And so we start our Destinations chapter and what a better way to do it by visiting Turkey.⠀
The first time I visited Istanbul was in 2015 and I regret to say that it was only for 5 days. The colours, the aromas of spices -don’t even get me started about the food- coming from every corner of the city reminded me that I was no longer in the West. All I wanted was more. More cinnamon, more sea, more patterns.
Years ago, Ara Güler through his photos had allowed me to travel in time. Ara‘s images showed me a version of Istanbul in Black & White and now the colours were almost blinding me. I kept reminding myself that there was more to see and that I should travel deeper inside the country but the days were getting fewer and fewer and my date with the Bosphorus was still on hold.
I walked around the city and everywhere I went I always ended up looking at the sea. I found myself searching for the “orchestra”. My dad used this term to explain to me the different sounds the water does depending on its surroundings. I knew it was there. It was close.
I fell in love with Istanbul almost immediately. Probably because it reminded me of home. Probably because I knew home was even closer.
You can always check out Thames & Hudson Publications for the English versions of Ara Guler’s books.
