Every time I have gone to Turkey (visited
four times and counting) it has always been the beach resorts for a “relaxing”
family vacation. Not too sure how relaxing it was for my parents, but they were
pretty fun and fond memories for me. After reading the Istanbul feature in this
months issue of ELLE Decoration it has made my wandering soul urge for more
cultural experiences by visiting cities that are so rich in traditions, history
and culture through their architecture and fashion. I have visited the ruins of
an ancient Greek city in Turkey called Ephesus, which was built in the 10th
century BC. After just researching some information on the ancient city, I
found out it is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the temple of
Artemis. Clearly I should have paid more attention when I visited the city, but
I was young and in awe of all the ruins and imagining what it must have been
like to live in the third largest Roman city.
Anyway back to the wonders of Istanbul
(every time I type Istanbul, I have the urge to type Instagram, that’s bad
right?) Istanbul was once the ancient Greek city of Byzantium and then later as
Constantinpole, the capital of four empires: Roman, Byzantine, Latin and
Ottoman. You can still recognize some of these empires in the city with the
Ottoman palaces and Byzantine masterpieces. The city is a mixture of both old
and new as old bazaars sit next to modernized designer boutiques and fragile,
centuries old mosques stand beautifully next to the intimidating, rigid office
blocks; all complimenting each other.
The city is a great visit for people who
love architecture, art and fashion as it gives you all three exceptionally
well. For architecture you have the Dolmabachè palace, which was built by an
Ottoman sultan in the 19th century, and it is a symbol for their empire and
their architecture. You have the Istanbul Modern Museum for your cotemporary
art and various exhibitions held throughout the year. For fashion of course,
you have the old bazaars filled with jewelry, fabrics and trinkets from years
ago. That’s a way to make sure you don’t turn up to an event with somebody
wearing something the same as you.
My soul has now wandered and is dreaming of
summer nights filled with belly dancers, Turkish music and delicious food. Once
I had a magical moment experiencing all this things in an old coliseum and at
the exact same time a comet flew over the star-filled skies. It is these kind
of moments that are priceless and worth the travel. My feet are now jealous of
my soul and ache to wander. Let’s hope they get to wander soon.
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