Dovecotes in Goreme Turkey.

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Freud would have much to say as to why women, and men,are so fascinated by these naturally formed pillars, called dovecotes, that populate the valley near Goreme Turkey. Terry and I hiked the valley exploring several ancient christian Churches and then climbing a sandstone cliff to get an overall view of the valley. Some of these phallic pillar had been carved out to make cave dwellings but they were no long occupied. One lone window is visible in the sketch. They are formed from thousands of years of erosion. One stone at the top resists erosion allowing water to run down the shaft gradually eroding a way sandstone.

In ancient Greek mythology the
dove represented Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, and figures in the
holy books of the major monotheistic religions. The earliest reference is
in the Old Testament, where Noah releases a dove to seek land, and it
returns with an olive branch showing that life had been restored following
the deluge. From then on the olive branch and the dove became symbols of
friendship and peace. In the New Testament, when Jesus is being baptized,
the Holy Ghost alights on his head in the form of a white dove, which is
why in Christian iconography the dove represents the Holy Ghost.

In the
Koran, when Mohammed is fleeing from the Qureysh, he hides in a cave.
Spiders weave webs over the entrance and a dove makes her nest, so his
pursuers do not bother to look inside and he is saved. In consequence, the
generality of Muslims regard pigeons and doves as sacred and do not hunt
or eat them. From the same motive buildings in Islam countries often
incorporate dovecotes. The
earliest examples of nesting houses for birds in Turkey date from the 16th
century and can be seen in mosques, bridges, libraries, and other public
buildings. The dovecotes in these pillars, can be seen high up just at the lower edge of the head.

The Anatolian Houses Hotel in Goreme Turkey.

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On our trip to Turkey, Terry and I stayed in the Anatolian Houses Hotel (50180 Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey) in Goreme. Our room was in the stone building attached to the large sandstone structure on the left: The living room was in the building and the the bedroom and bathroom were carved out in side the sandstone. It was like living ” a very modern well a point cave. The bathroom had large jacuzzi tub and very tiny windows that can be seen on the cliff face. The walls had plenty of carved out niches for storing towel and clothes. In one section of the bathroom, the floor dropped and and a glass plate was used to maintain the flat floor surface. A light was placed down in the crevasse to illuminate the ceiling.

On one occasion, I had to run back into our suite, because I forgot something. While running out of the bathroom, I smashed my forehead against the bathroom doorway. I was dazed for a bit but recovered, simply cursing my stupidity. Goreme is well known for it’s hot air balloon rides. We didn’t splurge on the balloons, but they brightened up the sky every morning.

The Göreme Open Air Museum in Cappadocia Turkey.

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Cappadocia lies in in the heartland of what is now Turkey. Fairy Chimney rock formations are scattered all around the town of Göreme. Though still cold, pink blossoms were bursting open in some trees while most trees were barren. The time that the Göreme was first settled is unclear, but it could date back as the Hittite era,
between 1800 and 1200 B.C. The location was central between rivaling
empires, such as the Greeks and Persians, leading the natives to tunnel
into the rock to escape the political turmoil. Christianity prevailed as the primary religion in the region, which is
evident from many rock churches that can still be seen today.

After the sketch was done, I met Terry to tour the inner carved rooms, halls and churches. Signs help tourists on the in self guided tours. I can’t imagine that living in these stone caves could have been  comfortable. It must have been drafty and cold in the winter. Our hotel room was carved into the rock as well. A large bathroom was the primary room carved out and there was a honeycomb of notches carved into the walls which made for convenient storage for towels and clothing. With modern electricity and plumbing cave living can be quite luxurious.

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

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The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning ‘Covered Bazaar’; also Büyük Çarşı, meaning ‘Grand Bazaar) in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it is listed number 1 among the world’s most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors.

The place is a cavernous riot of activity, bustle and bright colors. Beautiful mosaics cover much of the intricate inner arch ways. Red Turkish flags hung above many shop entrances. Terry of course shopped as I sketched.  I sat outside a jewelry shop and the shop owner took quite an interest in what I was doing. It is traditional to offer shoppers a cup of tea and I was offered a cup as well. You can see several tiny tea cups resting on a silver plate on the floor of my sketch. The merchant was in his late 50’s with a thick grey mustache’ He spoke fluent English and he told me That he has run the family business for over 30 years.  He also told me that much of the tile work was done by local students.

