After arriving in China we first walked to Jingshan Park which is lying north of the Forbidden City. At the top of the hill is a little temple with a big Buddha who is looking down on the Forbidden City…which was vanishing in the smoggy air. And this is what we did too, to get a first impression of the city.
Today my sister was visiting me and she brought fake lashes, make-up and a hat. I brought my X100 and we both exercised patience as I do not have a modelling light and the X100 performs bad in low light. But the pictures turned out to be sharrrrp! Eazybox with SB-800 camera left, trigrip gold/silver.
100% crop from Fuji X100
And then her husband came, Dimtrij Dimitrijanovitch:
Istanbul is a beautiful city which I will definitely visit again! It is only 2.5 hours away from where I live but it is another world you step in. I had many great moments in Istanbul: early morning on the Galata Bridge, late night strolling through the empty streets, the warm sun rays on the Bosporus tour and a visit to an original Hammam (from which I do not post any pictures as the towel bent around my waist was constantly loose). The city is definitely worth a visit!
One word about the Fuji X100: It performed fantastic. Neither did I miss a zoom lens nor did I miss the weight and size of my D300. OK to be honest it could really have a faster autofocus – especially in low light it can drive you crazy!! But what amazed me most was the dynamic range the camera offers, this is something that I had been missing with my D300 so far.
Early morning at the Galata Bridge
Early morning at the Galata Bridge
Morning at the Galata Bridge
Tünel train
Tünel tram
Blue Mosque
Shop window
At the Topkapi Palace
Me in a mirror
Istanbul has quite a few Mosques where tourists have there own entrance; they are provided with plastic bags for their shoes. However tourists have to stay in the rear part of the Mosque, behind a wooden railing. Muslims wash their feet, arms and face before praying no matter how cold it is…and it was very cold. But obviously they are still ready for a smile.
Praying in Blue Mosque (Sultan-Ahmed Mosque)
Washing before prayer
Blue Mosque
Since weather became better we decided to take a boat ride in the direction of the Black Sea. After the cold and windy days it was a relaxing ride sitting in the sun, enjoying the landscape, drinking hot tea and eating fresh made yoghurt.
On the Boat
Bosporus
Relaxing on the boat
Warming sunrays
Bosporus and Süleymaniye Mosque
When I entered Hagia Sophia for the first time I was stunned by the rays of light that filled the huge room above the low hanging chandeliers. Unfortunately there were already a lot of tourists walking around so that I decided to come back the next morning and to be the first inside. Hagia Sophia used to be a Byzantine Church, later a Mosque and today it is a museum.
Hagia Sophia
Early Morning at Hagia Sophia
Light Beam
Hagia Sophia - Low Chandeliers
Rays of Light in Hagia Sophia
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