We built sandcastles that washed away
We built sand castles that washed away, I made you cry when I walked away…
On the Dalyan River (video 4:03)
In late September 2018, on a warm, still afternoon in Turkey, I took the last boat from beautiful Iztuzu Beach, at the mouth of the Dalyan River delta, back to Dalyan, a few kilometres upriver.
Nile turtle in the Dalyan River (video 1:29)
This Nile Turtle arrived for breakfast every morning at the Longhouse Inn Hotel by the riverside in Dalyan. It was fed on any leftover eggs (scrambled and boiled). Some establishments on the riverside lure the species with chicken skin in order to attract more customers, a practice which is in fact harmful to this secretive turtle which is unable to digest this food alien to its natural diet. I would imagine eggs aren't great for it to be eating every day either.
Tree-felling in Istanbul (video 4:26)
One morning while on holiday in Istanbul, I heard a chainsaw in the street. I tried to ignore it but it was a really intrusive noise and I wondered what was taking such a hammering. I looked out of the window and was peturbed to see a man cutting down the large Acacia tree (I think) in the yard of the house opposite...
The Lion of Knidos: the completion of a personal 27-year journey
I went to the British Museum yesterday. In the Great Court, the very first monumental sculpture you encounter is the magnificent Lion of Knidos.
Weighing more than 7 tons, this colossal lion comes from a tomb in the ancient city of Knidos, a coastal city in south-west Turkey. The tomb stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the approach to Knidos harbour. The building itself rose some 18 metres, and its pyramid roof was topped by the lion.
Topkapı Palace
The Topkapı Palace, or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans.
The crystal-clear Azmak River in south west Turkey (video 03:40)
This is a film of a short boat trip on the beautiful Azmak River in Akyaka in the Gulf of Gököva in Turkey.
Exquisite drain (video 00:14)
This channel for guiding rainwater into a little drain is in the Imperial Harem complex in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul.
Kaymaklı Underground City
Kaymaklı Underground City is contained within the citadel of Kaymaklı in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. First opened to tourists in 1964, the village is about 19 km from Nevşehir, on the Nevşehir-Niğde road.
Dervish (video 03:20)
The Mesale café in the Arasta Bazaar in Istanbul. The band assembled first, tuned up and then started playing some sublime music. Then the Dervish came up and performed his whirling dance.
Tree cutting sequence
I heard a chainsaw in the street. I tried to ignore it but it was an intrusive noise and I wondered what was taking such a hammering. I looked out to see a man cutting down the large acacia tree in the yard of the house opposite.
Daily photo diary from Turkey, September 2014
These are the 17 photographs I uploaded to my daily photo diary on Blipfoto from my trip to Turkey in September 2014.
A boat propellor stirs up the seabed (video 00:36)
In June 2013, we took a day-boat to Sedir Island, also known as Cleopatra Island. After some time exploring the island, the boat readied for the journey back. As it turned in the water, it's propellor churned up the shallow, sandy seabed…
A ferry trip in Istanbul (video 01:54)
This is video of a trip across the Bosphorus from Karaköy in the north-west across the straits to Kadiköy in the south-east. Made mainly with an iPhone 4S, in April 2014.
Istanbul is online
Just as the Turkish government has allowed YouTube again in Turkey, I've uploaded the last of the photos selected from my trip to Istanbul in April. 205 images selected from 519 taken in total.
A peacock and a cat (video 00:46)
A peacock has a standoff with a young kitty. The cat is just fascinated by the peacock's feathers but the bird isn't having any of it.
Forty year-old passport
These are pages from my first passport. It was issued in 1980 when I was 16, but by 1984 I had changed so much that I got a new photo added.
Istanbul photo diary
These are the eleven photos I took for my daily photo journal while on a trip to Istanbul in April 2014.
A visit to Turkey
June 2013 - another visit to Turkey to see friends in Istanbul and then to spend some time on the lovely south coast soaking in the rays, swimming in the warm, blue sea and taking some photographs.