Topic: Promo Vidcaps " We Got A Gnome "

[Chateau d If]

If you ask me, it looks like the shots of teams looking out over the water are taken at different times.  The sun is shinning in very low on Meredith & Gretchen so I think they are on an earlier boat than Ron & Kelly. I don't know why but it looks like morning sun too.

And Puddin, I'd say your Metro straw is a definte!

[gingerman28]

Some pretty good pix you pulled together, Puddin. Yes, it just might be the Istanbul Metro that we see Rob and Amber in front of the doors, the floor looks similar to the Metro picture.  Also the shot of U/J and M/G walking together which was edited along with the airport waiting shots, is not in New Delhi: they have changed clothes and added warm jackets so it must now be in Istanbul. and could be in the metro area also.

The shot of R/A and R/K together looks like an India shot (short sleeved shirt on Ron). Ron and Kelly have headlights on, and it looks like they are reading insructions early in the morning. They would be leaving together since the arrived together. But can anyone identify what kind of vehicle the four of the them are in? It looks half open - look at the way Amber's hair is blowing. Could they be on the way in Lucknow from the pit stop to wherever they have to go to get transport to New Delhi. Rob has his red Sox hat on, later in Istanbul he has a knit watch cap on.

Shot of Joyce and Uchenna reading something looks like it is at the fort after Uchenna has rappelled down the wall and they are reading clue sending them to the pit stop. Must be late and cold - note that Joyce has a cloud of steam coming out of her mouth.

Shot of Meredith and Gretchen on the ferry looks like it is late in the day; sun is shining right in their eyes. So if they are on the way to the fort, they are running late again. But they do seem to be together with U/J who are ahead of them as they run down the wharf after arriving in the Asia half of Istanbul on the ferry.

[Chateau d If]

Isn't Rumeli Fort on the European side?

[puddin]

It could be a Hard Top Motor Rickshaw /India . Notice the shape of the window between  Rob & Kelly .



Auto Rickshaw

[puddin]

Isn't Rumeli Fort on the European side?

I'm the worst at maps and locations Chateau d If  *8/ , maybe someone else can help?
ISTANBUL (Constantinople, Byzantium)--Set on the Golden Horn inlet off  the
Sea of Marmara and sprawled across both sides of the Bosporus Strait  (which
separates Europe from Asia), Istanbul has both an Asian and  European feel.
It's very old (founded in 600 BC) and very large (the  greater metropolitan
area has a population of 6,000,000). It was the  capital city for nearly
1,600 years and holds a great deal of historical  interest. Most of the
population and attractions are in the European  section, primarily in the Old
Town; the Asian portion is reached by  ferry or bridge. Both sides feature
colorful markets, wild traffic,  beautiful architecture and fantastic
museums--plan to stay at least  three nights.




http://www.turkishnews.com/DiscoverTurkey/tourism/what2do.html

[Chateau d If]

Okay, I have a time for us to play with:

The Rumeli Fortress is Rumeli Hisari on this map

It is on the western bank of the Bosporus and is near the northern bridge (there are two suspension bridges over the Bosporus). From the map, at the location of the fortress, the bank of the Bosporus runs almost perfectly north/south. 

We see Uchenna  rappelling down one side of a ten sided tower.   From this picture of the Tower we can see the exact same spot on the Tower where Uchenna is climbing (look at the arrangement of little windows in the stonework).
The eastern pylon of the northern suspension bridge is in the background.  From this picture we can see that Uchenna was on a side of the tower that is parallel to the banks of the Bosporus.

Using the video cap of Uchenna I see that the sun is shinning from the right and has created a shadow running up the side of the cylindrical part of the tower almost exactly at Uchenna’s location at the corner of two sides of the decahedron.  Since Uchenna’s side is going north/south I figured the sun was coming from 18 degrees to the west of due south (one half of 36 degrees--360 divided by 10).  That means a solar azimuth of 162 degrees.  Using Sun, Earth, Moon Applet I found that it had to be 10:46 am for the sun to have that azimuth on December 12th, 2004. 

That’s my guess for when Uchenna does the rappel.

[puddin]

If you ask me, it looks like the shots of teams looking out over the water are taken at different times.  The sun is shinning in very low on Meredith & Gretchen so I think they are on an earlier boat than Ron & Kelly. I don't know why but it looks like morning sun too.

And Puddin, I'd say your Metro straw is a definte!

