After two packed days in New York City, visiting the Met, MoMA, and the Guggenheim, the abroad group jet-setted off to Istanbul for a week. There we saw the Blue Mosque and Haggia Sophia, both beautiful down to the smallest detail and huge in scale. We spent the week out on foot drawing the city and taking in its sights. Many of us also went to a hammam, or a Turkish bath, which is quite the experience. I feel like I’ve barely scraped the surface of Istanbul. Our Istanbul trip overlapped with Obama’s visit, and I was able to see his motorcade drive by on two separate occasions. It was incredible to watch him touring the Blue Mosque live on TV while looking at the same structure out the window of our hostel. He’s something of a rock star in Turkey, with many shopkeepers even using his name to lure Westerners into their stalls (which totally works on me, I admit.)
The Sound of Ice Melting at the Guggenheim
The Blue Mosque at night
Next we went to the resort city Kusadasi for a few days, where we enjoyed lounging on the sunny beaches of the Aegean Sea. It served as our base camp to explore nearby Ephesus, perhaps the most important and best-preserved Roman ruins you can shake a stick at. It was incredible to stand in the auditorium where Paul the Apostle stood to deliver his address to the Ephesians.
Brook and me at Ephesus
Next was our weeklong stay in Priene, a tiny town in southern Turkey where the chickens outnumber the people as far as I can tell. It’s been one of my favorite spots of the abroad so far. It’s breathtakingly gorgeous, complete with lush mountains, green plains, a beautiful sky, grazing sheep, and of course, more ruins. On our first day there, some of us climbed one of the mountains to see the Roman defensive wall on top. The path to the peak shimmered with mica and rose quartz, and the occasional waterfall provided a welcome break from the heat. The view was more than worth it, and I spent the rest of the day drawing, climbing, and even napping on the ruins. The area feels, in a word, Biblical. It’s vast and largely untouched by modernity, and provided much artistic inspiration for the group.
The sleepy town of Priene
The next day we all explored the actual ruined city of Priene, an early example of a city on a grid system, which is remarkably well preserved. It’s humbling to see so many ruined structures from thousands of years ago and to think that whatever we build today will likely not last a fraction of that time. We’ve also been exploring other ruined sites in the surrounding area, including Miletus and Didyma.
A couple miles uphill from our hotel took us to an abandoned church, built in 1821 on top of the ruins of an earlier church, where we held a Sunday service and explored. It was great to momentarily breath some life into a church well forgotten by time. Some of the group built an Andy Goldsworthy-inspired arch out of stones inside the church and unearthed some human bones in the process.
Building an arch
I appreciate seeing these ruins and exploring Turkey. It’s a unique place I’d probably never have a reason to visit otherwise. But alas, earlier this week we moved on to Greece, taking an early morning ferry to Samos where we’ll be for a couple weeks. After spending the first day on Samos, I understand why people fall in love with Greece. It feels like paradise, complete with gorgeous beaches and dramatic mountains. I’ll have to write more about it as I get to know it better.
Samos marina
I do miss my friends, family, and the conveniences of home (wearing the same pair of zip-off pants everyday has gotten incredibly old.) Know that you’re all in my thoughts and I hope you’re doing well. Feel free to comment, and keep in touch!
