Reincarnated from the past, brought to the present and forever lasts in the future

Chapter Finale : 2 roses and a thorn on a lifetime adventure

It was one fine day as I peered through the clouded windows. Another day of our journey would soon begin. Breakfasting like a king and 2 queens, we filled our tummies up to the max as it would be one unpredictable crossing. It was heavenly as we stepped out of the hotel. Birds were gleefully dancing in the midair. They flew hither and thither, chirping and twittering over and over again as if they were waving us adieu. The streets were empty with no cars racing side by side and we hit the road no sooner than finding Uludag, the Legendary Mount Olympus on the map.

The temperature dropped down as we climbed higher and luckily the car's heater performed an excellent job in maintaining the warmth inside. How long it would take to hit the highest point, we had gotten no idea. We kept on driving and the road was obviously becoming smaller but it didn't matter. The overwhelmingly breathtaking vista counterbalanced unenthusiastic sides of the jouney. The sun poked its hand through the clouds and the sunshine harmoniously blended in together with the autumn leaves, creating a lively and vibrant panorama. For like hundred of times we pulled the car to a stop so that we could enjoy these inspiring moments. I did wonder, when the leaves are gone, does the love disappear? (matila kasmon lol)

Snowfall in autumn is never impossible and as we ascended higher up, snows began to pile up on those autumn leaves and it was really cool. I had to stay on gear 1, 2 and rarely 3 as the road had become more slippery and slimy. One hour was gone but we hadn't still reached the destination. Sigh~ but talking of the devil, one enormous and gargantuan figure caught our eyes. As we drove closer it pompously loomed in front of us, showing off its striking white coat. The signboard showed like 1865 m and yeay, the legendary Mount Olympus had finally accepted us to be its blessed guests.

Clouds like pure white cotton balls dotted the brilliant sky and the air was crystal clear. I was at loss for words to describe the harmony of the riot of those fresh pine trees and pristine white snow on the top of the mountain. After like 30 minutes of sight-seeing, the wintry temperature viciously forced us to view the landscape from inside a cafe as our teeth clattered like crazy and our hands turned cyanotic. We were kinda reluctant to drive back to Istanbul but life goes on. Treasuring some stimulating final moments on the top of this renowned mountain, we headed down, heading back to Bursa and Istanbul. Again, maps were like our tourist guide, giving the light of directions LOL.

Bearing the full weight of the day's weariness on its shoulders, the sun descended the stairs slowly and left the stage, leaving us to bleak dark horizons as we reached Istanbul. We went for a night walk after the hotel check-in and here, the gorgeous Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia were like two shining jewels in a sacred garden, soaring up high into the night sky. We had our dinner in a bistro nearby and it was then the time to have one last peaceful night sleep in Istanbul. Enjoying the last sight of Hagia Sophia through the wooden panel of my room, I slowly drifted to the far far away dreamland.

The Bosphorus Strait never looked more stunning than it was today, the last day of ours in Istanbul. We drove off to the beach near the Dolmabache Palace and there were like moments of soul-soothing tranquility. Later that afternoon, we took a ride to Ataturk International Airport after having the last lunch in one of the sultanehmet restaurants. And like every beautiful thing, even my adventure in Turkey had come to an end. My stay here was like a reverie and leaving was awfully difficult. I started up the stairs to the Turkish Airlines hoping that I could once again say hi to the Blue Mosque some times in the future. Turkey is definitely glorious and there is something for everybody here...

the end