I was looking at that too Chateau , R&K's shot on the water does looks later than M&G's , plus they don't look happy at all  , could be they are behind  |#' ?

[puddin]

Chateau your good at this , glad you and GMan are here   ]**] .. so if this is the Roadblock it may come first  ?
           

Using Sun, Earth, Moon Applet I found that it had to be 10:46 am for the sun to have that azimuth on December 12th, 2004. 

That’s my guess for when Uchenna does the rappel.

[Pedaler]

Using the video cap of Uchenna I see that the sun is shinning from the right and has created a shadow running up the side of the cylindrical part of the tower almost exactly at Uchenna’s location at the corner of two sides of the decahedron.  Since Uchenna’s side is going north/south I figured the sun was coming from 18 degrees to the west of due south (one half of 36 degrees--360 divided by 10).  That means a solar azimuth of 162 degrees.  Using Sun, Earth, Moon Applet I found that it had to be 10:46 am for the sun to have that azimuth on December 12th, 2004. 

Chateau,  What is your margin of error?  The first flight comes in at 8:45 am.  I'm just wondering if U&J have enough time to leave the airport, possibly go to the Old Town to do a task or detour, then go up river on a ferry to the fort, and finally climb up a tower all in two hours.

[Chateau d If]

I'm away from my notes at the moment but you are right, I should talk a little about the margin of error.  I think the most uncertainty comes from my guess that the side Uchenna is on is parallel to the bank of the Bosporus.  What do you think?  Maybe at most 5 degrees off?  The solar azimuth is moving at about one degree per 4 minutes.  So that would mean about 20 minutes for the margin of error.

How sure are you on that flight info?  I have done nothing along those lines.  Could they have come in and then spent the night?  In those shots of them at the waterfront it looks like sunrise.  I think that spot is near the ferry pick up spot (Eminono) because there it should be shaded by the land mass while across the river would be in the sunrise sunshine (see the same map I linked to above with sun coming from the lower right).

Corrected spelling:  Eminonu, and it isn't on that map that I linked to.  Try this map.

Puddin, am I going nuts?  I can't find the video cap you had that showed Uchenna on the tower with the bridge inthe background.

[puddin]

Eyemail~

[puddin]

Episode Guide: The Amazing Race: We Got A Gnome! We Got A Gnome! 4/26/2005

One team re-examines the status of their relationship, on "The Amazing Race 7," Tuesday, April 26 (9:00-10:00 PM) on CBS. Phil Keoghan is the host of the series.

One duo's bickering fuels a much deeper discussion about commitment and the state of their relationship.

Two Teams are confident they are ahead of two lagging Teams, but face a harsh reality when they learn they are the ones pulling up the rear.

One Team's hard-fought lead is jeopardized when they have a hard time completing a task. Will this delay cost them the Race?

Participants:
Uchenna/Joyce Married
Ron/Kelly Dating
Rob/Amber Engaged
Meredith/Gretchen Retired Couple

Ryan/Chuck Best Friends-- ELIMINATED 3/1
Megan/Heidi Roommates -- ELIMINATED 3/8
Debbie/Bianca Lifelong Friends -- ELIMINATED 3/15
Susan/Patrick Mother/Son -- ELIMINATED 3/22
Ray/Deana Dating On And Off -- ELIMINATED 3/29
Brian/Greg Brothers -- ELIMINATED 4/5
Lynn/Alex Boyfriends -- ELIMINATED 4/19

THE AMAZING RACE 7
Episode: "We Got A Gnome! We Got A Gnome!"
Date: 4-26-2005
Time: 9:00-10:00 PM
Network: CBS

[gingerman28]

OK we have a better map of the Istanbul area and we can pinpoint the location of the Rumeli Fortress (Hisari) Good find since I could find nothing to tell me which side of the Bosphorus was the Tracean Side.  So it looks like the teams take a ferry or cruise boat from EMINONO north up the Bosphorus to Rumeli Hisari.

So note this: the boat is heading almost due North. The teams are looking out toward shore and the sun is full in their faces. So wouldn't that mean that the sun was coming from the West and therefore would be the afternoon sun. Sunset in Istanbul in the first week of December is at 4:36PM (Sunrise is at 7:18AM)  So it may be late afternoon that they are taking the boat north to the fort, not early morning.

The only flights I can find that come directly from New Delhi to Istanbul arrive at 8:45AM or 5:40PM. Of course they could be routed in many different ways, but these are the direct flights.  We have shots of the four teams lounging around a nearly empty airline terminal which seems to indicate they may be waiting for those 4AM flights to Istanbul.

