Finding the Grey

As a foreigner living in Turkey the question “Have you been to Kapadokya yet?” tends to come up quite a bit. Kapadokya(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappadocia), a region in central Turkey that is hard to explain in words(come on I’m a photographer), is probably the second biggest tourist destination in Turkey, outside of Istanbul, and a place that Turks are ardently proud of. Such spots around the world, “Top Tourist Destinations”, usually put me at unease; trampling crowds(including me), tour buses, “authentic” kitsch, bland food and permeating monoculture just depress me. Through 9 months of living in Istanbul, just around the corner from one of the world’s greatest buildings, Hagia Sofia, I had yet to visit it. Sorry, I’m a travel snob and I know it.

So, I’d never visited Kapadokya either. Everyone I ever talked to about the place said it was “so amazing” and I “had to see it”. A trip was inevitable, I knew that, but I just kept putting it off due to my past experiences with places so amazing that I had to see…they tend to come with a lot of baggage.

Enter, a visit from my loving mother (my brother came along too but possesses an even stronger aversion than I to such destinations). I nicknamed my mother “the pigeon”, on a previous trip to Italy, for her unyielding ability to poke her head into the most touristy of shop windows. Three overnight bus tickets to Kapadokya please…

Well, my instincts were all wrong. Dead wrong. Maybe it was because it was October but we basically had the place to ourselves. I was expecting a few rock formations here and there with perimeter guard rails but in fact this vast valley is overgrown with a landscape that resembles the moon interwoven with local villages and modern buildings. The only eye sores were 50+ hot air balloons filling the dawn sky for an hour or so. We hiked through steep ravines, burrowed through long tunnels, climbed white rocks, gorged ourselves on delicious wild grapes, apples and tomatoes, peeked into dark cave dwellings and walked around giddy as can be repeating “wow, look at that” all day long. It really is so amazing and a place you have to see, twice.

Thanks for looking,

Jonathan

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Just got back from a trip to Georgia with my good friend Helen. To try to sum up the country after spending only a little over a week there would be both fruitless and premature but I can say that there are few places I’ve been where I have connected with both the people and their country so quickly. Chacha (sure I’ll have another), green green green empty mountain valleys, 6-hour supras, strong families, Kalashnikovs, avoiding spillage with your khinkali, everybody wants the guitar, picking fresh hazelnuts and eating them on the spot, outhouse visits, your daily dose of khachapuri, fishing for baby food, 5-hour 4×4 ride through wet mountains with one Russian pop album on repeat, dominoes, grandmothers, the craziest drivers ANYWHERE, grand churches being used by the locals, hot night winds, tour guide dogs….it is all good.

Also, I was there around the one year anniversary of Georgia’s war with Russia over disputed land in South Ossetia. The conflict is still fresh in the mind of Georgia’s collective consciousness and is bound to arise in conversation quite regularly. I noticed Georgians trying to assimilate back to the normalities of life with the ever present threat of uncertainty in relations with Russia heavy on the mind. I tried to capture this mood in my images the best I could.

I will return, for sure.

Thanks Helen.

Thanks for looking.

Jonathan

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Spent a few days in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in order to take care of some paperwork and get away for a few days. Plovdiv is a charming city settling somewhere between Europe, the Balkans and her Soviet past. I was there over Easter weekend so I think I missed some of the normal bustle of the city but managed to relax and unwind away from the constant bustle that is Istanbul.

Bulgaria surely needs more exploring and I plan to return soon.

Thanks for looking.

Jonathan

19 Images

Did a hike with my mom and brother to the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Thanks for looking.

Jonathan

16 Images