Rainy Night. April 2026.

Istanbul, Turkiye.

4/1/2026. Istanbul: the final night.  This was a very short stay, only four nights.  While I had visions of arriving in Istanbul just before sunset and immediately going out to photograph the impressive ship anchorages for my 16 Knots project, instead the flight was delayed and I arrived after dark in the pouring rain.  And the next morning was not much more agreeable.

Still, I made the best of the weather and was rewarded with clear weather on day 3.  On the final day, it was back to the wind driven rain.  But I was not to be deterred.  After stopping by Maiden’s Tower on the Bosphorus, I got back on the metro and walked up to Camlica Hill.  Due to the weather, as expected the views were not stellar, but then I walked over to the spectacular Grand Camlica Mosque.

By this point it was well after dark and I was wet and slightly tired, but the sight of this very impressive piece of architecture made it worthwhile.  I arrived in time to hear the final call to prayer and hearing that amongst this magnificent structure in the rain with few people around was powerful.  The reflections on the wet tile floors and almost pristine silence was eery and awe inspiring.

After spending my time here, it was time to head back.  But at that point, I had walked quite a ways from where I started and had no desire to retrace my footsteps all the way back to the metro.  So, I settled on an alternative route back and found myself wandering through unfamiliar neighborhoods at night, looking for an unfamiliar bus.  That’s part of the journey and the experience, and somehow it happens like that on every trip.  You learn something about places this way and that’s how I like it.