Past Life: Turkey

Past Life: Turkey

I should be finishing up my March For Our Lives post. Instead I got distracted by some old photos of Turkey. I taught English in Istanbul from 2000-2002. Incredible people, city, and country. For a while I had the notion of charting a course for retirement in a small Turkish town on the Mediterranean, something like Ayvalik. That’s no longer in the plans. But I hope to visit again – I have always felt a strong connection to Turkey, and I would love to dive into that fantastic Ottoman/Turkish cuisine again.

I scanned a few of the photos today. This is by no means a photo essay or a travel piece, but I figured I’d go ahead and post some of the photos. Perhaps eventually I will get all of my photos and negatives scanned and work on a more cohesive piece.


Ferry, Istanbul, Turkey, sometime between 2000-2002. It's been a while, but I suspect this ferry was headed to Kadikoy. I can't remember if ferries ran to Fenerbache or Bakirkoy. The Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia, and Hagia Irene are visible in the distance.

Ferry, Istanbul, Turkey, sometime between 2000-2002. It’s been a while, but I suspect this ferry was headed to Kadikoy. I can’t remember if ferries ran to Fenerbache or Bakirkoy. The Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia, and Hagia Irene are visible in the distance.


Hagia Sophia, sometime between 2000-2002. Justinian: "Constantine, I have surpassed thee." Credit for the Quote: John Julius Norwich in his series about Byzantium.

Hagia Sophia, sometime between 2000-2002. Justinian: “Constantine, I have surpassed thee.” Credit for the Quote: John Julius Norwich in his series about Byzantium.

I think I shot all of these on my Nikon 8008S. They’re not very good, but they bring back memories. Some of them may have been on disposable cameras, but I don’t think so.


Bosphorus at sunset, sometime between 2000-2002.

Bosphorus at sunset, sometime between 2000-2002.


Ishak Pasha Saray, Dogubeyazit, Turkey, sometime in 2001 or 2002.

Ishak Pasha Saray, Dogubeyazit, Turkey, sometime in 2001 or 2002.


Kucuk Aya Sofia (or Little Hagia Sophia), sometime in 2000 or 2001.

Kucuk Aya Sofia (or Little Hagia Sophia), sometime in 2000 or 2001.