Ciao, Hive family! ✌️🇮🇹
It's time to take you along on one of my most epic journeys ever. I explored Turkey for a couple of weeks during July 2021, a spontaneous decision made during a moment when life felt a bit stagnant. I made up my mind on a Friday morning, and in less than 48 hours I found myself on a plane to Istanbul.
For reasons that I'll explain in my upcoming posts, I couldn't linger in Istanbul; I hopped on a bus bound for another city, Eskişehir.
I just want to give you a funny spoiler: at the end of the trip I found myself in some Turkish newspapers, shaking hands with a politician 😂
Something truly amazing and touching about Turkey is the spontaneous care and generosity everyone extends towards you. I've never experienced getting free food and cold water on a Western bus: it may seem a small thing, but it filled my heart with gratitude. I felt like more than just a simple passenger.
There was a young woman with a newborn sitting next to me. At one point, she pulled out a bag containing homemade food - kind of meat fritters, simple but delicious - and shared it with me. She didn't speak English, and I didn't know a single word of Turkish. In remembrance of such kindness, teşekkürler is the first word I decided to learn. Thank you. Grazie.
I stopped in Bursa just long enough to savor my first Turkish kebab, and soon after I caught another bus, reaching Eskişehir after midnight. It happened to be the night of the EURO 2020 final – Italy vs England. Luckily, I found a hostel just in time to witness my national team's victory celebration. This unexpected coincidence made me suddenly feel close to home.
Eskişehir
The morning after, I had a long walk and casually found the Reşadiye Mosque. I didn't have a map of the city, and couldn't use Internet since I still needed to buy a Turkish SIM card.
This sneak peek warms my heart everytime I look at it. I was in an unknown place, alone, without Internet, nor a destination or a sufficient Turkish vocabulary. Even my English, the only strength I had, had proved useless up to that point.
And yet... suddenly, watching that child taking the hand of his little brother, I felt that the city was taking mine. I never felt alone again, in my Turkish days.
Reşadiye Mosque. I had never been inside a mosque before coming here!
I was so involved in the city life that I almost forgot to take pictures. I had lunch in these charming streets, savoring the moment, observing people, soaking in voices and music, and jotting down notes in my diary. It was truly a new world for me. Plus, I finally got my hands on a Turkish SIM card!
My stay in Eskişehir had come to an end. Time to hop on the bus once again, heading to a small village called Sivrihisar, where I spent the majority of my journey.
🙏 Dear Hive family, thank you for reading my post. Have you ever been in Turkey? Do you know some of these places? If you want to talk, you'll find me in the comments below! 🙏
See you on the road,
Alessandro