Founded on the Bosphorus Strait in the 7^th century BC, Byzantium (which was later renamed Constantinople and then Istanbul) is heir to a prestigious past, of which forums, capitol, racecourse, aqueducts and ramparts bear witness. It was also a political capital, with a court life that was dazzling, as well as spiritual, cultural and economic. A city that connects several worlds, and has inevitably left a legacy of unparalleled richness. A destination that deserves to be visited with a guide who can depict its rich history.

In the case of the Turkish megalopolis, we opted for three experts who each present their “home” from a different angle. These are all original suggestions from local agencies that make a selection according to the tastes, desires and rhythm of each traveller. For this exclusive report, we have chosen the gastronomy, the heritage and the trendy districts of the city.

1. Istanbul the beautiful

To tell us about the history of Istanbul, we were recommended to speak with Hülya, a dynamic Turkish woman, who spent part of her childhood in Paris. We find her in the lobby of our hotel, in the heart of the port district of Karaköy. After a captivating introduction to the history of the city, our guide takes us to the palace of Topkapı which was, from 1465 to 1853, the main residence of the Ottoman sultans. It is a huge estate of some 70 hectares overlooking the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara and surrounded by five kilometres of ramparts. The opportunity to discover its harem, its sumptuous courtyards, its hammams, its kitchens and its ceremonial rooms. A group of exceptional buildings built over four centuries that allows you to appreciate the life that was led at the time of the Ottoman court.

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Hülya then takes us to the Basilica Cistern, a gigantic freshwater tank erected on the initiative of the emperors Constantine and Justinian until 532. Rainwater was captured and collected by means of an ingenious drainage system and then redistributed to the Great Palace and the Baths of Zeuxippe. A veritable underground cathedral that was only rediscovered in the 1950s and was used as a set for the films From Russia with Love and Inferno.

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Публикация от My Travel Treasury (@mytraveltreasury)

Then on to the sumptuous Basilica of Saint Sophia, a church turned mosque, built between the 4^th and 6^th centuries. Since 1934, this place of worship has been transformed into a prestigious museum, which is now a must-see attraction in Istanbul. Contrary to the fate of a great majority of Christian buildings that were subjected to intensive looting by Ottoman troops, Hagia Sophia was spared. When it was converted into a mosque, the many Christian mosaics and murals were preserved, making it today a meeting place for the Christian and Muslim faiths. And if President Erdogan now wishes to make Hagia Sophia a mosque instead of a museum, this basilica will always remain a witness to the Christian era present right up to the gates of the Middle East.

After a hearty lunch, Hülya invites us to join the imposing imperial Süleymaniye Mosque, designed for Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent between 1550 and 1557. Its harmonious proportions, its cascading dome and the light that penetrates it make it a remarkable monument. The silhouette of this mosque, with its four tapering minarets, dominates the skyline of the southern bank of the Golden Horn, while its gardens offer a breathtaking view of the nearby Bosphorus. This day rich in discoveries ends in the maze of the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul where gold jewelry, colored blown glass lamps, antique fabrics rub shoulders with souvenirs and other leather goods. This covered maze of 65 alleyways is home to some 4,000 shops, including nearly 1,000 jewelers.

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Публикация от Go Türkiye (@goturkiye)

2. Istanbul the glutton one

For this second day spent in Istanbul, it’s time for gastronomy. Straddling two continents, Istanbul offers a cuisine that is a fusion of Western and Eastern dishes. Malik, our guide for the day, suggests that we start our tour with a breakfast of böreks, a variety of salty pastries from Central Asia. The Ottoman Turks then popularized them throughout the Mediterranean basin. Filled with cheese, spinach, minced meat or potatoes, this hearty and inexpensive delicacy is sold in small bakeries or in specialized shops. It can be eaten throughout the day and allows you to treat yourself to a hearty meal at a democratic price.

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After a stroll through the Armenian quarter and then to Barbaros Square Parkı, where Barbarossa’s mausoleum is enthroned, Malik takes us to one of the best establishments where we can taste the famous kebab, the emblematic dish of Istanbul. Composed of beef, chicken or lamb, it consists of very thin slices of meat grilled, laid or rolled in a bazlama, a bread both tasty and soft. The meat can be garnished with vegetables, but also with yoghurt or some French fries. A delight to be enjoyed with a local beer such as Efes or Bomonti. The kebab, like grilled fish or fried seafood can be tasted in the popular district of Beşiktaş which concentrates the best restaurants in Istanbul.

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In the afternoon, Malik opens the gate to sweet delights with the unavoidable baklavas, a traditional dessert common to the peoples of the ancient Ottoman and Persian empires, which today’s Turks manage to design with the right balance between sugar syrup, pistachio or walnut. This is a far cry from the pastries found in the Maghreb. The baklavas are tasted with a çay (tea in Turkish) or with a coffee which is prepared in the local fashion, i.e. as a decoction. Here, very fine ground coffee and sugar are poured into cold water. The mixture is then put on the fire and when it foams, without boiling, it is removed from the fire and served immediately.

