Roses are red,

Violets are purple,

I fell in love,

The first time I saw Istanbul!

This is how we feel about Istanbul – so for this year’s Valentine’s Day we decided to write a love letter to the most special thing in our lives – the amazing, romantic, beautiful city of Istanbul!

So, Istanbul, why do we love thee so? Let us count the ways!

Your Setting Is Just So Beautiful!

What other city is bounded by 2 different seas, connected by a stunning blue strait with the Golden Horn to boot! Then there’s the forests all around, what a sight to behold. When the sun shimmers off the water and shines across the whole city, there’s nothing else like it. And that’s not to mention that you literally bridge Asia and Europe! Your natural setting really is too beautiful for words!

Your Historic Peninsula

Peninsula’s, as we’ve already told you, are themselves beautiful works of art. But yours? *Chef’s kiss* So much history in just one stunning location! The Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, the mosques, the museums, the churches, the synagogues… Every street corner, every shop has a thousand tales to tell. We could wander the ancient streets on this peninsula for days, nay months, nay years! What an incredible way to preserve so much magnificent history that dates back millennia!

Your Cuisine

I know that in Turkey, the way to one’s heart passes through one’s stomach and my word the cuisine in Istanbul is something else to behold! The dripping syrupy delectable of baklava, the breakfast spreads that cover tables and tables, the soups, the kebabs, the pides, the sea food, the street food – everything so fresh and picked and cooked just for me! And just when I say, “oh what a delight!” you give me a true Turkish delight, concocted in the palace itself! Whenever I’m away from you, Istanbul my love, my taste buds mourn your absence!

Your Joy Of Wandering And Exploring

Taking the ferry to the Asian side and back, passing by the elegant Maiden’s Tower, is such an experience. Wandering the streets past countless parks, climbing up hills and discovering tombs, mosques, churches, and so much more in every neighborhood is a never-ending joy. The city is so full of vibrancy and life, I never know what I’ll find next! A new friend, a new food, a slice of history I never knew existed – it’s everywhere all around and never the same twice! My perfect day with you, my love, is a day with no fixed plan, but one in which we wander the streets together and discover what there is to find!

Your Night Life

While the days are exhilarating, the nights are something else altogether! Wonderful dinners with views over the Bosphorus, a night at the theater, the opera, the latest pop hit. Catching the latest exhibition in a world-class art museum. What a hub of culture you are! Seemingly all the world is here at once, ready to share their artistic vision with me! What a joy to spend an evening - or every evening! – discovering more about the world and myself than I ever thought possible!

Your Hospitality

Every time I arrive you welcome me back so warmly. Every person I meet, everywhere I stay, I’m always treated as if I were a long-lost friend. Free “ikrams” – little gifts of Turkish delight, a cup of tea, all the little things that let me know just how much you care about me! It makes all the difference, and I know that my love is not unrequited.

In short, Istanbul, I’d like to ask you once again:

Will you be my Valentine? <3