With this, we’ve come to the end of the final part of this 5 part series (ended up being 6 vlogs because I could not stop writing about the flavors of Istanbul). But here’s the absolute sense of touch, here I’m talking about what Istanbul felt like. Yes, that’s what I am talking about, obviously, I can’t have touched Istanbul but Istanbul did touch me, how did it do that? I’m sharing it here so continue reading.
The first feeling of being in Istanbul was that of warmth, the sun was shining nice and bright when we landed. We had to wait for a while (in the sun while our driver verified us before taking us to our hotel). It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was at its zenith, we were pretty warm at that time, although, the atmosphere around us felt cool.
Interestingly by the time we arrived at the hotel, I was feeling colder and was happy to pull out my shrug. We traveled in the first week of November and it was Autumn, which meant winds were blowing, the days were cool and the nights chilly. It rained at odd times, even when Google confirmed it would be sunny.
Speaking of Rain, the best part about the rain in Istanbul was, it rained and you never felt it, but you got wet. Yes, that may sound very confusing so let me share with you why I concluded this statement. On our third day, we (Zaira and me) decided to keep our raincoats in our bags because the previous evening we had checked on Google and it confirmed today was going to be a rainy day. Having done that, when we walked out of the hotel and decided to take a couple of pictures the sun was shining so bright we could barely see. And the others (who did not have raincoats) suggested we leave the coats back because really that’s just too much weight to carry around the whole day.
We did that and went to Galata Towers, our first stop for the day and while we were up on the top, we witnessed the clouds taking over the sun, a thunderstorm that followed, and constant drizzle throughout the day. Oh boy! Did we regret not getting our coats then? But coming back to the original point, it drizzled throughout the day yet, the rain was not bothersome, we did get wet and would have loved our raincoats but even without we did okay.
The rain was beautiful, I’ve experienced beautiful rain in Islamabad and Abbottabad before this, and it was just as pleasant. Why I say it was beautiful; is because in this rain you want to hold the hands of the one you love the most, or in my case get your hands around a warm cup of coffee, you feel like dancing in the rain, you feel like writing poetry, you can feel each raindrop falling on you. It is just beautiful beyond words.
Apart from the rain being all “romantic” in Istanbul, I enjoyed the wind too. Particularly on our Bosphorous tour, had it not been windy, not been cloudy, not been drizzling I might have had different memories of that cruise but with all these elements together, not to forget the cute tour guide I absolutely loved the combo. And even though I am prone to sea sickness and am not a big fan of boat rides, this was the most pleasant experience of my life.
I still have plenty of other things I felt that are worth a mention, but I neither have pictures with them nor memories to write them in detail, these are just things I have felt and that feeling stayed so I’m listing them down:
- The cobblestone streets, I felt them differently under my foot when walking.
- The dried autumn leaves I touched whenever I got the chance.
- The softness of the skin of the only Turkish person I shook hands with (to think of it I’m not sure he was Turkish at all)
- The grass at Dolmabache I walked on for a picture
- Cats I pet all over Istanbul. It is a dream city for me, all the cats are well fed, and taken care of by the state, the residents and tourists alike) they really own the city!
- The cup of tea I drank several times during my trip. The shape of the cup is different from the usual ones we drink in and loved the curve of those cups as if they’re meant to be held with delicate fingers
- The feel of woolen sweaters on display at all the apparel stores we visited.
This trip will always hold a special place in my heart, and Istanbul itself will forever be my favorite place in the world…. For now, unless I find something even better!
I have written about the 5 senses and how they are affected in Istanbul, for more insights into that start reading from my first observation