There are flights from Jodhpur to New Delhi leaving at 10:10AM and 2:00PM arriving in DEL at 12:10PM and 3:20PM. But this would put some question into the cab ride we see Ron and Kelly taking which has been identified as in New Delhi (but couldn't it be in Jodhpur? to the airport there?  They are wearing the same blue shirts in the cab shot and in the early morning shot of them and Rob and Amber sharing a motorized rickshaw (tuk tuk?).

Looking at the shadows at the time of the arrival at the pitstop at Jaswant Thada, it is late in the afternoon by the time Uchenna and Joyce arrive. The shadows are almost the same length when R/K and R/A arrive together so they can't be very much behind U/J. So if it is late afternoon (the sun sets at 5:17Pm) the teams should be leaving the next day at around 4 AM or so. This matches the look of the scene with R/K and R/J sharing a tuk tuk to somewhere (Ron is reading a lengthy instruction sheet)

If they arrive in Istanbul in the morning at around 8:45AM I assume they will have to travel to a well known spot Tokapi Palace to find the Gnome and the next clue.

The DETOUR could be either trying to find a particular dancer at the Whirling Dervishes show at the Sirkeci Station or finding a particular column with the famous Medusa head in the Yeregbatan Saray.  Upon completion the clue will tell them to get to the Eminono ferry terminal and take a trip up the Bosphorus to the Rumeli Fortress.

The ROADBLOCK here is to climb up the wall, find the clue, and rappel back down.  We have shot of Joyce looking up (with the bridge in the background) and then reading the clue with Uchenna.They seem to be happy as if they are getting instructions to go to the pit stop!  Upon close look, Uchenna has removed his jacket and tucked his pants into his socks for the climb (more later).

On the way to the fortress we have shots of U/J leading along the dock and M/G following (these two teams are together it seems for the entire ep.)  We also have Gretchen and Rob climbing. Nothing on Ron or Kelly.

There was an interesting shot in the post ep 9 previews for ep 10 (but not shown since) of Uchenna and Joyce walking with Meredith and Gretchen in what has now been identified by Puddin' at the Istanbul Metro. And note that Uchenna still has his pants tucked into his sox so this must be after the climb; and he and Joyce and Gretchen are carrying their jackets (hot in the subway?) So this looks like it is at the end of the Detour and they are taking the Metro back down to the old city. The northern terminus of the metro is at a station named 4LEVANT which is on the map just a short way from Rumeli Hisari. So this makes sense. They could take the metro all the way to YENIKAPI  or transfer to the Modern Tram line at TAKSIM which would take them to SERKECI within a stones throw of Tokapi Place, Yerebaten Saray and Sultanahmet Camili (the Blue Mosque) which could be the final pit stop on this leg of the race.

To add something about sun and shadows. It is hard from the still vidcap pix to tell which side of the boat M/G are standing on - is the bow to the right or to the left?  But from Eminono Ferry Terminal the boat would first sail approximately Northeast out of the Golden Horn into the Bosphorus and then North to Rumeli Hisari. So we know that the boat is heading North most of the time. Even if M/G and R/K were on the port side of the boat looking back the sun is still coming from the left or West. I don't think that even if they are on the starboard side of the boat looking ahead that the sun would be on their face in the morning (they would be looking almost North at the time).

Another sun shot that makes me think that it is afternoon and not morning is the shot of Joyce as she watches Uchenna rappelling down the tower. The bridge is behind her, so if the fort is on the western bank of the Bosphorus, the bridge is going toward the Eastern shore so Joyce must be looking West. AND the sun is in her face. So to me the sun is coming from the West or Southwest. Thus it must be afternoon and late at that.

[Chateau d If]

Gman, if I’m following you right, the shot of Joyce is 19 seconds into the CBS promo and behind her is the eastern pylon of the suspension bridge that is north of the fortress.  I noticed that same buildings are along the opposite river bank as in this shot.

So, the line from the pylon to where she is standing points southwest. She is also looking in that direction too:  southwest.  The sun is hitting the left side of her face and maybe a little bit towards the front too.  So that means the sun is coming from the southeast or maybe a little bit from the south.  I think she would have to be looking toward the western pylon of the bridge in order to get afternoon sun on the left side of her face.

But I could be wrong.  I sure messed up with the Jami Masjid.

