Istanbul, Turkey, two years ago.
Conditioning is a priority.
A beautiful trip.
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Shot on Nikon Coolpix 5700
Categoria: turkey
Turkey in film
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Il rito delle abluzioni alla Yeni Camii, la moschea nuova.
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The washing ritual at Yeni Camii, the new mosque.
La pellicola registra decisamente le emozioni. Sultanahmet. Cara vecchia pellicola.
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Film definitely records emotions. Sultanahmet. Dear old film.
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La Turchia e’ anche e soprattutto commercio. Ogni cosa e’ commerciabile, ogni cosa va contrattata e ovunque e’ mercato. Vale, piu’ che in ogni altro posto, la legge di chi urla piu’ forte.
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Contrasti tra il sacro e il profano, tra la cultura e il commercio di massa.
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Contrasts between sacred and profane, between culture and mass trading.
La stazione di Konya era cosi’ inondata di una luce dorata che non ho potuto fare a meno di scattare anche con la pellicola; premiato, in questo caso, dall’arrivo di un bambino a dare un senso e una proporzione alle valigie in attesa.
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Il senso del viaggio e’ lo spostamento stesso; la coda del treno aiuta a capire che per vedere posti nuovi occorre lasciarsi alle spalle i posti che ci hanno ospitati, affascinati, fatti sentire a casa anche solo per un momento.
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Il senso della morte, invece, e’ del tutto diverso dal nostro. La morte e’ un accadimento comune ed e’ per questo che non e’ raro trovare in piena citta’ delle tombe nei minuscoli vuoti urbani tra un’abitazione e l’altra, come piccoli giardini.
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Traveling through Turkey – episode 3
Un territorio vastissimo e pressoche’ deserto; e’ la Turchia dell’interno, quella dell’autosufficienza agricola cosi’ distante dal caos multiculturale di una citta’ come Istanbul. La Turchia e’ grande circa il doppio dell’Italia ma ha la stessa densita’ visiva e le cose sono semplicemente spalmate su una superficie piu’ vasta cosiicche’ la sensazione e’ quella di perdersi senza una meta.
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A very wide and nearly desert territory; it’s inner Turkey, that of agricultural self production so distant from the chaotic meltin’pot of a city like Istanbul. Turkey is around twice the italian territory but it has the same visual density and things are simply spread over a wider surface so that the feeling is that of losing without a possible goal.
Il viaggio ha sempre un motivo e c’e’ sempre una ricompensa. La nostra pazienza e’ stata premiata con un paesaggio alieno punteggiato di coni di arenaria e forme bizzarre, sotto cieli grigi e minacciosi
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A trip has always a meaning and you always deserve a reward. Our patience has been rewarded with an alien landscape pointed by sandstone cones and bizarre shapes, under grey and frightening skies
Questi posti sono stati massicciamente utilizzati nel passato e le abitazioni scavate nei grossi coni hanno dato forma a quelli che oggi appaiono come enormi formicai umani.
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These places have been heavily used in the past and the dwellings dug into the big cones formed what today appears like an enormous human anthills.
E i primi cristiani li utilizzarono per pregare, nascosti dalle persecuzioni dei Romani.
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And early Christians used them to pray, away from Roman persecution.
Piccoli topi vivono felicemente nella valle di Ihlara, un canyon verde nel bel mezzo di una regione deserta.
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Small mice lives happily into the Ihlara valley, a green canyon in the middle of a desert region.
E per testimoniare come fosse ricca e complessa la vita nei tempi passati ecco una cattedrale nella roccia
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And to witness how rich and how complex could have been life in the past times, here’s a rock cathedral
E uno degli ingressi del monastero di Selime. Vi diranno che c’e’ stato girato Guerre Stellari, ma non credeteci, e’ solo una trovata pubblicitaria.
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And one of the entrances to the Selime monastery. They’ll tell you that Star Wars was filmed there but don’t believe them, it’s just advertising.
La stazione di Konya era inondata da una luce dorata e il set sembrava perfetto per un bel film. Abbiamo attraversato Konya accorgendoci che il mercato era qualcosa di veramente speciale ed e’ stato un vero peccato che fossimo costretti a perderci la citta’ piu’ osservante e religiosa della Turchia proprio durante gli ultimi giorni del Ramadan.
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The Konya station was flooded by a golden light and the set seemed perfect for a beautiful movie. We passed through Konya realizing that its market was far beyond beautiful, and it was a real pity that we were forced to miss the most observant and religious city in Turkey, during the very last days of Ramazan.
