Wanderlust But Did Not Get Lost

by Hassan Fahmy Hassan Elfiky (Egypt)

A leap into the unknown Egypt

"Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought". said great man and I'm sure he wasn't drunk back then. What is so admirable, the fact that there's an infinite amount of things we have to research ourselves. And here we go, finally, the medical student got the time to get a life. Istanbul, the fascinating city was my first destination. It was 20:45, Istanbul looked amazingly bright from above the sky. The mosaic colors of lights which were reflected on the sea ensured me that I have made the right choice. On my way to the hotel, I stared from the taxi window, people were moving, the city was crowded and alive. It seemed like Cairo, Egypt. I was not surprised, people tend to say so about Istanbul. It was not the case near the hotel where I stayed. It was very calm, you can barely hear sounds. I slept for nearly 5 hours and I woke up in full energy to explore the city. I started my day with the famous Turkish breakfast and a cup of hot tea. I wonder how Turkish people drink it regularly even in summer. I left the hotel to start my journey. I feel like a free bird who left its cage. Finally, I m widening my world. I was looking for the metro station to go to Sultan Ahmet to travel in time to the old days of the sultans and the Ottoman Empire. Ironically, I found myself in front of a marvelous Mosque painted in grey and blue, it does not look like the photoshopped photos. I am here, near to Sultan Ahmet's grand architectural gift to his capital, commonly known as the blue mosque. It was an enormous beautiful mosque. People were happy about taking photos, and tourists were invited to wear veils and special dress codes to enter it. It was really beautiful and unique with scripts from The Quran written in standard Arabic and with different colors that make it more appealing and attractive. Few steps to the right, there is Aya Sofya, one of Istanbul's most cherished landmarks. It was converted to a mosque after the Ottoman armies conquered Constantinople, then into a museum in the 20th century and now it's an extensively visited museums by tourists and even natives. The most important part of my visit to the old city district of Sultan Ahmet was the ambiance I had as the call to prayer echoed out from The Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia's minarets simultaneously. The city was liberally scattered with glorious place remnants of its long and illustrious history. Topkapi palace was evidence for the Sultans' legacies and a dazzling display of Islamic Art all bounded by battlemented walls and towers that we're used for defense. It was almost 05:00 am, Istanbul's Asian Shore is easily reached by ferry from Eminonu across the Bosphorus, I went there to attend the sunrise and witness the amazing kiss of the sunlight and the soothing sea. The view can't be simply captured by photos, it had to be real. The smell of Semit (famous Turkish bread), the sea, the cold wind and the sounds of the seagulls singing good morning were fairytale-like. There, in the middle of the sea stood the 30-meter kiiz kulesi (Maiden Tower). I believe that fantasies are only realized in fairy tales, but Istanbul made it easy for me to travel both in time and space to date back the old days of the Empire and the Greek traces. Galata Tower, the Bosphorus, the sky, the sun, and the sea all centralized in one portrait just before my eyes. I spent the night there enjoying the same sight by twilight after a cruise in the Bosphorus, where I enjoyed seafood meals listening to folkloric Turkish songs. Another blessing morning in Uskudar was more than extraordinary. In fact, to awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the best sensations that I have ever had but Istanbul is not strange anymore. It is always good destination for a someone who went out in the name of wanderlust but did not get lost.