One city, cut into two, displaying a striking blend of the old and the new! That’s Istanbul, situated on both Europe and Asia with the Bosphorus Strait as the divider and the Bosphorus Bridge as the connector, connecting not just the two Istanbuls but also two huge continents. It’s a must-see geographical wonder!

But that’s not all. Istanbul has more to offer. As Turkey allows tourists to enter mosques, one gets the rare opportunity of seeing unimaginable architectural excellence and splendor inside places of worship. The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is one of the modern wonders of the world. A church, later converted into a mosque, this beautiful structure with massive pillars, a magnificent dome, frescos, intricate carvings, huge marble jars and scores of chandeliers, is just awesome. Equally impressive is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque or the Blue Mosque, with hundreds of hand–painted blue Iznik tiles inside. In the Topkapi Palace of the Ottoman sultans, I just stared at a rare collection of Chinese porcelain. The Roman Hippodrome, marked by two Egyptian obelisks, attracts tourists. For those interested in Culture, this city is a good place to be in. Once called Byzantium, then Constantinople, Istanbul is now a European capital of Culture.

Natural beauty too is breathtaking. There are broad clean roads, open sea side, lush greenery and the quaint houses built on hillsides. I loved the sight of the Golden Horn, an inlet of the Bosphorus.

Istanbul is definitely a shopper’s delight. Women flock to the Spice Market selling hundred different types of spices and decorative metal grinders! The Grand Bazaar, like Kolkata’s New Market, offers almost everything ranging from expensive jewelry and Turkish rugs to one-Turkish-lira-worth roadside stuff and of course Nazar Bonjour, an eye amulet, a Turkish good-luck charm hung even inside Turkey’s own aircrafts. Foodies must go to Taksim Square packed with eateries and hotels.

Turkish men and women are amongst the most beautiful / handsome people of this world, I must say, and seem very friendly. Here shop-keepers’ invite visitors to taste Turkish kebab and apple-tea is served to foreign customers in carpet shops. People offer Turkish Delight, a special sweet, and smile warmly even at strangers. Though they wear European clothes mainly, one lady walked up to my mother for a closer look at her silk sari and for the next five minutes the two conversed happily, one in Turkish and the other in English!!

Unfortunately, my stay in this vibrant city was short and even though the sky was overcast and there was a light drizzle on all days, I did get to see the sunny side of this beautiful country.

One city, cut into two, displaying a striking blend of the old and the new! That’s Istanbul, situated on both Europe and Asia with the Bosphorus Strait as the divider and the Bosphorus Bridge as the connector, connecting not just the two Istanbuls but also two huge continents. It’s a must-see geographica