With My Own Eyes -My Observations and Experiences

Born and raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the oldest in a family of six boys and two girls, Phillip Martin was raised within the plain culture. His early formal education was eight years in a one-room schoolhouse, followed by informal on the job vocational training. An ardent reader, he learned much about the fascinating world beyond his hometown. He decided to become a Christian as a schoolboy, and in his late teens joined the church and culture of his parents, that of the Old Order Mennonites. Starting in his late teens, he explored portions of the eastern and southern United States by bicycle. Deciding to explore beyond North America, he chose Europe, home of his ancestors and the setting of many important events. He also chose the Middle East, birthplace of Christianity Judaism and Islam and the focus of a lot of American news coverage. Based on his experiences reading books about plain people, Phillip suspected that the books and media coverage he was reading about the Middle East was probably incomplete, and he wanted to see things for himself. Traveling with only backpacks and foldable bicycles, Phillip Martin and his friend Lorne Frey traveled over 20,000 miles through more than 20 countries by ship, train, bus, taxi and bicycle. From the Mosques of Istanbul and the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, the city Souks, rural roads and welcoming hospitality of Syria, the rugged hills and ancient historical sights of Jordan, the crowded cities, archeological treasures and desert of Egypt, the mixture of culture, religions and historical sites that is Israel, the aftermath of Chernobyl, rich farmland, and post-communist culture of Ukraine, a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, the cities and landscape of southern Germany, the farmland, history, and mountains of Switzerland, flatlands of the Netherlands and Belgium, to the greenery of Ireland and the city of London, Phillip Martin tells a tale of exploration in this fast paced and informative book.