Also, I can’t tell which way the boats are going or which side the teams are on but I bet they are on the side with sunshine because its 40 degrees out!

[gingerman28]

OK, Chaty, we may have a problem.  I found live video of the two teams (M/G and R/K) on the deck of the ferry. The boats are sailing right to left. Both teams are on the starboard side (right side) facing the bow to the left of the screen (you can see the wake moving left to right which means the ship is sailing right to left). Anyway the sun is shining right in the eyes of Gretchen and her hair is being blown backwards so that is the direction the ship is travelling. But if the ship were sailing UP the Bosphorus toward the Rumeli Fortress, there is no way that the sun coming from ahead of them would be in their eyes either in the morning or in the afternoon. So I double checked the tourist boat schedule and they only run between April and September. So unless CBS arranged for a special charter, this is not a boat that sails from Eminono up to the Rumeli Fortress. So it probably is a regularly scheduled Ferry Across the Bosphorus to Uskudar, Kadikoy, or Haydarpasa. If it were in the morning, the sun would be in the right place for such a trip (most people look to where they are going hence the bow and not toward where they have been hence the stern.)

I have no idea why they would cross the Bospherus for any of these spots. The only thing that comes to mind is that Haydarpasa is the terminal for the trains running toward the East to such places as Ankara (the capitol) or to KONYA CITY the home of the Whirling Dervishes.  Would they make this trip and use up all this time?  But maybe they then take a cab back across the bridge to the Rumeli Fortress. Very confusing to say the least.

But the metro (subway) scene sure comes after the castle climb. And if they have to change trains at Taksim it sure would lead one of the teams to screw up and get lost and lose their lead back to the pit stop.

[Chateau d If]

I have a positive location in Istanbul for the teams:  Uskadar
See the same posts that make the quayside rail for the fishermen.  They are the same as the ones seen with Uchenna & Joyce and Mereidith & Gretchen in caps #44 and  #45.


Info about Uskudar

Relatively unknown to tourists, the suburb of Uskudar, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, is one of the most attractive suburbs. Religiously conservative in its background, it has a tranquil atmosphere and some fine examples of imperial and domestic architecture.

The Iskele, or Mihrimah Camii is opposite the main ferry pier, on a high platform with a huge covered porch in front, often occupied by older local men watching life around them. Opposite this is Yeni Valide Camii, built in 1710, and the Valide Sultan’s green tomb rather like a giant birdcage. The Cinili Mosque takes its name from the beautiful tiles which decorate the interior, and was built in 1640.

Apart from places of religious interest, Uskudar is also well known as a shopping area, with old market streets selling traditional local produce, and a good flea market with second hand furniture. There are plenty of good restaurants and cafes with great views of the Bosphorus and the rest of the city, along the quayside. In the direction of Haydarpasa is the Karaca Ahmet Cemetery, the largest Muslim graveyard in Istanbul. The front of the Camlica hills lie at the ridge of area and also offer great panoramic views of the islands and river.

[puddin]

 ]**] Chateau d If 's photo finds , click on the thumbnails for the full version .

[Pedaler]

I've never seen a place with so many flights with a takeoff time between 1:50 and 4:45 in the morning.

One of Chateau's posts states that they are performing the Istanbul tasks on Sunday, December 12,2004.

I  looked up flights for a Sunday in December of this year.  The results:

Two flights are non-stop to Istanbul and they arrive at 8:45
A flight goes through Vienna and arrives at 10:15
A flight goes through Moscow and arrvies at 11:40
A flight goes through Frankfurt and arrives at 12:50
A flight goes through Vienna and arrvies at 13:00
A flight goes through Milan and arrvies at 13:45

You get the idea.  Delhi must be the red eye capital of Asia (%#



I could only find an earlier flight to Istanbul on Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesday.
The flights leave at 20:55 and arrive the following morning at 6:20 am.

[Chateau d If]

This shot taken near the Semsi Pasha Mosque in Uskadar may have some of the same structures on the opposite shore that are in the screen caps.


Pedaler, That date is not solid!  I slipped in an extended pitstop just for fun.  So check the 10th (travel day), 11th and 12th to be sure.

Another possible location is Bursa where they have the Theology Faculty`s mosque

I’m thinking whirling!

[gingerman28]

Hey guys, we're making headway (and about time with very little time left to nail this baby down!)

