a walk around Yesilyurt this afternoon. perhaps it's because it's winter, but it looks a little run down - the colours on the buildings seem duller than they once have been, and the waterfront in this area is a little dreary. the local shops are ok though - there's a few nice looking cafes. many cake & sweets stores!
I must like these as I've just found I'd already uploaded a silent version - almost like a lumiere but a few scenes cut together.
video @ http://blip.tv/file/442303
thanks from me also - I've had fun making little videos and watching other people's - plenty to catch up on! my last one mirrors my first of the month - in my pjs again, this time after a late night flight instead of an early morning one. I took videos at the Istanbul airport last night but hadn't put my memory stick in and so none of them saved. flight was delayed so I didn't get back to Jerusalem until around 3am and slept since then. very tired! so a quick goodbye & look at some of the Turkish Delight I bought at the Istanbul airport gift shop.
most of the tv in the hotel is in turkish. I can't understand most of it. the american shows are overdubbed in turkish. bbc prime is in english and a couple of news channels and that's about it! nat geo had a couple of english programs the first night I was here. it's often like this when I'm onsite - I don't get to watch any regular shows - most networks tend to show old programs and movies so I'm always about 5-10 years behind on tv watching, even though we see lots of it at work each day.. lucky there's internet access!
Jerusalem is full of cats roaming the streets. they all seem to be this size. my sister called the other night and said she had to put her cat down as she was really sick. sad :(
tonight's dinner! I'm staying at the Polat Renaissance in Istanbul. the food has been nice so far though I'm missing the hummous from Jerusalem a bit ;) I splashed out and ordered dessert - Cassata icecream with nut and rasberry, covered with chocolate and served with sour cherry sauce. I thought it was going to be icecream with chocolate sauce, but it turned out to be a fancy dessert! very yummy - though filling. I couldn't finish it all.
battery is running low and I still can't see what I'm filming. but this gives you an idea of life as a business nomad ;) I've been in 3 countries this month and it sounds like I might visit those 3 again in December, plus a trip back to Australia for Christmas.
this is part of the Old City of Istanbul - Ayasofya Muzesi / Hagia Sofia Museum and Sultan Ahmed - the blue mosque.
in Hagia Sofia there's amazing mosaics. the building is huge! the ceilings are so high. there's great acoustics inside. inside Sultan Ahmed, it's very well preserved, especially in comparison to Hagia Sofia which is under renovations.
25/11/2007
(I left my battery charger for one camera at home - here's hoping the battery on the broken camera lasts the week!)
this week I'm in Istanbul for work. it's my first time here. it looks like a great place from what I've seen so far (which admittedly isn't much yet!). this is a quick video of the flight and a drive to the old city. I'll save the old city videos for another day
I can't see what I'm shooting so apologies for framing!
This weekend I've been trying to catch up on some of the MLA courses. the PKD course has finished. Rushkoff's Technologies of Persuasion finishes this weekend. I've enrolled in another self-study class called Tales of the Tribe - by Robert Anton Wilson (RAW) who has since passed away.
this video was taken on 25/09 - I went to the Mechane Yehuda markets in Jerusalem where there was a special area setup to sell the etrogs (citrons), and reeds. during this time of year, huts are setup around the city restuarants and people's houses - some people live in them for the week. it's serious business choosing the citron - it's meant to be beautiful, without marks.
the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the Earth. I've been a couple of times. the first time was late afternoon so there was a beautiful sunset behind the mountains. these mountains are not far from Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.