TURKEY
August 2023
2 min read
TURKEY: From Vienna to Istanbul
Sunday, July 23rd: The light was softly coming in through Vivi’s window. One of my best friends whom I met in Guatemala already a year ago, quickly became close to my heart and there I was, in Berlin, mascara from the night before on my eyes and a shaky hand holding my phone.
Does saying goodbye ever get any easier?…
I had traveled from Portugal to Germany to see her and our weekend was coming to an end. I had to make up my mind, I’d already been tossing and turning for nights, thinking what my next step should be.
It wasn’t just the beautiful destinations that influenced my decision; this time I had to call the shot between going to my… summer romance? or going off on my own. I so badly wanted to choose the first option.
I saw myself in Lisbon, sunny and vibrant, the capital of Portugal held a lot of meaning now that I could go and see where my heart would lead. Instead, a message came through and Viv and I analyzed the situation- so thankful I could sit and talk to her, face to face- and decided maybe now was not the best time.
It was difficult to swallow the news, but I armed myself with courage and sat at Viv’s desk for an hour. Google Flights became my best friend that summer, and I found a flight from Vienna to Istanbul.
Do you ever look at the world and marvel at how tiny we are and how big the 🌍 is?
Istanbul. WOW. Slightly out of my comfort zone, I’d leave Europe, leave my friends, leave my safe spaces and go to the unknown. I was nervous but also excited in a way, and while everything had been red flags to Portugal- from plane, bus and tickets overall- Turkey came together nicely and quickly.
In one hour I had my tickets, my accommodation, my visa and… my first volunteering, apparently. I’d learn how to bartend in Göreme, or that was the plan. I was to leave at midnight (night buses are also my good friends) to Vienna for two days- country capitals aren’t too high in my list, but Vienna is one of the few exceptions, it’s so dreamy- and then I’d fly to Istanbul.
Home for an undefined period of time | 📍 Göreme, Turkey Capadoccia region
And so, that happened. My life had taken a 180 degree turn and from gloomy, stressed and sad, I picked up to perky, social and adventurous. It was a long journey, but after about 5 Horus (I took a long detour on the subway) I made it to Istanbul.
WOW, again! My heart pounded as I saw the ferry that was to take me from the Asian side to the European side. How amazing is that! To cross one continent to another! And get this: it was 10 Turkish Lira to do so, .3 USD, WHAT.
To cross the Bosphorus Strait took us about 40 minutes and I felt like I was in a movie. It was 9 p.m. and I could see the majestic Mosques in the distance, could feel the warm, summer air touching my skin, the loudness around me felt peaceful somehow and I couldn’t stop smiling. It was a long journey, physically and mentally, but I finally felt calm.
Ferry crossing the Bosphorus Strait :)
TO BE CONTINUED…
Thank you for joining me on this journey! If the stories shared here have inspired or helped you in any way, please consider supporting this space. Your contributions, big or small help sustain and encourage the creation of meaningful content :) -JC
