PONDERING THE MEANING OF LIFE

FROM HIS WINDOW VIEW OF ANCIENT BALAT, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

I was wandering along the backstreets.

Those backstreets that Orhan Pamuk so loves in his native Istanbul.

The sun was hiding behind the clouds.

I was feeling lonesome on my solo trip.

The Golden Horn was not far away.

I could hear the ferry boats.

But it was too overcast to photograph the beautiful waterway.

I was glad to be in the old city, but far from the tourist throngs around Topkapi, Ayasofya and SultanAhmet Mosque.

I was kind of pondering what it's all about.

I felt so privileged to be in the cultural capital of Europe.

I aimed that camera at yet another faded old apartment building in Balat.

Back home in Miami, I looked at the 8,000 digital images captured in 10 GB of data.

I had no idea there was a person in the window of the building I aimed my Nikon at.

Looks like my kindred spirit in fabled Istanbul may have been taking pause to think about the meaning of life.

Just like me.

For the record, I didn't figure out what the meaning is.

But I learned a lot about people that are supposed to be very different.

But were just like me.

Though perhaps nicer and more hospitable than the typical rushed member of the western world.