Il Meram Ekspresi non e’ certo l’Orient Express, e un viaggio notturno con cena nella carrozza ristorante ed un ritardo di tre ore e mezzo ci avrebbe gettati di nuovo nel caos di Istanbul per una giornata. Dopo un po’ ti sembra quasi di tornare a casa; il bazar, il chai, il casino, tutto cosi’ familiare. Dispiace pensare di dover prendere ancora un aereo, tornare in Italia, alle solite cose.
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The Meram Ekspresi ain’t the Orient Express, and a night transfer with dinner in the restaurant car and three and a half hour late would have throwed us again into Istanbul’s chaos for another day. After a while you are tricked into thinking it’s home; the bazaar, the chai, the mess, everything is so familiar. It’s a pity thinking you still have to take another flight, go back to Italy, the usual things.
Il simbolo, il marchio di fabbrica della Turchia, perfino sabbiato sul vetro dei treni, ci saluta completando idealmente la nostra immagine-simbolo di una vacanza che si e’ trasformata in un viaggio ricco di immagini. Un altro tramonto, la luna e una stella sullo sfondo rosso del cielo.
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The symbol, the trade mark of Turkey, even sanded on the trains’ windows, greets us ideally completing our image-symbol of a vacation which transformed into a journey filled with images. Another sunset, the moon and a star on the red background of the sky.
Traveling through Turkey – episode 2
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After a few hours life in Istanbul seemed easy as being at home; yes, you are continuously annoyed by sellers but you quickly learn that if you don’t care they won’t get offended at all, it’s just their way to approach clients. Different thing if you stop, you risk not to be able to leave without buying something. Mosques have been a sort of pleasant relaxing stops while walking around this vast city, eating in places where only the turks go and living the trip as sort of “not traveling”, but nearly as a local. So easy, somewhat risky but very interesting.
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The so told Yeni Camii, the New Mosque (though it was built in 1600), even brighter than the Blue Mosque, well attended and surrounded by pigeons like S.Marco in Venice. “Venice instinctively reminds me of Istanbul” sang Franco Battiato. He was right.
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The bay is a gate to the East, and all the ships waiting their turn witness that. To get this perspective you have to enter the yard of a high school, with a caretaker watching the entrance who let us in very kindly. To ask brings results.
Se sei musulmano e devi pregare occorre che tu ti lavi molto bene prima di farlo, ecco perche’ nei cortili di ogni moschea ci sono delle fontane. Una buffa usanza in un paese molto arido, ma questa e’.
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If you’re muslim and you are going to pray you have to wash yourself very well before doing it, that’s why in every mosque’s yard there are fountains. Funny habit in a very dry country, but that’s it.
Questa e’ Beyazit Camii, l’unica moschea in cui ho sentito un imam predicare alla gente, e mi e’ stato detto che i piu’ fedeli vanno proprio li’ a pregare. Non siamo neanche entrati visto che era l’ora della preghiera, ma il cortile e’ bello e geometricamente piacevole.
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This is Beyazit Camii, the only mosque where I could hear an imam preaching to the people, and I was told that the most faithful go there to pray. We neither entered, as it was pray time, but the yard is beautiful and geometrically nice.
Al Gran Bazar mi aspettavo di trovare tutto, certo, ma non un venditore di sanguisughe! Cosa diavolo ci facciano non lo so, ma i salassi nel 2008 mi sembrano un tantino eccessivi…
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I expected to find everything into the Grand Bazaar, sure, but not a leeches seller! What the hell could they do with leeches I really dunno, but bleedings in 2008 seem to be a bit too much…
Nel Gran Bazar potete trovare qualsiasi oggetto inutile riusciate a immaginare. Ecco il venditore di lampade, con l’onnipresente bandiera turca.
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Inside the Grand Bazaar you can find every useless thing you could imagine. Here’s a lamp seller, with the ubiquitous turkish flag.
E nella piazza di fronte alla Moschea Nuova si vendono direttamente le bandiere, tra i turisti che scattano foto e le ragazzine turche vestite come adulte che aspettano le amiche per fare esattamente quello che fanno le ragazze europee: shopping!
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And in the square in front of the New Mosque flags are directly sold among the tourists shooting pictures and some young turkish girls dressed as women and waiting for their friends to come and do exactly what european girls do: shopping!
Non ho visto molte Vespe, ma proprio sotto alla Torre di Galata questa brutta imitazione mi ha fulminato!
