I did a lot of drawing in my sketchbook and visited 2 art galleries to see exhibits by Rembrant and Goya, saw the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, ate lots of food, walked and shopped a lot, and enjoyed the beautiful weather (it was 10° Celsius with bright sunshine)!
Here are some sketches from there:
I had taken a calligraphy pen with me to draw with and I really enjoyed using it! Must get more of these ...
And now, here are some photos from there. Yes, I used cheesy Instagram filters. Leave me alone, I'm a hipster.
So below is the Blue Mosque, or the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It's a nice blend of Byzantine and Islamic architecture. It's called the Blue Mosque because of it's blue interior. Top left piccy is me pointing like a dork, top right is the gorgeous dome interior, bottom left are the giant columns supporting it and bottom right are some stained glass windows.
The next set below is about the beautiful, deep blue Bosphorus Strait that separates European Turkey from Asian Turkey and links the Black Sea and Aegean Sea. Top left is a view from Oto Köy, which is where I was staying. Bottom left is a pic of me looking cute, so I had to throw that in. Bottom right is one of the ferries that takes people back and forth from either side.
Next set is when I visited Sakıp Sabancı Museum to check out the Rembrant exhibit. The exhibit was called "Where Darkness Meets Light," Rembrant and his Contemporaries," So it was basically a collection of paintings by Rembrant and 59 other master painters such as Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen and Jacob van Ruisdael. And they let me take photos - totally awesome! Top left and right are some paintings by the artists. Bottom left is a sketch by Rembrant ... so beautiful, I love his line quality. And bottom right is my favorite oil painting, titled "A Hare and Other Game, 1967" by Jan Weenix.
The fur in that rabbit is so freaking insane. In fact, here's a close up:
Ack, I can't resist. Here's another one of my favs. An oil painting by Karel du Jardin, titled, "Portrait of a Man with Two Hounds, 1670." The detail in that sleeve is making me wild! Do you see the intricate work in the gold lace and the white fabric? Totally gives me an artgasm. *Sigh* I think my next post will have to be devoted to all the artists and paintings I saw there.
So next set is all about the food. Turkish cuisine is a nice mix of Ottoman and Middle Eastern cuisine. I have to say, it's some of the healthiest, and tastiest food I've ever eaten. Top left is a pic of me wearing giant sunglasses and holding a cup of Turkish tea. Top Right is Simit, a common donut bread with sesame seeds, sold by street vendors all around and next to the simit is a meat filled pastry called Börek. Bottom left is black Turkish coffee, which is some serious hardcore caffeine, they serve it with a glass of cold water and a sugar square. And finally to the bottom right is Ayran, a cold yogurt drink - it's so refreshing, I was drinking it everyday!
Next set is the Hagia Sophia, the epitome of Byzantine Architecture. I had studied it in Art History, about how it used to be an Orthodox church and later converted to a mosque by Constantinople in 1453. Even though you can see large images of Islamic scripture everywhere, you'll still see small mosaics of Jesus and Mary around. Top left is an image of Jesus. Top Right is the entrance to the building. Bottom left is my small head, proof that I was there ... lol.
Next set is all about Goya, an exhibit I got to see at the Pera Museum, in Taxim. It was titled, "GOYA, Witness of His Time - Engravings and Paintings." Now this was a real treat for me, as I've always admired for his dark themes and rebellious nature. There were three floors of his work, and I think I'll talk about it in my next post, as I could just go on forever.
And finally, my last photo set from Turkey. It's all about the Kittehs. One of the most awesome things about Istanbul is how the stray animals are taken care of by the locals. Everywhere I went, I'd see healthy dogs and cats being fed every morning by the restaurants and butchers. Top left is this sweet old guy I'd see every morning on my way to the Kabbatas Subway - he would be selling lighter refills by the stop light and would always be snuggling his little kitty in his arms --- AWWWWWW!!!! Top right is a kitty chilling at the Whirling Dervishes Lodge. Bottom Left is a kitty sleeping in the Hagia Sophia ... yes, in it. He was just chilling on the podium upfront, and all the tourists were taking more pictures of him than the building! Bottom right is me trying to get a kitty to sniff my finger at the SSM Museum.
So yah, that's it and I barely even skimmed the surface! Istanbul is an amazing place, everyone should visit, especially if you're an artist. I'm definitely going to go back.
And... lastly, back in Dubai, I went to the beach the other day to see a bunch of baby sea turtles being set free into the ocean. The local environmentalists had found them a while ago, malnourished and covered in barnacles, so they took care of them until they were ready to get back to real world. So cute!!
And before I end this post, I'd just like to take a moment to talk about the Beasite Boys. Upon returning from Istanbul, I was devastated to read about the death of Adam Yauch (MCA). I have been listening to these guys since I was 8 years old! I first heard them when visiting my sister in Austin, Texas in 1992, where she was studying at UT. My sister was pretty cool back then and was listening to the album, "Check Your Head" and I remember hearing "So What'cha Want" and totally being blown away. After that, my 8 year old butt wouldn't stop singing that song. So thank you, Beastie Boys, thank you for the childhood memories and for making me cool. RIP MCA.
