The Istanbul Diaries, Pt. VI: The End!

Finally. This is it for all things Turkey.

If you can't tell how much I loved Istanbul, then you obviously haven't read Parts I-V of this ridiculously drawn-out post. Therefore, you should probably stop reading this, go back, and at least skim through those posts and gush at my amazing photos. 

Istanbul was beautiful in so many ways. I loved the people, food, and culture. The weather was great (no need for me to have my heater on, as I still do some days in Madrid), the European side is pretty walkable, and there are so many things to see and do. 

I'm sure that my idyllic image of the city has very little relation to what life would be like if I actually lived there and was well-integrated into society. One only has to look at the ongoing protests in Istanbul and the rocky peace process with Kurds to know that my beautiful five days there were nothing but surface images of a city and country struggling with normalization amid an ever-growing conservatism in its government. In understanding that, however, I appreciate those charming five days even more; while I did notice some of the country's struggles with the student demonstration that I talked about in Part I, part of me is glad that I wasn't there when the Occupy Gezi movement began and became violent (simultaneously, the part of me that likes to see people demonstrating for a common purpose is sad that I wasn't there for it).

I'll cherish my days in Istanbul. It's now my second-favorite city in Europe (after Granada, of course). I didn't think this trip, this city, would leave such a profound impression on me, but it did. I'm not sure when I'll go back, especially since I'm trying not to become a repeat offender to too many countries (epic fail with Spain, obviously), but I may have to make an exception if this happens:

Iyi günler için teşekkürler, İstanbul.