A TALE OF TWO CONTINENTS

Straddling both Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a dizzying landscape of history, culture, art and nature.  I’ve grown up going to Turkey but each visit to Istanbul is a re-birth for me.

Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but I left mine in Istanbul.  The city vibrates with authenticity and touches the deepest parts of your soul in a way you could’ve never imagined. 

A turn down each street brings you into a different era of time. It’s like time travel into the Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman empires of the past while swiftly intertwining with the modern day aesthetics of museums, restaurants, shops and architecture. 

I couldn’t have been more excited to have Amanda visit while on her trip to Asia!  

We were inspired it putting it lightly.

“Turkey is…”

That’s hard to answer.  For me personally, Turkey was the most humbling experience.

Mind-blowingly diverse and beautiful, it’s funny how I walked around and I saw Turks who looked like me.  I felt like I was in a different world - where diversity and peace were in perfect harmony  - to them everyone is family, everyone is kind.  The most diverse melting pot with an even more accepting culture - beauty in its natural form.

Istanbul has a rich history juxtaposed with a modern culture.  The city nights are colorful and vibrant and the mornings are luxurious and bountiful.  People are unafraid to show their personalities and wear their best attire.

It was an arresting reminder to sit still and appreciate life - be yourself; the world is already beautiful all around you.