In October 2019, I planned a solo trip to Turkey with all of my camera gear. Turkey had long been on my bucketlist to visit - from the historical Mosques of Istanbul, to the dreamy sight of hundreds of hot air balloons at sunrise in Cappadocia, there were so many reasons to make the trip happen. I could never  have anticipated how friendly and welcoming the locals were, how beautiful the landscapes were and how many incredible things I was able to film and photograph. Each day looked like waking up with the first call to prayer to be up and exploring with the best sunrise light - and going to bed with all the camera batteries on charge. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, as I learned to enjoy my own company traveling a new country, with many views and experiences I still have to pinch myself about.

I had 14 days in Turkey, and after weeks of research, I chose to divide my time in the following areas: 

1) Istanbul

2) Cappadocia

3) Pamukalle

4) Kabak

You could spend months traveling Turkey and it still would not be enough time - this photo blog of mine only scrapes the surface of all there is to see. 

1) Istanbul

I arrived in Istanbul, at Sabhia International Airport. I had planned to spend 4 days in this incredible city where there is so much to see - I spent my time between Sultanahmet, Balat, and Karköy. For my first two days, I chose to stay in the "old town" of Istanbul - Sultanahmet - where you will find the historical Mosques and Markets of Turkey. 

There are a lot of hotels and hostels right in the centre around the Blue Mosque, but I would recommend staying slightly outside of the centre as it can be quite touristy. My hotel was a ten minute walk to the centre, through quiet residential streets, and these walks are where I captured some of my favourite portraits of the friendliest locals.