History

The 11th century cave churches of Göreme

The 11th century cave churches of Göreme

Rediscovered by Europeans in the 18th century, Göreme has been inhabited for millennia. The Romans used it as a necropolis and it was a very important Christian location in the early Middle Ages. The small city is just one example of many towns carved into fairy chimney rock formations in Cappadocia, central Turkey.

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Basilica Cistern: A Forest of Roman Columns under Istanbul

Basilica Cistern: A Forest of Roman Columns under Istanbul

The center of tourist attractions in Istanbul is Sultanahmet Square. On one side you have Hagia Sophia, on the other the Blue Mosque, and right beside that the Hippodrome, all a hop and skip away from the majestic Topkapi Palace. What you don’t see - and I walked past it on my first visit to Istanbul - is that right next to Hagia Sophia: an underground forest of Roman columns called Basilica Cisterna.

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The Buddhist temples of Kyoto are full of cute Japanese kids

The Buddhist temples of Kyoto are full of cute Japanese kids

Kyoto is possibly Japan’s most important city historically. It was not only the imperial capital of the country for over a thousand years, but also the birthplace of none other than Super Mario. And Nintendo. Yeah, I like Nintendo.

In 2011 I was in Japan shooting the FIFA World Cup of Clubs, which Barcelona F.C. eventually won. I was on my way from Tokyo to Toyota, where one of the matches took place, and stopped for a day trip on Kyoto. 

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