We see the teams leave early in the morning while it is still dark (R/K AND R/A) share one Tuk Tuk going somewhere. We have a large gap until we pick the teams up again at what looks like the New Delhi airport early in the morning. A typical producers' bunchup. It looks like very early in the morning again in a half-deserted terminal building. So me thinks they are on the 4:40AM flight to Istanbul arriving at 8:45AM.

I think they go to a land mark first such as the Tokapa Palace or Blue Mosque to get clue which will instruct them to go to the ferry terminal in Eminono and get a ferry across the Bosphorus to the suburb of USKADAR. Perhaps this clue is found in a Gnome at the location.

Don't know what happens now, but the shots on the ferry look like it is early or mid-moring (the sun rises at 7:24AM) so it looks like they take the ferry ride first.

From here they could travel back across the Bosphorus by cab across the northern bridge to the Rumeli Fortress.

Here the evidence is pretty solid that the teams do the ROADBLOCK: climb up the wall on a jacobs ladder and rappel down from the tower before they get the next clue.

From here it looks pretty solid that they take the metro back to the old city. Uchenna has his pants still tucked in his sox when we next see him in the metro station and Gretchen is carrying her yellow jacket. So it looks like these two teams are finishing up together but are they the two teams in front or in back of the pack?

One part of the DETOUR is to search through the Yerebaten Saray for a particular column with the head of Medusa upon it. And we think the other part of the Detour could have something to do with spotting a particular Whirling Dervish dancer at the Sidkeci Station. Both places are near eachother.  And both places can be reached by transferring from the Metro to the Modern Tram line at the Taksim transfer station. (And a good place to get lost since none of our teams seem to be able to read a map or follow instructions.)

To sum up:

Teams leave Jodhpur and travel to New Delhi
Teams fly from New Delhi to Istanbul arriving at 8:45AM
Travel to a landmark, perhaps Tokapi Palace or the Blue Mosque
Travel by Ferry Boat across the Bosphorus to Uskudar
Find next clue at some mosque (Semsi Pasha Mosque is near the Ferry Terminal)
Travel by cab back across the Bosphorus on the Northern Bridge
Arrive at Rumeli Hisari Fortress to climb and rappel as part of ROADBLOCK
Travel by Metro and Modern Tram from 4Levent Station back to old town
 Find the Yerebaten Saray or the Sidkeci Station to do DETOUR
Go to the PITSTOP again at either the Blue Mosque or Tokapi Palace (whichever they did not go to in the morning)
NON-ELIMINATION

[puddin]

As best as I could figure , thanks Gang
 :<(
To sum up:

Teams leave Jodhpur and travel to New Delhi 


Teams fly from New Delhi to Istanbul arriving at 8:45AM

 

Travel by Ferry Boat across the Bosphorus to Uskudar
 
Find next clue at some mosque (Semsi Pasha Mosque is near the Ferry Terminal)

 

Travel by cab back across the Bosphorus on the Northern Bridge 
 

Arrive at Rumeli Hisari Fortress to climb and rappel as part of ROADBLOCK


Travel by Metro and Modern Tram from 4Levent Station back to old town 
   

Find the Yerebaten Saray or the Sidkeci Station to do DETOUR
 

Go to the PITSTOP again at either the Blue Mosque or Tokapi Palace (whichever they did not go to in the morning)
NON-ELIMINATION

Misc Vidcaps
 

[Pedaler]

I am going to be amazed if Gretchen can scale the Fortress walls and then rappel back down in the same amount of time as Uchenna.

[gingerman28]

I have to say it, Puddin, that looks mighty good! And it hangs together and makes sense which means that it is probably entirely wrong!. And thanks also to Chateau for finding the key spots with the sun and the Uskudar harbor!

But that is why I hang out on this board, working together, we are able to come up with a pretty good story line most of the time; except for those times when we are completely wrong!

So now we can sit back and wait and see how we did when we watch the show tomorrow night!

And THE ONE QUESTION WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ANSWER -- WHERE DO WE GO NEXT?

[gingerman28]

I am going to be amazed if Gretchen can scale the Fortress walls and then rappel back down in the same amount of time as Uchenna.

We all will be amazed, but we have that shot of the two teams together in the 4Levent Metro station which I am sure comes after the Castle Climb. Uchenna still has his pants tucked into his sox as he did when he was rappelling down the wall. It can't be before they arrive at the Fort because they will not know what the task is until they arrive there and find the Roadblock clue. M/G have a way of amazing us all for the entire race.

[Chateau d If]

WHERE DO WE GO NEXT?

Here!