Chapter 6 - That Green Eyes

It was around 5 in the evening. The bus just arrived at Istanbul European bus terminal. Ceyda didn't know why she came here but she just wanted to travel to the biggest city in the country as a tourist. She once came to this city of dreams when she was in 7th grade with her family. They had a great time together. That was their last family trip and that’s why she remembered every street of Istanbul.

Istanbul is rainy all the time and so is that moment. It was 20° C. and due to heavy rain and wind, she was shivering too much. She wore a black leather jacket and went towards the toilet. In Istanbul, you need to pay 1 or 2 TL for every public toilet almost everywhere. She took out her wallet, picked 2 coins, and put them into central locking. After freshening up herself, she suddenly started starving and realized she hadn’t eaten anything for almost six hours. She looked at her wristwatch and it was already 5:45 pm. Almost dinner time. She packed her things back and left the toilet.

On the left, there was an underground tram station. She went there and purchased a transport card and put money on it. She went underground station to get on the tram. She decided to go to Taksim Square which was the main spot for tourists. As soon as the tram came, she hurriedly ran inside because Istanbul is all the time crowded but it was fun being surrounded by so many different people. No one cares about no one. She couldn’t find a seat to sit so she had to stand.

Almost twenty nine minutes later, she reached Taksim’s underground tram station. Her heart tumbled in her chest with joy as she got out of the tram with the crowd. It was already 6 pm and she had to find a place to stay before dusk. She ran upstairs and a bright smile appeared on her face after seeing the main city center in the golden hour.

“Yes, Ceyda!  You are in Istanbul," she excitingly murmured with the brightest smile.

The rain was stopped but the weather was extremely cold in summer with a little bit of drizzling. Istanbul is unpredictable. She walked towards the hotels on Taksim to find the cheapest one to stay for approximately three days. She checked almost everywhere but due to the touristic area, charges were not so affordable for her.

It was already seven and she had to find a place within two hours. Dusk was around the corner and she was extremely hungry.

She went to a restaurant near Taksim square and ordered “Lahmacun”. It is one of the traditional Turkish dishes. By the way, in the Turkish language, the Turkish people pronounce “C” as “J” so the correct pronunciation of her name is “Jeyda” and “lahmacun” is pronounced as “Lahmajun”.

While eating she decided not to rush anymore. She was there for vacations. She was free to do anything almost any time and anywhere.

Ceyda paid the bill, left the restaurant and went straight to Taksim square. At the main square, there is ground with benches. Tourists from all over the World all the time sitting there and capturing photos. She bought an ice tea and sat on one of the benches.  The feeling was so soothing. She checked the internet about the cheapest hostel and finally, she found one. It was thirty minutes away from the square by walk. She stood up, grabbed her stuff, and left for the hostel which was in Beyoglu.

The dusk finally came with the strong wind hitting straight on her face. People cherishing each other, laughing, and capturing photos. She saw birds flying together, street singers singing on street corners, and people in the crowd, dancing, and clapping. She saw couples walking, holding hands, and caressing. Indeed it was the best day of her life.

She arrived to the hostel and her expectations shattered into pieces. Six girls were staying in a single room. There were three double beds and three wardrobes. Too congested to experience a peaceful stay.

 With heavy heart, she changed her clothes and headed towards the toilet. When she came back, she opened her bag and sensed that her wallet was missing. She looked everywhere and finally found it, under the bed. It made her suspicious, she checked it and as expected some of her money was missing. She was dumbfounded and anxious. She asked the girls around her. No one knew anything. As she had no other choice left, she had to spend the whole night somewhere safe, so she kept her precious things near her and decided to leave this hostel the next morning.

As per the plan, the next morning, she left the hostel and traveled to Kadıköy.  She chose to travel around all day to find decent accommodation at night. The whole day was spent well, she journeyed almost every part of Kadıköy. Turkey is a transcontinental country. It means that it is in the middle of two continents, Asia and Europe. Istanbul joins both continents. Half of Istanbul is in Asia and half of Istanbul is in Europe. The sea separates both continents which is the uniqueness of Istanbul. The European side has all the touristic points but the Asian side doesn’t have such touristic area that’s why it was less expensive. Ceyda decided to find a cheap place to stay on the Asian side of Istanbul which is Anatolia.

She was touring on a ferry to go to Anatolia. The view of the sea was lovely. You can see the whole city at its best in the middle of the sea. The Bosphorus Bridge is the cherry on the top. She went to the roof of the ferry to enjoy that astonishing scenery. She was too busy filming this heavenly amazing view while walking slowly backward and capturing the best sunset of her life. The wind was heavy and the moment was mesmerizing. She couldn’t realize that somebody could also be there.

Suddenly, her foot just slipped and she tumbled on a tall guy but luckily, he held her and rescued her to fall. He was a tall and muscular man with blonde hair. He was staring at her face with his green eyes and his pointed nose was touching hers. She did not have the idea at the moment that how this sudden interaction was going to change the rest of her life.