We left Tenedos on June 23, the ferry fares are paid both ways on the way back from the island. Not a bad idea at all. We drove through Çan (Chan), Biga (Big-ah), Karacabey (Karadja-bay), to Bursa with a lunch stop at Biga. Bursa is the original capital of the Ottoman Empire and served in … [Read more...]
Tenedos, III, the thyme fields
As I alluded to a couple of posts before this one, we stumbled upon beautiful fields of thyme between the Aquarium Bays and Ayazma. The view and the aroma captured our full attention. The first day I photographed like a madman, trying to make sure that I could capture at least the visual impact … [Read more...]
Tenedos, II, the second day
We wanted to see the island, and the thyme fields, once more and decided to stay another day on the island. The next morning we strolled around town, visited the Bozcaada Museum, a small collection of local artifacts and historical tidbits. After a nice lunch under the pine trees at the center of … [Read more...]
Tenedos, I (Bozcaada)
On June 21 we left Ayvalik to catch the ferry to Tenedos, a small island on the northwest corner of the Aegean coast of Turkey. By all calculations we should have made the 1:00 pm ferry very comfortably, but since we left about 20 minutes later than planned, we made it to the boat by the skin of our … [Read more...]
Ayvalik-Lesvos Days
June 21, we learned about a wonderful cultural exchange between Ayvalik and Lesvos (Λέσβος) only one day before we left Ayvalik. Apparently, it first started last year at Lesvos, alternating the festivities between there and Ayvalik. The part we saw was a folk dance performance and both the Ayvalik … [Read more...]
Dinner at Deniz Kestanesi
Yesterday afternoon we stayed home, tended to some computer installation issues, rested. Later in the afternoon, we strolled to "Deniz Kestanesi" (Sea Urchin) in town. The hollyhocks on the street where we live are probably 12' tall; I kid you not! I took a few photographs along the way, including a … [Read more...]
Sunset over the Bosphorus
We enjoyed a very special dinner at the Borsa restaurant at Kandilli. Later on, the sunset and the lighting on the Bosphorus Bridge (the first one for those wondering) created great colors and mood. I tried to capture the spirit of the moment in between the great food. This is the view we all … [Read more...]
Dinner at Borsa Restaurant
Another special place we visited this year was the Borsa Restaurant, located on the hills of Kandilli. It occupies the location and most of the structure where the Kandilli Girls' High School used to stand. The building, renovated by a grant from the Sakip Sabanci and through the vision of the late … [Read more...]
Visit to Princes Islands
We took the boat to Princes Islands to visit with our friends. They had invited us for dinner at a special place, which proved to be a very accurate description. The boat took off from Bostanci and we arrived at the Grand Island, the largest of the Princes Islands. The only mode of public … [Read more...]
Kardelen in Infrared
As the queen of the house, and a fine Angora cat, Kardelen deserved a little more study. Yesterday, I photographed her with my IR camera for enhanced contrast and pale rendering of her pink skin, essentially white-on-white study. The second Kardelen study, in infrared, is below. … [Read more...]