Last September, threegirls travelled to Egypt. Some sweet Egyptian friends guided them around Cairo, which is a disaster of a city. Too many cars, too much hassling, and not a single (green) space to give your bottom a rest. After four days, threegirls had to sweat out Cairoan stress far far away from the smog and the hooting. So they went to the Sinai desert, where the stars are plenty and the camels smirk. Sho-kran Sinai!
Last week, I visited the city which once was the terminus of the infamous Orient-Express. Historically seen, Istanbul is one of the most intriguing cities in the world. Its first name was Byzantium, named after king Byzas who settled his troops “where the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn meet and flow into the Sea of Marmara”, by order of the Oracle. Yes it was that simple at that time. In 330, emperor Constantine relocated the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium, which became Constantinople. The city blossomed sumptuously in the cultural, economic and religious field (while our regions were shaded by the dark Middle Ages). As a consequence, Constantinople got attacked many times by jealous neighbours, until in 1453 the Ottoman sultans came off best and conquered the city. They plopped down minarets everywhere, turned the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, and built the luxurious Topkapi Palace with its huge harem and treasuries full of jewelry. The city became the world centre of the Islam, until Mustafa Kemal aka Atatürk chased the Ottoman Sultans (and the Allies) off after World War I. In 1923 Atatürk formed (and reformed) Turkey. As an admirer of the Age of Enlightenment, Atatürk wanted to transform the ruins of the Ottoman Empire into a modern, democratic, secular, nation-state. The principles of his reforms continue to form the political foundation of modern Turkey. Due to its dazzling history, Istanbul became a blend of Turkish, Anatolian, Ottoman (in itself a mix of Greco-Roman and Islamic cultures) and Western culture and traditions. And this seems to do a human good, because Turkish people are incredibly friendly & welcoming to foreigners. Warmly recommended.
Below already some views, more photos here.
In 2004/5 Gini Rose travelled through Argentina.
She took these pictures in Buenos Aires, a city she’d always go back to.
More views here.
We are Gini Rose, Julia and Suzy. We draw, take pictures, film, and write (in English or Dutch) about everything we are intrigued by. We are never bored. Our hobby is to search for that kind of reality which may be elusive until the right kind of imagination falls upon it. We like to go outside. We also like to party. Want to know more? About is your button. Or click here to read our mighty mission statement. This page is our magazine, or a cabinet of views, viewpoints and new work. Here you'll find the RSS feed to stay updated. For an overview of our portfolio, take a dive into the deepsea..
