Christine and Hanna's Visit to Istanbul

Yerebatan Cistern. This extraordinary feat of Roman engineering, enlarged to its present 

dimensions by the Emperor Justinian I in 532, was used to store water for the Great Palace.

No matter how many times I take visitors around Istanbul, I always try to find new angles to showcase this city in my photography. Even the exact same shot, taken on a different day in different circumstances, can become unique - well in my eyes anyway. I never tire of photographing this amazing city!

So when Christine and Hanna came to stay, I happily grabbed my camera, and took them on a lightning tour of Istanbul's most iconic sights.

Photographs create memories, and here is a snapshot of some of the most memorable moments I captured, of their time in Istanbul.

We began in the tour in the Yerebatan Cistern (also known as the Basilica Cistern). This is a challenge for any photographer, as it is quite dark down there underground, and the lighting is more for the effect. Also, tripods are forbidden, unless one is prepared to pay a fee, which, the last time I asked, was 250TL.

Of course, food featured large on our trip, as who can ignore the many delightful culinary delights on offer in Istanbul?

This is Kunefe, a delicious dessert made with shredded pastry, cheese, and sugar, 

served with ground pistachio nuts sprinkled over the top.

We visited the Rustem Pasa Mosque...

...famous for its beautiful Iznik tiles

Turkish delight

While we were in the area, we couldn't fail to visit the Spice Bazaar, and try some Turkish delight!

While Christine explored this shop...

...Hanna and I photographed the exquisite plates in the room above

Part of the colourful tiled wall display in the underground station of the Marmaray

 The Marmaray is the underground train tunnel that runs under the Bosphorus, linking the European side with Asia. We used this as an alternative to the usual ferry. 

Hanna (with the camera) and Christine in the courtyard of the favourites,

in the Topkapi Palace

Enjoying the day at the Topkapi Palace

We watched these ladies making gözleme (a sort of filled pancake)

...and then couldn't resist trying some

Christine in the Blue Mosque

Hanna in the Blue Mosque too!

...and we couldn't miss the Suleymaniye Mosque

We packed so much into such a short time, but it was fun! I hope Christine and Hanna enjoyed it too, and come back to visit again some time

by Elizabeth Coughlan

A Weekend in Istanbul

Catherine and Michael in the Grand Bazaar

We were delighted when our niece, Catherine, and her husband, Michael, came to stay with us in Istanbul, even if for a very short time. Cath had visited Istanbul before, but everything was new to Mikey, so we decided to give him a brief overview of all the delights this city  has to offer.

Our first stop was the Grand Bazaar...

...before going up onto the roof of the Buyuk Valide Han. 

(See previous post).

Cath and Mikey, and their bird's-eye view of Istanbul

We continued our walk through the maze of streets leading from the Grand Bazaar down to the Spice Bazaar, and on across the Galata Bridge before heading home.

Hmm... so many Turkish Delights to choose from in the Spice Market

Day two was pretty exhausting, taking in the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque, mainly because in all three we were fighting to get through the hoards of tourists, and endless queues!

Cath photographing the Hagia Sophia

There's a great view down the Bosphorus, from the Topkapi Palace.

The final day was much calmer, as we sailed down the Bosphorus, all the way to the last stop, Anadolu Kavagi.

We imagined what it must be like, living on the edge of the Bosphorus

Mikey relaxes on the ferry

The ferry station at Anadolu Kavagi

Here, I opted to save our premium seats by the water's edge, and enjoy a glass of wine, while Cath and Mikey hiked up the steep hill to Yorus Castle, built by the Byzantines, then restored and reinforced by the Genoese, in 1350.

Lunch in a restaurant beside the Bosphorus

After a relaxed lunch, we returned home for our last night together, before they left again for England. It was such a short visit, but David and I had fun, and I hope Cath and Mikey did too. We are looking forward to their next visit.

Here is the video I made of their visit

Elizabeth Coughlan

GEP Photography Workshop, Istanbul: Day 4

Turkish delight, in every flavour imaginable, in the Spice Bazaar

Our first shoot on the last day of our Great Escape Publishing Photography Workshop, saw us at the Spice Market in Eminonu. Unfortunately our cameras couldn't capture the exotic aroma emanating from the shops along its aisles. Once again our early start meant that there were few people in our way, and the stallholders far more amenable to our presence. We spent a productive two hours in the Spice market and the surrounding streets, before meeting up again.

Some of us just couldn't resist buying!

Delicious dried fruit and nuts in the spice Bazaar

 Our next visit was to the Suleymaniye Mosque, built for Suleyman the Magnificent in 1557. This was chosen for our workshop because far fewer people visit this mosque than the more popluar Blue Mosque, making it easier to photograph. I also believe it is the more beautiful of the two. Our session over, we just had time for a hasty lunch before we were back at the hotel choosing our three favourite images of Istanbul, ready for Efrain's critique in the group review.

The Suleymaniye Mosque

The beautiful interior of the mosque

The architecture is stunning. This is the entrance to the courtyard

A detail of one of the domes in the Suleymaniye Mosque

 Sadly, our photography workshop was coming to an end, but we still had one more activity, our farewell dinner on the rooftop restaurant of the Adamar Hotel, with its stunning panoramic view over the ancient peninsular, and down the Bosphorus towards the first Bridge.

We couldn't resist photographing down the spiral staircase that leads

to the roof of the hotel

As the sun set, the moon began to rise over the Aya Sofya

 Its always sad when these workshops end and everyone goes their separate ways. One can only hope we will all meet up again at another workshop, or maybe even in Istanbul. It is said, this city has a magic allure that, once experienced, draws people back again. I do hope so!

By Elizabeth Coughlan

Our Day at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

Rebecca with the scarf seller in the Grand Bazaar

Last Thursday, noticing a gap in the foul weather we have been experiencing lately, I took Rebecca to the ultimate of all shopping Mecca's, the Grand Bazaar. As we arrived, we were immediately hailed by the same scarf seller, who showed us how to tie scarves when Jessica was here. We promised to visit him as soon as we had finished lunch, and found our way to Pedaliza, where we were welcomed warmly, as I have been there several times.

This is a traditional Turkish restaurant in the Grand Bazaar, 

specialising in Ottoman cuisine, with the menu changing daily 

so there is no chance of it becoming boring! 

After lunch we returned to the scarf seller, who brought us tea, in the traditional Turkish manner. Rebecca eventually bought a scarf and we wandered off to see the rest of the delights of the Bazaar.

Rebecca loved the hanging lamps in the Grand Bazzar

We gradually worked our way downhill to the exit that leads to the warren of narrow streets that lead to the Spice Bazzaar.

 Rebecca stands next to some Turkish delight in the Spice Market

We bought some cheese in this delicatessen

After exploring the bazaar and the surrounding area, we decided it was time for dessert at the Saray Muhallebicisi in Eminönü. This is one of a chain of restaurants in Turkey, that serves a variety of Turkish dishes, and are also famous for their vast range of desserts.

The name, Saray Muhallebicisi, translates as "Palace of the Seller of Milk Puddings", and as you can see, they all look rather delicious!

After this we returned home, exhausted but happy.