3. Istanbul the trendy one

The third theme of this tour: the trendy districts. Accompanied by Can, a Franco-Turkish boy who arrived in Istanbul at the age of 12, we first discover the district of Yeldeğirmeni. Its name, which means “windmill”, evokes the 17^th century, when Sultan Abdulhamit I had four windmills built in the district to supply the inhabitants with flour. Situated on the eastern bank of the city, between the landing stage and the station of Haydarpaşa, one discovers a multitude of riches. If you look up, you can admire the numerous and imposing murals, born in the wake of the protest movements of 2013 and realized with the blessing of the town hall. Numerous wooden houses still have gables on the street, as well as stone façades that bear witness to a glorious past.

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In recent years, Yeldeğirmeni has taken on the look of Turkish Berlin, with a thousand and one hipster-looking shops, small cafés with sober, contemporary decor, and record and musical instrument dealers. A young and trendy atmosphere is also to be found just a few steps away, in the Moda district, where you will find large green spaces, bars and restaurants with terraces, all with a breathtaking view of the sea. Another Istanbul, still untouched by the mass of tourists who mainly frequent the European side of the city.

Can invites us to spend the afternoon in the Feriköy district, which we reach by taxi. Here stands the former Bomonti beer factory, founded at the end of the 19^th century by two Swiss brothers. Closed in 1991, the factory rose from the ashes almost 30 years later under the name of Bomontiada. The place has been converted into a very dynamic artistic centre where shows, concerts and exhibitions take place, as well as a good meal in one of the restaurants in the centre.

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The day ends with a bottle of Öküzgözü, an excellent red wine produced in the province of Elazığ, in the centre of the country. Can has opted for a friendly bar in Nişantaşı, a posh residential area of Istanbul, famous for its fashion boutiques that bring together international brands, local designers and many chic bars and restaurants.

4. Give it a try!

An extraordinary city, a link between two continents, Istanbul is much more European than we think in the West, both in terms of its geographical location and its past. It is the showcase of a modern, dynamic Türkiye, open to the world, and home to an urbanized and highly westernized population. The image that it reflects to tourists is far removed from the clichés that sometimes circulate in our countries. But oriental influences are also an integral part of Istanbul’s identity. The colorful side of the city is what makes it so rich and interesting. A European capital like no other, Istanbul succeeds in uniting the diversity of influences to better bring people together.

L’article Immersion in Istanbul est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

The Orient-Express is the first luxury train to cross borders and connect the major capitals of the Old Continent. As early as 1883, it was possible to travel from Paris to Constantinople (now Istanbul) without changing trains. Never before has the East been so accessible for a Westerner. A new form of travel that would revolutionize European railways. Until then, trains had to be changed at every border, making any long-distance journey exhausting and particularly constraining. A disruption that would change the world forever, thanks to Georges Nagelmackers.

1. A crazy project

With his engineering degree in hand, young Georges decided to go to the United States after his studies, as most sons of good families did at the time. Isn’t it said that travel forms the young? And the least that can be said is that the man from Liège would return home with his head full of ideas.

In 1867, on the other side of the Atlantic, at the height of his 24 springs, our man was travelling from west to east by train, and noticed that at night the seats of the wagons were converted into bunks. It must be said that the distances are such that sitting for more than twenty hours is torture. In Europe, short distances do not yet require this kind of arrangement, as the various railway companies hardly ever consider crossing borders.

Back at home, Nagelmackers immediately set to work and designed the first carriage equipped with beds to suit the customs and tastes of the Old Continent. He also compartmentalized it and created cabins, which he equipped with sinks, mirrors and “useful conveniences”. Initially coupled with the very first international express trains, Nagelmackers planned to launch his cars all over Europe and even beyond. More than fifteen years would nevertheless be necessary to develop the project because, at the time, each country was partitioned within its borders; the rail networks had sometimes diametrically opposed technical standards.

Georges Nagelmackers achieved his goal in 1883. On June 5th, the Express d’Orient train left the Gare de l’Est with great pomp and circumstance in the direction of Constantinople, passing through Budapest, Belgrade and Sofia. Quickly, this luxurious convoy would adopt the mythical name of Orient-Express.

2. Reversal of fortune

The life of this palace on rails would be full of pitfalls, starting with the First World War. As early as 1914, the conflict interrupted the circulation of the Orient-Express. It lost many sleeping cars and dining cars, destroyed, lost or requisitioned. Put back on the rails in 1919, with new metal (and no longer wooden) cars, ever more opulent and comfortable, the Orient-Express experienced a prosperous period during the Roaring Twenties.

But this new impetus was interrupted again from 1939 until 1946. The Nagelmackers trains came out groggy from the Second World War. Finally, in 1977, it was the boom in air travel that precipitated the end of this jewel of the European railways. Shortly afterwards, several wagons were auctioned off, which meant that this exceptional heritage was scattered throughout Europe and even beyond.

Without the American businessman James B. Sherwood, this legendary train would never have been put back on track. Sherwood quickly understood the importance of saving and perpetuating this piece of European history. As early as 1977, he began to search for decommissioned cars, had them restored to their original state until he was able to build a complete train set combining sleeping and dining cars. Five years later, he launched the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, offering a brand new travel experience that would soon be emulated!

