Tag Archives: cruise ship

June 4, 2018 · 5:35 am

54 Days at Sea — Arriving Istanbul


Istanbul — Blue Mosque

MS Prindendam arrived to the port of Istanbul early in the morning of April 16. Here we would overnight, giving us two full days to visit one of my favorite cities. Ursula and I had spent some time here several years before, but not by cruise ship and before digital photography displaced analog. So, we knew where we wanted to go, and what we wanted to photographically capture.

Istanbul

The mosques of Istanbul are some of the most impressive and historically significant you’ll find anywhere in the world. And they are, quite simply, an absolute marvel to photograph. One such structure is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque built between 1609 and 1616.

Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is one of only three mosques in Turkey sporting six minarets. The mosque also contains an impressive courtyard, and the structure is set amid several gardens.

Blue Mosque courtyard

Istanbul

Inside the Blue Mosque are elaborately decorated vaulted ceilings.

Blue Mosque

As there is so much to see and do here in Istanbul, we’ll be spending the next three weeks exploring this fascinating destination. On Wednesday we’ll do a more in-depth tour of the Blue Mosque, then mosey along to foot a short distance to the north northeast for a visit to the equally impressive and historically intriguing Hagia Sophia.

Istanbul

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May 25, 2018 · 5:35 am

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea, Stromboli and Katakolon Favorites


Study in Angles and Rule of Thirds

Here are today’s Fun Photo Friday favorites from Stromboli Volcano and colorful Katakolon, Greece (see the note at the end for what awaits you next week):

Katakolon Tug

Stromboli Smoke

Katakolon Fishing Boat

Katakolon Café

Note: Next week I’ll be interrupting 54 Days at Sea for a three-part history of aviation here in El Paso, Texas.

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May 23, 2018 · 5:35 am

54 Days at Sea — Exploring Katakolon


Katakolon, Greece

Katakolon is known as the port for Ancient Olympia, which we did not visit this trip, so I’ll save that for an upcoming cruise article.

Katakolon, Greece

Even the fishing boats in this small port are picturesque:

Katakolon Fishing Boat

As I mentioned Monday, this port offers a lot of color. As such, black-and-white conversions really make no sense here.

Katakolon Doors

Katakolon shutters

And if you keep a look out, you may even spot a well-maintained classic car. The Citroën 2CV is one of those universal cars, much like the Ford Model T, original Fiat 500, or original Volkswagen Beetle (not to be confused with an English Beatle), but this car never made it big in the U.S. The 2CV is short for deux chevaux, which is French for ‘Two Tax Horsepower‘, a European system that taxed vehicles based upon cylinder displacement. The displacement of the original Citroën 2CV was a mere 23 cubic inches/375 cc generating 9 hp/6.7 kWh. Production on the 2CV ran an astonishing 42 years, from 1948 until 1990. Had World War II not interrupted development, the 2CV would have launched in 1939.

Citroën 2CV

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