A Postcard from Istanbul!

Istanbul is fast becoming one of my favourite cities.  It is a cosmopolitan city that bridges the gap between Eastern traditions and Western thinking.  This became very apparent to me as we crossed continents from Asia to Europe on the ferry (after our overnight train trip) and made our temporary home in the European part of Turkey.

A last breakfast together and we were free to do our own thing!  We might have felt a little bereft except that Em, Yvonne, Victor and I would hang out, get lost, explore the bazaars, the palaces and mosques in this grand city for the next few days before we finally shed a few tears (Just one of us OK…and I’m not spilling any beans) & parted ways. 

The Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque are certainly highlights, but what captivates me most is this city itself!Istanbul is a city that has reinvented itself over and over.  I read a signpost that explains this well…. 

Istanbul like many other contemporary cities is in constant change and owes the fact it is a lively city to this.  Cities that always stay the same, cities that are motionless perish over time.  While many cities in the world perished because they could not renew themselves, Istanbul remained as one of the rare cities where life continued without interruption.  This change naturally brings destruction to the city, so we can consider destruction as one of the forms of existence of the city.  The concept of destruction is inevitable in a city but to erase this destruction and the destructed from the memories is equal to killing the city because the city is the sum of all its stories.  That’s why the destructions in the city are as important as its constructions and the architectural losses need to be kept actual.  Recalling these stories back to the memories of the citizens is important to creating a common consciousness about Istanbul. 

I love that Istanbul is a city that has thrived on change and reflect on the parallels in my own life.  The constant change I have experienced from the time I left home in my twenties for foreign shores, have enabled me to evolve and become the person I am today.  I feel I am who I am today, because like Istanbul I have been open to change, or evolved to incorporate the change that happened around me.  As I walk the streets of this city with my friends, I feel alive and happy to be in Istanbul and to have rediscovered my free spirit!  

“If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living”.  Gail Sheehy