L’article The Orient Express – It’s Belgian! est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.

From the beginning of the 20^th century, Palm Springs attracted the first tourists in search of a warm, dry climate to cure one ailment or another. The jet-set also took a liking for the softness of the small town, which ended up becoming a dormitory town for many movie stars; a clause in the contract that binds them to the majors forbids them to be more than two hours away from Hollywood film sets. Nearby, discreet and benefiting from an almost permanent blue sky, this oasis located at the gates of the desert became a holiday resort for actors and actresses in vogue.

It is in this oasis that, at the dawn of the 1950s, a certain Norma Jean Baker was discovered by the William Morris agency. The 22-year-old girl would soon become the stunning Marilyn Monroe. It is also here that Cary Grant, asked to keep his bisexuality a secret, finds refuge in a colonial-style hacienda. In this hacienda, palm trees, sun, a swimming pool, and champagne go hand in hand; it attracts John Wayne, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Greta Garbo for a weekend away from the paparazzi and the hustle and bustle of showbiz.

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1. From Colonial to Minimalism

Like Las Vegas, also born in the desert, Palm Springs is a relatively young city. It did not begin to grow and attract the Hollywood crowd until the 1920s, especially with the opening of the El Mirador Hotel, which opened in December 1927. Flanked by an Olympic-sized swimming pool, golf course, and tennis courts, El Mirador would inspire many others in the Coachella Valley.

After the Second World War, America was living in its heyday, bathed in an optimism that touched all social classes, heralding a future where anything seemed possible. In this context, a new architectural style was born, initiated in the late 1930s by Albert Frey, a disciple of Le Corbusier, inspired by the Bauhaus school and the European modernism of the inter-war period.

For Frey, these arid lands encircled by omnipresent mountains create the perfect substratum for architecture and landscape to cohabit in perfect harmony. Sobriety imposes itself. Simple materials are used, with glass, steel, and concrete as ambassadors. This invites the environment into houses that are only built on one level, so as not to offend Mother Nature. The exceptional light of the desert and the azure of the sky magnify interiors that are also dominated by furniture and furnishings that are both sober and ergonomic.

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The Mid-Century Modern was born. A movement that democratizes tasteful architecture by combining rationality, innovation, functionality, and light.

2. A Nest of Architectural Jewels

At the dawn of the 1950s, Palm Springs experienced a major real estate boom. But where most cities grew too fast, with a utilitarianism that took precedence over the coherence between architecture and its environment, Palm Springs grew smoothly. The villas may be growing like mushrooms, but the bigger ones are being called upon to create harmonious projects. Developers George and Robert Alexander, for example, built nearly 2,200 houses, one of which was owned by Marilyn Monroe.

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Steve McQueen also fell in love with Palm Springs and acquired a villa designed by Hugh Michael Kaptur in 1963. A jewel that has a swimming pool, but above all, a vast parking lot where the superstars could park their collection of cars, including two Porsche 911s and a series of motorcycles. Frank Sinatra did the same and built Twin Palms with its grand piano-shaped swimming pool and recording studio. With its 400 m², the villa was the scene of memorable drinking parties, with Dean Martin, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, and Lauren Bacall trusting the guest-list. Violent disputes also broke out between Sinatra and his second wife, Ava Gardner. The washbasin cracked by bottles of Dom Pé’ keeps the memory of it forever.

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Popular with the stars, Palm Springs and its villas would also be the setting for many films, including Diamonds Are Forever, the seventh opus in the James Bond saga. The Erold House, a futuristic villa perched on a mountainside, the work of John Lautner, has gone down in history following a wrestling scene between Sean Connery and two female wrestlers who make him see the world in technicolor.

3. Decadence And Rebirth

In the early 1980s, Palm Springs was losing some of its beauty. The small town was deserted by the stars in favor of flamboyant Miami and its Art Deco. The gem of the desert gradually turned into a giant retirement home for wealthy have-beens and golf enthusiasts.

It wasn’t until the beginning of the 1990s and the arrival of the lesbian music festival The Dinah, and in 1999 with the already mythical Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, that the city was reborn from its ashes. The massive arrival of aesthetes and a public sensitive to culture and good taste awakened a serious revival of interest in local architecture.

The biggest names in fashion choose the city and its villas to unveil their latest collections. Photographers take a series of photo shoots, while events dedicated to admiring local constructions, such as the annual Modernism Week, attract all architecture enthusiasts.

Today, the magic of Palm Springs is once again at work. Vintage villas are being carefully renovated, real estate projects that respect the local style are emerging, while movie stars like Leonardo DiCaprio are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to acquire the witnesses of a golden age. Palm Springs is popular and just waiting to be discovered. Initiatives such as The Modern Tour, which allows you to visit period villas with a guide, are a testament to the desire to showcase a city that is absolutely unique in the world.

L’article Palm Springs: The Mecca of the “Chic” Desert est apparu en premier sur Travel Tomorrow.