After Rome, Istanbul was the next major milestone and the moment when I began seriously planning the entire Silk Road journey.
The Orient Express station, where you can still ring the bell announcing the train.
I was initially skeptical about the famous balloons in Cappadocia. After two days without wind, seeing them rise in silence, broken only by the sound of the burners, was completely worth it.
I felt like Lawrence of Arabia cycling through the eroded formations and unique landscapes of Cappadocia.
I quickly painted a balloon flying low above my head.
After having to stop for two months in Istanbul because of the harsh Turkish winter, I was short on time for my visa, so I took the regular but breathtaking Doğu Express train to Kars.
The cathedral in Kars is built from black volcanic basalt stone.
I was painting a mosque when, at that very moment, the imam’s call to prayer echoed across the desert landscape.