卡帕多其亞洞穴屋Cappadocia: Safran Cave Hotel

 I love this hotel so much that I want to come back to Cappadocia, Turkey so many times. I remember every night I would sit in the courtyard to enjoy watching sky and feeling cool air. It's like I have this place to my own. Run by a family, the hotel meets you with wonderful furniture, bed and pillows and of course nice bathrooms that I even sketched them.

Omar is an English major who is also an artist, drawing magnificent portraits. His warm smile and sense of humor really gave us an unforgettable memory. We were so fortunate to have dinner with them, an experience so unique that whenever I hear Ramadan again, it occurs to me the memorable night we had together playing tavla and cards.

 Omar, on the left, is an portrait artist.

伊斯坦堡大市集的對比Istanbul: Grand bazzar and the contrast

 What kind of connection you could have with a clerk of a shop? I want to change my relationship with these people. So at the end of my day in Istanbul, I came to visit Grand bazzar again without the aim to buying. So here is what happened? These young clerks gathered around to see me sketching. They were so interested in my sketches and started to talk with me. (They seemed to forget promoting their products!!)    Hakan is one of the clerks.
There are kids on the street earning money by playing the instrument. And tourists and locals passed by.

Fener area. Local people life. Kids playing. 

伊斯坦堡舊猶太與希臘人社區Istanbul: Fener and Balat

My knowledge of Istanbul before I came to Turkey was very limited. One day I read an article about Fener and Balat area and felt attracted by the buildings and nostalgic atmosphere.

Jews and Greeks used to reside in the areas before the population exchange. Now, Turkish people from central Anatolia flocked to Istanbul for work and occupied the buildings. Some of the buildings look a bit run-down. Doors locked down. Spirits down. Colorful as they look, the overal feeling is not so vibrant however.

I wanted to know about Istanbul other than tourist areas such as Sultanahmet, the old town. So I made up my mind to visit Fener and Balat alone. I cherish the chance very much. It helps me to understand Istanbul deeper.  By reading the memoir by Orhan Pamuk, my memory of the area is now connected with the whole book. When I watched the movie, The Edge of Heaven, I was able to capture the what the director and the plot writer want the audience to see.

安卡拉Ankara: Capital City with nice boulevards

After seeing many Turkish towns and cities in central and southeastern Turkey. We made it to Ankara.
My impression of the cities include nice boulevards, shopping malls, and something similar to Taipei.
Overall, it's a modern city with intact infrastructure.

伊斯坦堡藍色清真寺Istanbul: Blue mosque

 I made this sketch with sufficient time that I was able to capture the lines more carefully. It was about the sunset moment, crowds were beginning to gather during Ramadan night. I enjoyed the moment to sit in the middle of the tourist spot but with my own space to hide away.

We visited the interior of blue mosque another day, in the sketch I captured the postures
that Muslim pray. They stand, bow and kneel down with heads touching the ground.
In Tokapi palace, there is a display of Sultans. Apparently every one of them is fat enough.
The guy in the middle was singing( or reading out loud) the Ku'ran in the palace room.
He stopped for me just to see the his portrait sketch. I felt privileged.

伊斯坦堡聖索菲亞大教堂Istanbul: Hagia Sophia

In ancient Roman times, it was once the center of Orthodox Christian world. It became the mosque after the attack of Ottomans. Hagia Sophia is now open to visitor as a museum. 

St. Anthony Church on Istiklal Avenue on the left side of my sketches, it is a basilica and the largest church of Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul, Turkey.

If you've been to churches or cathedrals in Europe and felt bored, ended up dozing up, I recommend you come visit Hagia Sophia. I've never seen one building structure so unique that combines Jesus and Islam calligraphy at the same time. Hagia Sophia symbolizes the complex history of Istanbul. 

伊斯坦堡新城區Istanbul: Galata tower and the new town

Hello all my friends, I finally managed to upload my sketches successfully. I was hard work. 

Okay! I intended to post my sketches from the very beginning in Istanbul. Due to some technical reasons, I had to choose other sketches. I'd like to talk about Istanbul first. Our hotel is west to Sultanahmet area and close to the sea. So on the first day, we took the train to eminonu( the harbor). 

In new town of European part of Istanbul, Galata tower stands out, picturing the skyline. The buildings beneath and around are so colorful and European style. 

Souvenirs from all my friends.

During each summer, I'm very fortunate to visite a country. 

I prefer to record my travel by sketching. I completed a whole 

sketchbook in Turkey this summer.

Thanks to my friends, I have not only memories from Turkey 

but from each corner of the world. Some sent postcard, 

some gave me magnets for my collection and still others 

offered me a little candies and cookies. 

It's how I remember them!!