This week I'm in Turkey leading a Mentor Trek for American Photo. Our first two days were spent in Istanbul, which has quickly moved into the top of my list of great places to shoot pictures.
Last year I'd worked a trip to Greece, and Mirjam Evers, who was running that one, told me that as good as Greece was (and it was), Turkey was still her favorite place for photos. A few months later I was offered the chance to do this trip, and jumped at the opportunity.
Our overnight flight on Turkish Air was as comfortable as you could hope for riding coach, with food that was actually pretty good (cherry juice and hazelnuts, anyone?). Not to mention the airplane was only half full, meaning there was room to spread out. Landing mid-morning, we gathered our belongings, found our bus, and headed to the hotel. The Princess Diana Hotel is in an excellent location, just a few blocks from the Blue Mosque, with a very nice view from the rooftop restaurant. After getting settled in, we walked to lunch, then spent about two hours going over the itinerary, group rules and introductory talks by myself and the other instructor, Roseanne Penella. Then it was time to get outside for some fresh air and exercise, get a feel for where we were and shoot some photos.
Just a block down from the hotel is the Hippodrome, an area around the Blue Mosque that's part park and part bazaar. Food and gift stalls line the sides and the atmosphere is festive. It's Ramadan here, an important Muslim holy time, and people celebrate the end of fasting each day by going out to eat with friends and family. For the kids there are treats and some small carnival rides. As we walked the area it quickly became apparent that the Turkish people, at least here, are very open and friendly. No one turned us down on requests to shoot pictures. And as importantly, no one was chasing us trying to sell us things or begging for money. That night we photographed the mosques from the roof of our hotel.
The next morning we rose before dawn to take in the sunrise, from the roof of another nearby hotel at a better vantage point. As the sun brought orange light to the sky we could watch ships from around the world heading from the Aegean Sea into the Bosphorus Strait, through the heart of Istanbul, to the Black Sea. The rest of the day was spent visiting the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Castle, Hagia Sofia and the Grand Bazaar. I'm always moved by the beauty, age and history of these places. It's amazing to think that some of the buildings we walked through were built over 1500 years ago, with architecture and art that would be hard to duplicate today. And the history is that of a large part of humanity, growing out of this intersection of Europe and Asia.
Today we fly to Izmir, on our way to see the old city of Esephus, which at its peak a thousand years ago was home to 250,000 people. From there we'll continue to explore this beautiful and ancient land. Two days in it's already been a great trip. Can't wait for the rest.
