Türkiye and Moldova

A return visit to Turkiye and Moldova was not necessarily on my wish list this year.  When plans were taking shape to join the Lifting Hands International team on a recent visit to Ukraine, it was clear that even from my relative close proximity coming from London that it was not going to be easy or quick to reach Ukraine.  Even with the extreme wartime limitations, I hadn't really expected it would require three days, but that's what it took to reach Odesa from London.  In order to meet the team en route I had to fly through Istanbul and stay the night.  Once I met the team in Istanbul the following day we flew to Chisinau, stayed the night there, and then we took a long bus into Ukraine to Odesa.  To be honest this very challenging and gradual arrival into Ukraine connecting through these somewhat familiar but foreign other places seemed to mirror some inner resistance I was experiencing on what lay ahead, and gave me time to digest it in smaller portions as we made our way.  So in a way I am grateful for the logistical challenge and related pauses required in this journey.

Instead of staying the night at the airport, I decided to trek into town to stay the night in the heart of Istanbul to revisit the icons of this incredible city.  The last time I was here was in 2009 when we came here as a young family.  A flood of emotions came over me as I walked the square connecting the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya.  The kids were 9, 5 and 2 when we visited.  I hadn't expected to take such a trip down memory lane, but it was perhaps magnified by the circumstances of heading into a war zone and feeling a little grief over how fast life has moved. Life is surreal.

Blue Mosque at night

Aya Sofya

Around Sulthanahmet

Blue Mosque

I ducked inside the Blue Mosque for a few minutes

Aya Sofya

Evening stroll around Chisinau.  It was good to have a little time to catch up with Hayley and discuss what was ahead of us in a familiar place of safety before diving in.

Last time we were in Chisinau in 2022 we saw this cute patisserie, but never had time to go in.  It was the perfect spot for a cuppa and good conversation.

Our hotel was perfectly fine, but also gave off some strong creepy vibes that seemed right on theme.