Welcome to Istanbul: An unforgettable Experience

 

Welcome to Istanbul: An unforgettable Experience

For most travellers, finding an ideal and suitable travel destination is probably the most uninteresting thing. This is often because it is difficult to find one location that has all thedesired tastes and preferences. When you do visit a place and your expectations are met, the feeling is beyond thrilling. This was my experience when I embarked on a school trip to the Great City of Istanbul.

Istanbul is a travellers’ delight to visit any time of the year as it is home to several millions of international visitors every year. Istanbul is one of the world’s most ancient cities and is famous for its rich history and wonderful culture. Straddled in between two continents; Europe and Asia, it oozes some of the most relaxing gentle wind nature has to offer. It is a city where four seasons can be experienced, due to the combination of the Mediterranean and the Black sea climate. This gives both residents and tourists alike the option of engaging in outdoor activities like swimming, hiking and horseback riding or planting and growing tulip flowers in the spring for nature lovers. 

Apart from the lovely climate, Turkey is famous for its diverse and world-renowned cuisine and Istanbul is a melting pot of cultures fused with very hospitable and tolerating people. From street sellers hawking roasted corn and handing you homemade traditional tea on the roadside; treated very hospitably even by the people on the streets that you don't know each other is one of the most prominent parameters that how love showed in Istanbul, and the Turks know how to show a lot of love to everyone.

Boasting some of the finest restaurants in the world, it is a food lover’s haven with the richness of Turkish cuisine at the heart of the city; and variety gourmets cutting across a wide range for those wishing to try out new flavours. Istanbul is a giant and vibrant city with a population of about 15 million people, which is about one-fifth of Turkey’s population and itlives up to the popular catchphrase as ‘the city that never sleeps’. 

It is the ultimate music and entertainment capital of Turkey, playing host to both local and international events, concerts and social gatherings all year round. Because of its deeply rooted culture and heritage, it has about 78 public and private museums, as it offers various attractions and art exhibitions for aesthetics.  

I was lucky enough to have experienced what Istanbul has to offer as we embarked on a weeklong excursion to the heart of the Turkey. It was an activity packed week which involved, amongst other things, going shopping in the beautiful modern shopping malls, sightseeing at the Imperial Palaces, visiting some of the historic bazaars and the one that stood out to me in particular, the Nightlife. 

Walking down from our hotel to the Beyoglu district, which was about a stone throw away, we were greeted with street decorations and colourful lights. As we made our way onto the various rooftop bars, we were warmly welcomed with some traditional Turkish folk music and good beverages, which set the mood for everybody. 

Shortly after the bar crawl, we ended the night in a nightclub, which had an amazing International DJ on set. What amazed me most was that even when it got to the almost break of dawn, there were still a mass of people in the club. Istanbul is truly a city that never sleeps and if you like to party, you will not be disappointed. Now I understand why it is one of the most visited cities in the world today. 

Istanbul is considered one of the main air traffic hubs connecting many International airlines from Europe to Middle East, Asia and Africa, therefore making it easily accessible to passengers and tourists from all around the world. With three airports, two on the European side includes Atatürk Airport and Istanbul Airport, which officially opened on 29th October 2018 and will have an unparalleled capacity to cater to over 200 million passengers per year once all phases completed within a few years, another one on the Asian side of the city, this enables a range of possibilities.

The massive inflow of people to Turkey made simpler and easier with Turkish Airlines, which is the national flag carrier for Turkey. As the only airline in the world that flies to more countries and international destinations than any other, a Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines now has a fleet of 330 aircraft (passenger and cargo), and currently flies to over 300 destinations in 122 countries. 

Besides connecting the world to almost 50 spectacular cities of Turkey, Turkish Airlines immensely contributes to the mass influx of tourists to Istanbul, making it one of the most visited cities in the world today, which in turn, boosts the GDP of the Turkish economy. With its world-class in-flight entertainment system, comfortable seats and multi award gourmet in-flight cuisine, and globally known lounge, ‘Turkish Airlines Lounge Istanbul’, the flight turned into an splendid experience which often urges me to re-experience it again. With its ever-expanding flight network Turkish Airlines indeed bridges the four corners of the world via its geographically blessed hub, Istanbul, showcasing it as a city with a hub of different cultures all living in harmony with hospitable and welcoming people, iconic monuments and experiences you are sure to never forget. 

I enormously enjoyed my visit to Istanbul and I look forward to visit this magnificient metropole again. You should too!