The construction of the Grand Bazaar Began in 1455 shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople and was finished in 1460. Fires, earthquakes and other calamities ravaged the market through it’s long history, but it always recovered. The uncovered streets around the market a r just as crowded and bustling. Terry and I took a culinary tour of the market to taste food from some of the hidden gems of restaurants that can be found everywhere. We sampled cheeses and learned how the locals shop. Shopping at the Bazaar is a real adventure. Finding Terry after the sketch was done was another adventure.

Istanbul Turkey Day 1.

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Terry’s niece Alison Brown works for the United States State Department and was stationed in Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul is an exciting highly populated city that straddles Europe and Asia across
the Bosphorus Strait. The Old City reflects cultural influences of the
many empires that once ruled here. In the Sultanahmet district, the
open-air, Roman-era Hippodrome was for centuries the site of chariot
races, and Egyptian obelisks remain. This is a city I would love to live in. There is so much history and culture that needs to be sketched.

Just getting from the airport, to Alison’s high rise apartment was an adventure. Once the taxi got off the highways, which were lavishly decorated with thousands of Daffodils, the side streets started snaking up hills. The streets get very narrow with cars are parked on both besides of the street . Every block becomes a game of dare as drivers face off for the narrow passage in opposite directions. Alison’s apartment building had guards at the driveway entrance with steel stanchions that could lower into the pavement when a car is cleared. One window of Alison’s apartment looked like it had been hit by a bullet causing a hairline crack. Alison didn’t think much of it. 

Terry played with Louie, Allison’s French Bulldog, as I did this sketch. Afterward, we explored the area to find a restaurant. Not knowing the language, we just pointed at item on the menu. Turkey never let us down, the food was always delicious. The hole in the wall restaurant we found turned out to be a place we returned to time time again.

Jesus Christ Superstar rehearses on the front porch of a Maitland Law Firm.

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Sylvia Katherine Viles is directing Jesus Christ Superstar. I met Sylvia at a casting call for the Petrified Forest this last year. She insisted I get in costume and get ghoulish make up so that I blended in with the cast. As I arrivedat the Jesus Christ Superstar rehearsal, the cast was on the porch stretching. Sylvia was her warm bubbly self and gave me a warm hug. She explained that, “JCS has been a bucket list show since I was a child. Since my singing
voice and gender have combined forces against me and the role of Judas
will alas never be mine, directing the show is my dream come true. Add
to the mix being able to do it at Bay Street Players, my home theater
and the excitement is literally bursting out of me.  For you
younger performers this was my “RENT” or “Spring Awakening”, “BARE”
etc., it was a show that spoke to me. It still speaks today.” As a child Sylvia grew up loving this show. Judas is portrayed as a caring person Who tried to save Jesus. It is a roll reversal similar to what you see in “Wicked”.

The cast was going to practice choreography on the steps to the porch. The final set will have a series of ascending steps so this was a perfect opportunity. They usually rehearse inside the building but there was some sort of open house going on.  Jesus was late. He thought the rehearsal was at 3pm. They needed to rehearse a musical number called “what’s the buzz“. Sylvia stepped in for Jesus and descended the steps as the cast knelt down beside her. Her shirt said “Bite me” on one of those candied hearts. She improvised her lines about how great her dad was and then the cast danced, doing hand slaps and then circling Jesus singing and clapping. Steven Johnson (aka Tim Gunn) did the choreography. New movements were worked in with each run through of the scene. A car leaving the parking lot broke up the action. I shouted “Car on stage!” and everyone scrambled up the steps to get out of the way. I think they should leave the car in the final stage production.

The cast then broke into groups and sang “When will we ride into Jerusalem?”  “What’s the buzz, tell me whats a happening.” They sang to each other as they sought gossip. The final run through was flawless and they cheered for having nailed down the blocking while maintaining spontaneity. The Sun had burst through the the trees heating up the porch steps, so Sylvia called a break and the next guerrilla rehearsal spot was on the driveway beside the house in the shade. I stayed behind and finished putting washes on the sketch. It was a gorgeous house and a beautiful, if hot day. I saw on a Facebook post later in the week a group photo of the cast that said, “The Cast of Jesus Christ Superstar doesn’t sweat, we sparkle!” You have to love such youthful exuberance. I’m a bit sad that I can’t see the final production because in a week ill be in Istanbul in Turkey which is a Middle Eastern country much like where these gospel stories first began.


Mark Your Calendars! Jesus Christ Superstar with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice will be performed at Bay Street Players (109 North Bay Street

Eustis, FL)  from April 10 to May 3, 2015. Get your tickets now.