It was colours, it was flavours, it was people. It was experiences, details, history, past and  future. It was East and West, it was all that in a bizarre blend – an acrobat that is gracefully walking on a tightrope with torn sand bags in his two hands which may at some point cause him to trip and fall making this masterfully balanced mix of cultures, religions and images turn into a disastrous mush.

I walked around as much as possible and tried to imagine of years long gone. I saw sultan palaces, byzantine churches, I visited markets filled with smells and colours, I tried spices and bought freshly cut coffee. I admired the view of the city from its hills and fed the seagulls from the boat ride in Bosphorus. I visited the lovely Princes’ islands and tried local delicacies, I admired the new building blocks being built and hated that so many women moved around with faces and bodies covered. I saw, I tried, I learned, I kept prejudices out of the equation and came back full with memories and experiences and with a promise to go back very soon to learn more, see more, photograph more, taste more, feel more.

Till then, a small revisit by images…

*Special thanks to Ioannis and Akif for the wonderful tour of places that I would have otherwise missed and to Anna and Daphne for the great company and moments during our trip. Love you guys xx

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