The Warm Heart of a Megapolis

By Evgenia Ivanova

When I came to Istanbul, as I traveled by car, my first impression was of a huge megapolis spread in such a large territory that one cannot even notice where the city begins and ends. That feeling of immensity first made me feel lost and shocked because I expected something very different, maybe an oriental touch or a place immersed in an ancient sensation of history. Therefore, my first impression of Istanbul was the one of an extremely modern urban centre with its well organized neighborhoods, huge freeways and vast boulevards and streets. The traffic was also the hectic one characteristic for the big cities.

As I came to the centre of Istanbul I suddenly realized that my first impression was rather a superficial one due to the great development of the city. Climbing and descending the narrow streets, looking at the ancient buildings, savouring the humid, salty and warm air of the Bosphorus, seeing the smiles on the people's faces conveying a feeling of comfort, I realized that Istanbul kept inside its huge territory the dynamic pulse of a warm and loving heart open to all who came to see and enjoy its grandeur and history.

My very first impression of warmth and cordiality was deepened by a curious happening I had at the hotel where I had booked a room. When the piccolo boy came to our car to help us with the luggage, he noticed an icon of Virgin Mary holding the little Jesus. As a Christian I always keep an icon in my wallet, at home or in the car. Then the boy said: “I love Jesus. I love Mary.” Those words touched so deeply my heart that I simply couldn't find the right sentence to express the gratitude to the respect and tolerance shown to my religion. Later that night I thought that I could probably have said “God is one no matter how He is called”, a statement I had always believed in deeply. But those valuable words, worth more than thousands of speeches, books and articles, proved that God was really One. Then all of a sudden the very notion “shock of civilizations” looked so strange and weird to me, so out of context and very far from the reality. The warmth and hospitality of Istanbul and its people made me feel as if I were at home.

I visited very few places in Istanbul due to the brief time, as we had to pick up the plane to Amman the next day. I managed to see the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Kapalacarsi and to walk through the ancient quarters in the centre. The beautifully arranged flower gardens along the shore of the Bosphorus delighted me a lot, as did the gardens and fountains in the city. I made a boat trip along Bosphorus and was astonished by the beautiful scenery on both shores of Istanbul with its houses above the water, its neighborhoods coloured by the sunshine, the palaces and the great bridges joining Europe and Asia.

I know that I really didn't see a lot of Istanbul. It was only a very little part of its treasure. It was a short impressionistic tour during which I managed to feel the warm heart of a big and modern city that awaits everyone with a smile.

Hope to see you soon, my beloved and beautiful Istanbul!

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Lemon Cheesecake	A Bus Tour to Antakya
A Food Trip to Antakya	A Jazz Night in Ankara
A Visit to Aya Yorgi and Heybeliada	Afternoon at Camlica
Ah Istanbul!	Alanya Properties
Angelique's Ankara	Angelique´s Latest Trips
Breathwork Therapy	Cheap Shopping in Istanbul
Çiçekli Bahçe Motel	Defining Feng Shui
Dinner at Ortaköy	Driving to Fethiye from England
Flying Broom by Sara	How to Maximize Your Rental Potential
Golf in Bodrum and More	Gümüşlük - Bodrum
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Letter from Istanbul	Living in Çıralı
Moments from the Summer	Ms. Who's Apollon Temple
Mystery Solved	Pastoral Life in Yaniklar Village
Reiki	Remmick's Watch Repairer
Smiley's Blacksea	The Blue City of Ms. Who
The Pomegranate - A Gift from Heaven	The Three Graces
The Warm Heart of a Megapolis	Thousand Years of Culture
Turkish Delight	Vacation in Fethiye
Your Property in Turkey not Selling	Birsen's Horizons
Fred's Trip Logs	Bahar's Views on...
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The Archives of Turkishtime	Teen's world

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