Tag Archives: culture

Love at Last Light

Lisbon, Portugal When Nina and I got to the lookout point in Alfama, I was not prepared for the sight ahead. A full moon right above the horizon. The town alit with the glow of a setting winter sun. And just like that, between one breath and the next, I fell in love with Lisbon. Because how could you not? How could you not be enchanted by this port city, with …

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The Whirling Dervishes

Istanbul, Turkey While in Turkey last year I was lucky enough to, on two occasions, witness the famed Dervish Dance, a form of active meditation practiced by Sufis (a branch of Islam) as part of a worship ceremony where practitioners abandon nafs (personal desires) to focus their minds on the music and on God. It’s hard to describe the experience, except to say that there is something deeply meditative about the tunes, the dance, …

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Sunset By Hagia Sophia

Istanbul, Turkey Taken with the Canon 7D and Canon 24-105mm f/4 L Camera Settings 1/125 sec f/6.3 ISO 640

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