughts, the area of Internet which is all about travel, life, and everyday ponderings. I don’t just blog, but am an author, and produce content to YouTube on Open Road Tales, which is a channel of my wife, and I. So, hit that follow button, and come along for the ride!
Travelling Thoughts 