soganli

We were lucky to meet an Australian couple at the hotel,
& drove to less touristy parts. The church frescoes are
mostly defaced & more or less wrecked.

If you've ever chipped at a rock, think how long these places
took to carve. Nowadays they are used more for storage,
or pigeons than for living quarters.
People say there are probably underground
cities still to be re-discovered. I visited one, & could
barely imagine living there, even with the enemy
on the rampage, above.

pink tentacle: very far out trucks in Japan

goreme

After Istanbul we flew to Cappadocia, staying at the
Kismet Cave hotel.

The landscape is endlessly fascinating, & would be so
different in other seasons. So now I'm up to the 5th of about
30 folders of photos from the trip, there's will be a lot
of landscapes over the next weeks.

I just had a request from a school kid: to copy an idea
from a book I illustrated, so she could enter the Adobe
Asia Pacific school innovation award...
What's happened to originality ??
(I might add that the book sold about 100,000 copies)
Stat counter tells who downloads images here, it would
be nicer to hear from you via a comment.

context travel blog on Turkey

sultanahmet

By the 2nd or 3rd day in Istanbul I was starting to see more

though it took weeks to feel easy about photographing
people, it's so fine to be able to take whatever catches the eye

which was everything, really..

in a different light or mood & something else appears, too.

porcelains and peacocks ~ an erudite art & decoration blog.
We stayed at the Sebnem hotel, I liked it a lot,
it has a pleasant roof terrace & incredible breakfasts.

time off

The beach there begins to be crowded, but am always
happy to see dolphins

the garden & surroundings have grass trees, casuarinas,

cycads, pandanus

black cockatoos, big sunsets,

& time to wander around looking .. it was lovely.

my friend Kiki is adding a blog to her website, do look!

ground

In places like Aya Sofya the floors are amazing, you get a
strong sense of the multitudes who've trodden here before.
I love how they have been mended, perhaps after
earthquakes, it feels like loving care.
Have been away for a few days, might take a break
from Turkey with some local shots.

artist John Coulthart's feuilleton

aya sofya

It was a day of dark clouds & rain, first time I went to
Aya Sofya. Very dark inside the cavernous building.
Some of the christian decoration was defaced when it
became a mosque. The loftiest painting escaped. What I think
is overpainting right, for me keeps the idea of an angel.
More photos when I get to the folder of my second visit.

mapping the marvellous

mystery

Continuing.. do you ever have those days when you
see/photograph something without a clue to the meaning?
More than usually, I mean, since we don't really have a
clue about anything, it's all a mystery, we kind of just
pat it into shape so we can feel safe.
Or is your experience different?
Yes? No? Say something!

the use of memory Carla Rippey's blog, very interesting art

fortune

Isn't it strange how some days you just see weird stuff?
Like now your fortune is to see animal clothes & ugly curtains..

..then it changes ~ that day I got lost, & every person I asked
said turn left, & pointed right, or they pointed left for right.

Interesting range of posts at dreamersrise

museum

The Turkish & Islamic arts museum also has a collection
of marvellous old carpets, reminded me that Persian
carpets are supposed to derive from the desire to keep a
garden while travelling . There's a quiet courtyard, where
an event was being set up: a special collection of korans.

There's a selection on the library of congress site

pages

Was many hours at the Turkish & Islamic Arts museum,
drinking in the exquisite calligraphy & decoration.

I could feel the dedication of each stroke, also in the long
scrolls right with tughra at top, which were deeds of
ownership of land etc. Of course everything is behind glass
so it's difficult to get a good photo.
(yes.. several more hours there at the end of my stay)

lots

There is heaps of bread, much lovely calligraphy,

many water fountains, stacks of ''wow, that's it, right here!"
~ in this case Aya Sofya ~

numerous tourists from everywhere,
& lots of building/restoration work.
Its a marvel of a city.

have just begun to explore the Journal of Ottoman calligraphy

walls

Getting back to the first day in Turkey: you know
right away it will be interesting

I felt a great affinity to the ancient walls; as everyone
doesn't have this, will try not to over-do it.
The dappled light on windows right, provoked a strange
sense of deja vu, I knew that street.

Loved the brick work too, but look at the wall right.
It's a solid story in clear chapters.

Tara books, they make marvellous ones

trees, trams

A surprise in Istanbul was the large number of big old trees,
& everywhere were marvellous old walls.
The girl was reflected in the tram window, while outside,
looking back across the Golden Horn: Suleymaniya.
The city has a long & fascinating history,
& the old parts feel as if every stone has a story.

sinan

Near the spice bazaar is this small mosque designed by
the great Mimar Sinan,
it achieves a sense of peaceful silence.
Perhaps this happens over centuries, or is it built in?

There is an intimacy of scale that surely fulfills the purpose
of its space. Somehow the eccentric patch-up right doesn't
interrupt the flow. Sadly, the large Suleymaniye Camii was
closed for restoration, during my visit
but the Rustem Pasa Camii consoled me.

largest

Was taken to all the sights, including the world's biggest mosque.
Liked some of the details, if you can call such large areas
'details', especially the white on white, or cream.

It's certainly massive.
I'll post some pictures of a small
mosque in Istanbul by the great Sinan, soon.
You can draw your own conclusions:
it is also covered in decoration, yet has a deep silence..

green

The most obvious difference between Abu Dhabi & Dubai
is that the former has planted forests in the desert.
An army of gardeners, desalinated water, the vision
of their late ruler ~ & unlimited funds, I guess.
At a grand hotel with masses of gold is an exhibition of a new
project, including this wonderful design left by Tadao Ando,
one of my favourite architects. It will be a maritime museum.

the new

Flew back via Dubai & Abu Dhabi, so new, such a contrast
to Turkey, where new always seems to overlay the old.
Beautiful clear quiet water.

My dear nephew & his girlfriend took me on a "desert safari",
I screamed a lot.

There are some interesting buildings. The "worlds tallest"
looked like a lethal weapon one minute, a poem the next,
I had to admire it.

Shall gradually add photos of my trip, really loved Turkey.