First Day in Istanbul

We finished our shoot in Sweden and made it to the airport with time to spare.  We are now in Istanbul prepping for our shoot on Friday.

The first thing that struck me when I stepped out of the terminal last night was the cosmopolitan feeling of the city.  It is reminiscent of New York or Paris.

This morning we walked from our hotel to find a place for breakfast, but made a wrong turn and ended up eating at a place that was not great. 

The rain has come and gone all day, between bursts of sunlight.  With only one day to shoot, we are all hoping the weather cooperates. 

This afternoon we went sightseeing and then to lunch.  There is so much to see, and it is all very different from what we are used to.  The architecture is very unique and the terrain is also striking, which adds to the overall feeling of this gorgeous city.  Although we don’t actually scout locations until tomorrow, we were all struck by the enormous visual potential, especially in stark contrast to what we recently left behind in Sweden.

We ate lunch at Zinhan Kabap House, and the food was fantastic, as was the view.  The ever changing light provided countless opportunities for interesting photos in every direction.  

After lunch we walked to The Basilica Cistern, the 1600 year old underground water storage facility built by Byzantine Emporer Justinianus.

 

From there we walked past the Hagia Sophia to the Blue Mosque.

 

After the Blue Mosque we went to watch the Whirling Dervishes.  They were amazing.  The music was hypnotic, and the whirling was mesmerizing.  The setting was not the best, but it was something to experience.

 

After which we picked up the laundry that we dropped off earlier in the day.  This proved one of the most unusual experiences.  (9 of us dropped off our laundry, and they didn’t separate it, so we then had to dig through the still damp clothes to find our own.  They then weighed it and charged us accordingly.  They weighed it still damp, and in our bags – very strange.)  It took a long time, but we finally sorted it all out and now have clean clothes which will be drying in our rooms for the next few hours.

 

Tomorrow we will scout our locations and create our shot list.  After that, time permitting we’ll try to see a bit more of the city, including the inside of Hagia Sophia.  With any luck we’ll get to Topkapi Palace too.