2020 in Photos and The Year to Come

Thanks to travel bans, quarantine, and a general inability to get out and explore, I didn’t expect to find much when I looked back at our 2020 photo catalogue. But thanks for some really good trips before travel restrictions began and some good ones after things began to open again 2020 hasn’t been the bust I had thought it was. Here’s some of my favorites from this truly bizarre year.

Subscribe to The Art of Wayfaring

Bolvadin Kıraathane

An area that I’ve really been trying to grow in as a photographer is taking pictures of strangers. There is no place quite as intimidating as the kıraathane, where the presence of an outsider usually causes quite the disturbance.

 

The Theatre of Termessos

The ruins of Termessos. The Pisidians were known for building their cities high in the mountains where the stunning views tend to eclipse the beauty of their monuments.

 

Eber Lake

Sunrise over lake boats on Eber Lake

 

Konya Ney Maker

The hands of a craftsman testing the Ney he’s just finished making.

 

 

Eşrefoğlu Mosque

The entrance of Eşrefoğlu Mosque decorated with turquoise tiles, opening into one of the oldest wooden mosques in Anatolia.

 

Eber Reed Harvester

Despite barely speaking, this is possibly the best tour guide I’ve ever had.

 

Derekarabağ Tea House

Early morning tea house.

 

Mount Ağın Shepherds

Shepherds in the highlands of Afyon.

 

Mamure Hamam Ruins

There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of an abandoned Turkish Bath.

 

İznik Çini Painter

A beautiful work in progress. The ceramic ware of İznik is one of the most recognized symbols of Turkey.

 

Bursa Tea Vendor

The life blood of Turkey’s work force: black tea.

 

Bursa Kebapçı

A pair of Turkish icons, the kebapçı and döner.

 

İznik Potter

A potter concentrates as he applies a thin slip to a vase before firing it.

 

 

Having only managed to complete two out of the five travel goals from last year, this year’s plans haven’t changed much…

 

1 Lake Van (again)

After a bit of deeper digging I’ve found around a dozen abandoned monasteries in the bald mountains and islands of Van and Bitlis provinces. There is so much to explore here that the hard part is figuring out what to see first and what to leave off for now. Snow capped mountains, the pink blossoms of almond trees, Turkey’s largest lake, Armenian church ruins, and villages seemingly frozen in history make for one of Turkey’s most fascinating places to explore.

 

2 The Eastern Black Sea (again)

A great mark of shame against The Art of Wayfaring is just how little we’ve explored in the Black Sea. There are villages where people communicate using a whistling language, Greek and Armenian monasteries built into high cliffs, picturesque fishing towns, seasonal mountain villages for herdsmen, terraced gardens of brilliant green tea bushes, and mountain top villages that sit above a sea of clouds. Between the beautiful sights and amazingly unique cultural experiences it’s genuinely difficult to know what to see and do first in this vast region of remote towns and villages.

 

3 Isparta: The Rose City

Personally, Im not a fan of rose water, especially in food. That being said, the world of rose cultivation and processing that goes on in Isparta looks absolutely fascinating. Fields of roses gathered into mountains of rose petals are dumped into great presses and boilers to make many of the products that Isparta is famous for.

 

4 Karaman

The province of Karaman won’t be found on any touristy must-visit list, but this mountainous region is home to some pretty unusual sights. Mountain top monasteries, ruined cities, and cliffs full of shuttered windows like some stone age high-rise are among some of the sights Karaman offers.

 

I’ve only got my eyes set on four destinations this year, who knows, maybe I’ll even get to them all this time!