Thursday, May 17, 2012
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
Our last day in Istanbal, Galatasaray played Fenerbahce for the Turkish football championship. These are Galatasaray fans cheering near Taksim Square only a few blocks away from where our hostel was.
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
Outside of Topkapi Palace. The Topkapi Palace is a large palace in Istanbul that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
Inside the Şehzade Mosque. It was the first major commission by the Imperial Architect Mimar Sinan, and was completed in 1548. It is considered by architectural historians as Sinan's first masterpiece of classical Ottoman architecture.
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
A picture here of the Eyüp Sultan Mosque. Built in 1458, it was the first mosque constructed by the Ottoman Turks following their conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The mosque rises next to the place where Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Eyüp Sultan), the standard-bearer of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, is said to have been buried during the Arab assault on Constantinople in 670. His tomb is greatly venerated by Muslims, attracting many pilgrims. Some of the personal belongings of Muhammad are preserved in the tomb.
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
Streetcar on İstiklal Avenue, the busiest and most densely populated street in all of Istanbul. This picture doesn't do it justice.
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
A picture here of myself in front of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
One of the most famous mosques in Istanbul. This is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque more popularly know as the Blue Mosque.
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
Another picture here looking over the Galata Bridge. You can see the Şehzade Mosque in the background.
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
Fisherman on the Galata Bridge. You can see the Yeni Cammi (New Mosque) in the background.
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
The Galata Bridge, spanning the Golden Horn, connecting Beyoğlu to Sultanahmet.
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2012
My most recent excursion to Istanbul, Turkey is most likely the last of my trips while I am finishing off my last month here in Europe. What an incredible last trip it was! This photo blog will be a little different from the others in that I won't be doing as much narrating but rather letting the pictures speak for themselves. I tried really hard to capture the sights, sounds, and feelings through these pictures and I think they speak more on their own. I hope you all enjoy and can't wait to see all of you once I return back to the states at the end of June!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
A few hours later we boarded the ferry back to Stockholm and our trip came to an excellent close as the sunset fell across the Baltic Sea.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
After leaving Suomenlinna and heading back to the mainland, downtown Helsinki, we stopped at the Harbor Market and had some fresh seafood for lunch.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
The fortress became part of an independent Finland in 1917, following the Russian Revolution. After the Finnish Civil War, a prison camp existed on the island.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
Our last day in Helsinki we took a 10 minute ferry ride to the fortress island of Suomenlinna. Sweden started building the fortress in 1748, when Finland was still a part of the Swedish kingdom.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
We then headed back to our ferry and departed for Helsinki.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
The House of Soviets was planned to host the administration of the Soviet Leningrad government. In 1941, it was fortified and used as a local command post for Soviet Red Army during the Siege of Leningrad.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
While driving back into St. Petersburg from Catherine's Palace we stopped at the Lenin Statue at the House of Soviets. The House of Soviets is the office building built in Stalinist style in the late 1930's.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
Although the largest part of the reconstruction was completed by 2003, much work is still required to restore the palace to its former glory. In order to attract funds, the administration of the palace has leased the Grand Hall to such high-profile events as Elton John's concert for the elite audience in 2001 and the 2005 exclusive party which featured the likes of Bill Clinton, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Naomi Campbell, and Sting.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
When the German forces retreated after the siege of Leningrad, they had the residence intentionally destroyed, leaving only the hollow shell of the palace behind. Prior to World War II, the Russian archivists managed to document a fair amount of the contents, which proved of great importance in reconstructing the palace.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
More than 100 kilograms of gold were used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof. It was even rumoured that the palace's roof was constructed entirely of gold.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
Our next day in St. Petersburg we visited The Catherine Palace (Екатерининский дворец) about an hour outside of the city. The Catherine Palace was the Baroque summer residence of the Russian tsars.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
A picture here of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral. The Russian Orthodox Church was originally built in 1762 as a marine regimental church.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
An old commemorative Russian Submarine was docked along the Bolshaya Neva. We had the chance to board the submarine and take a look inside.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
After spending a few hours in the State Hermitage Museum we went and grabbed some lunch on the other side of the city but not before seeing some Rockabilly street musicians playing a private show for this young man.
St. Petersburg, Russia & Helsinki, Finland, April 2012
We started our second day in St. Petersburg by visiting the State Hermitage Museum (Госуда́рственный эрмита́ж). One of the largest and oldest museums in the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise nearly 3 million items, including the largest collection of paintings in the world. St. Petersburg only sees 60 days of clear skies throughout the year. We were very lucky to catch one of them.
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