Traveling Through Turkey and Israel – Photos

Traveling through Turkey and Israel in December 2008, I managed to take roughly 1500 photos with my brand new Canon G10. The new camera was great, and the wide angle 28mm lens, ND filter, and full manual control were great to have in the field. I started the trip with 8gb and 2gb memory cards, and, shooting on JPEG fine, managed to start filling up the 8gb card way too early in the trip. Although I hate to do it, I actually did edit photos while I was traveling. In the end, I ended up with about 1200 photos. Out of those, I’ve edited them down to the top 100 or so. These photos I feel best represent the trip, and should give a good feel of the varying environments and sites of both Turkey and Israel.

I also took about 45 minutes of video, which I’m in the process of editing down to a presentable reel.

Surveying the dramatic scenery as we drive to Bierecheck, in the canyons carved by the Euphrates

Goats in Harran

Looking into the cut from the Roman Tunnels in Samandagi

Looking off into Syria, on the border between Turkey and Syria

Grasses at sunset in Samandagi

Stephanie and I inside the cave in Antakya

The ruins of St. Simeon

Taking the dolmush from Adana to Antakya

Ruins of a castle in Kozan

The Mosque in Kilis

Me driving through flood waters in Samandag

Beehive houses in Harran

Broken Turkish Pottery

Kirk with the windfarm in the background

Dilapidated houses in Adana

Small town on the side of the Euphrates. Their mosque was flooded when the damn was build.

Catholic church courtyard in Antakya

Looking off into the mountains from Antakya

Arriving in Sanliurfa

The Cisterns in Istanbul

Turkish Delight

The Hittite rock musieum in Yesemek

Driving through the mountains near the Med

Early morning walk to go to the Istanbul airport.

Sunset in Samandagi

Green spices at the market in Antakya

Finding our hotel room

The inside of the church in the cave

St. Peters hidden Catholic church in Antakya – built into a natural cave

Talking to the hotel staff in Adana

Climbing the ridge above St. Peters

Olive vendors on the corner in Gaziantep

Local schoolkids clamoring to say hello to us in Kilis

Street food in Adana

Us with our Turkish friends in Yesemek

Getting a concensus on directions

Sitting on the ledge watching the sun set on the Euphrates in Kasaba.

Roman Tunnels in Samandagi

Street food in Istanbul

A chef distributing pestashio on to baklava at Chadas in Gaziantep

Pegasus Airlines

Riding the dolmush through Belen, Tureky

Driving at night back to Antakya

Steph in the doorway of the Armenian Church

An antique Zenith watch for sale at the market in Istanbul

Ataturk in Adana

Steph standing on the beach

Freighter ships on the Bosphorus

Our sketchy hotel in Sanliurfa

Doerta cooking up a delicious German dinner.

Roof of the Aya Sophia

Dinner boat on the Bosphorus

Fruitstand in Istanbul

Taxsim Square, Istanbul

An orange vendor in Harran

Kirk and Steph checking the guidebooks in Adana

Kirk looking at the surviving arched cieling of the castle ruins at Kasaba

Steph and I riding a motorcycle with a sidecar in Sanliurfa

Researching for our next day’s adventures in our hotel room in Antakya

The cave restaurant in Sanliurfa

Evening in Sanliurfa

Me, Steph and Kirk standing on ruined pilars at St. Simeon

Blizzard conditions landing back in Istanbul

Dried Eggplant shells in Antakya

Small produce market near Kirk’s house in Istanbul

Having tea on the banks of the Euphrates with locals

More dolmush rides

Walking at night in Antakya. THe street had a movie set like feeling from the yellow, flat streetlights.

Looking out to the horizon from the mountains in Vaikifle

Buying clementines in Antakya

Sunday night dinner at Kirk’s House

Street feeling in Kilis

Local kid holding a lamb in Antakya. On this mountainside we met a shepard tending to hish flock. This kid hiked with us for a bit up onto the side of the mountain.