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I didn’t see many Vespas, but right under the Galata Tower this ugly imitation shocked me! (note: in italian “vengo” means “I’m coming”…)
Vi avevo detto che la Turchia e’ un paese arido? Beh, non quella settimana. Ha piovuto un casino, un avvenimento davvero eccezionale. Fortunati, eh?
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Did I tell you it that Turkey was a dry country? Well, not that week. It rained a lot, a very exceptional happening. Lucky, ain’t we?
Il viaggio n Corsica ci fece conoscere la Corsica Cola, questa volta e’ stato il turno della Cola Turka che non abbiamo assaggiato. Il nostro fegato stava gia’ urlando abbastanza!
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The trip to Corse made us know Corsica Cola, this time was the turn of Cola Turka which we didn’t taste. Our liver was already screaming enough!
Traveling through Turkey – episode 1
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Sirkeci is the european side railway station. This is actually the historical Orient Express station, a magic place where everyday routes cross those mystery lines traced by a fascinating train. Nothing compared to the Ankara Ekspresi and the bizarre Meram Ekspresi we were due to travel upon in a few days.
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The Basilica Cisterna: a spectacular water supply for dry periods. It’s a pity it was a week of rainy weather…
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Inside Hagia Sophia the lights play an important role in constructing an athmosphere. Something I knew at the beginning of my architecture studies now turned into a wonderful place. Things on books are boring, move your ass and go see them!
Le giovani turche con il loro approccio alla religione: velo e Converse All-Stars.
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Young turkish girls and their relation with religion: veil and Converse All-Stars.
Sultanahmet, La Moschea Blu. Una vera meraviglia.
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Sultanahmet, The Blue Mosque. A true marvel.
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Inside the Blue Mosque. This was the very first time I entered a mosque. With sense of marvel I felt incredibly at ease, just like entering your own bedroom. Light fills the inside, you can lay on the carpets and enjoy it freely, none will come and tell you to move; try to do that in a catholic church. I was delighted by the experience, and in our week we visited many mosques each one different but all of them with the same sense of peace. il Topkapı, palazzo del sultano, incredibilmente decorato e mai pesante.
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the Topkapı, sultan’s palace, incredibly rich in decoration and never too much. E poi abbiamo preso un volo per Manchester. No, scherzo, sono le enormi cucine del palazzo.
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Then we flied to Manchester. No, I’m joking, these are the giant palace’s kitchens.
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One of the Topkapı‘s courts, quiet and pleasant like Renaissance.
Adieu!
Ebbene si’, avete indovinato! La meta e’ la Turchia, la partenza e’ Sabato, il ritorno, beh, chissa’. Sto gia’ lentamente scomparendo… adieu!
questa foto, a pare il bordo, la bandiera turca e la nota di copyright, e’ il risultato di un solo scatto non elaborato al computer. Chi sa dirmi come e’ stato fatto? 😉
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Dear friends, readers, coworkers, relatives, at last RonJe is leaving for a vacation, unfortunately without his Arkansas Chiggabug – which bump will be fixed in the meantime – but loaded with photographic gear and firmly willing to eat lokum and kebap, drink chai, raki and Efes, visit Hagia Sofia, Konya Goreme, travel upon the Meram Expresi and survive to Ramadan.
That’s it, you guessed it! My destination is Turkey, I’m leaving next Saturday and coming back, well, who knows. I’m already slowly fading… adieu!
this picture, apart from its border, the Turkish flag and the copyright notice, is the result of a single unprocessed shot. Who can tell how was it shot? 😉
Adieu!
Ebbene si’, avete indovinato! La meta e’ la Turchia, la partenza e’ Sabato, il ritorno, beh, chissa’. Sto gia’ lentamente scomparendo… adieu!
questa foto, a pare il bordo, la bandiera turca e la nota di copyright, e’ il risultato di un solo scatto non elaborato al computer. Chi sa dirmi come e’ stato fatto? 😉
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Dear friends, readers, coworkers, relatives, at last RonJe is leaving for a vacation, unfortunately without his Arkansas Chiggabug – which bump will be fixed in the meantime – but loaded with photographic gear and firmly willing to eat lokum and kebap, drink chai, raki and Efes, visit Hagia Sofia, Konya Goreme, travel upon the Meram Expresi and survive to Ramadan.
That’s it, you guessed it! My destination is Turkey, I’m leaving next Saturday and coming back, well, who knows. I’m already slowly fading… adieu!
this picture, apart from its border, the Turkish flag and the copyright notice, is the result of a single unprocessed shot. Who can tell how was it shot? 😉