TRAVELLIVE 04-2016
Istanbul, the first days of spring… I’m warming myself in the sun on a café’s balcony in the Old Town. The sunbeams are as stunning as the fine strands of newly reeled silk. Meanwhile the old oak trees give their morning greeting to the glossy stone road as their red-brown leaves gently fall. The Old Town is still half-asleep, like a lazy girl who’s turned off her alarm after ringing the first time. Sunlight visits each street, dancing happily on passers-by’s shoulders, making the atmosphere more intimate to me – the traveler’s first time here. I feel more amorous in Istanbul. I’m enchanted by everything, from sweet lokum to the light sour ice-cream with ground ice on top, or from the gorgeous domes of hundreds of mosques and palaces to their uniquely designed windows, and from the discreet eyes of Muslim girls to the multitude of boards and posters with the images of Besiktas – the city’s legendary football team. I have fallen in love with Bosphorus Bay since the first time seeing the seagulls hovering in the open sky, creating invisible strings that connect the two continents – Asia and Europe. The clear blue sky is reflected on the deep blue sea, giving me tranquility. I drop my last Lira into the water of the Bosphorus, not to make a wish, but in hopes that they will preserve my memories here. And somehow, the water currents might bring them somewhere else to be found by me again, or might accidentally be stumbled upon by a boy who is playing with sand on a sunny beach. Tomorrow, I will go to Grand Bazzar, buy some postcards, and write something to leave beneath the sun near a mosque before sending them to some friends of mine. I do hope that these postcards, together with the coins, will inspire and attract more visitors to this land. Uhm… will you come there?
Istanbul, the first days of spring…
I’m warming myself in the sun on a café’s balcony in the Old Town. The sunbeams are as stunning as the fine strands of newly reeled silk. Meanwhile the old oak trees give their morning greeting to the glossy stone road as their red-brown leaves gently fall. The Old Town is still half-asleep, like a lazy girl who’s turned off her alarm after ringing the first time. Sunlight visits each street, dancing happily on passers-by’s shoulders, making the atmosphere more intimate to me – the traveler’s first time here.
I feel more amorous in Istanbul. I’m enchanted by everything, from sweet lokum to the light sour ice-cream with ground ice on top, or from the gorgeous domes of hundreds of mosques and palaces to their uniquely designed windows, and from the discreet eyes of Muslim girls to the multitude of boards and posters with the images of Besiktas – the city’s legendary football team.
I have fallen in love with Bosphorus Bay since the first time seeing the seagulls hovering in the open sky, creating invisible strings that connect the two continents – Asia and Europe. The clear blue sky is reflected on the deep blue sea, giving me tranquility. I drop my last Lira into the water of the Bosphorus, not to make a wish, but in hopes that they will preserve my memories here. And somehow, the water currents might bring them somewhere else to be found by me again, or might accidentally be stumbled upon by a boy who is playing with sand on a sunny beach.
Tomorrow, I will go to Grand Bazzar, buy some postcards, and write something to leave beneath the sun near a mosque before sending them to some friends of mine. I do hope that these postcards, together with the coins, will inspire and attract more visitors to this land. Uhm… will you come there?
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Enjoy The Free City Tour<br />
Around Istanbul<br />
Anyone who flies through Istanbul and<br />
has a waiting time of 6 hours or more<br />
is welcome to Touristanbul - the free<br />
city tour for all international transit<br />
Turkish Airlines passengers.<br />
You do not have to book the tour in<br />
advance. Just go ahead to the hotel<br />
desk at the International Arrival Hall<br />
(located after passport and customs<br />
control, to the right, next to the<br />
Starbucks) half an hour before the tour<br />
starts.<br />
The scheduled tours are everyday from<br />
09:00 to 18:00, 09:00 to 15:00 and<br />
12:00 to 18:00. Thus, the departure<br />
and arrival time of your flight should<br />
be compatible with the scheduled<br />
tours.<br />
Rather than wasting your time waiting<br />
at the airport, passengers can enjoy<br />
Istanbul’s historic and natural beauty<br />
in the sight-seeing tours, or cultural<br />
walk tours.<br />
During the tour, you will be able to<br />
see the most significant historic sights<br />
of a city that has been the capital of<br />
several major civilizations. You will be<br />
a special guest to the to the marks each<br />
of them has left in history.<br />
website: www.istanbulinhours.com<br />
Why not trace back time to the Sultan<br />
Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue<br />
Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the<br />
walls of its interior, wander around<br />
the Grand Bazaar - the largest and<br />
oldest market in the world, or explore<br />
Topkap˝ Palace, a world heritage site<br />
that hosted royal shows and was the<br />
primary residence of the Ottoman<br />
sultans for 400 years.<br />
100<br />
<strong>TRAVELLIVE</strong><br />
Turkish Airlines at Hcmc / AB Building, 76A Le Lai, Dist.1, HCMC / Tel: 08 3936 0360 / Email: saigon@thy.com.vn<br />
Turkish Airlines at Ha Noi / 47 Phan Chu Trinh st., Hoan Kiem Dist., Hanoi / Tel: 08 443936 0360 / Email: hanoi@thy.com.vn<br />
w e b s i t e : w w w . t u r k i s h a i r l i n e s . c o m
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