On my birthday, 24 November, my journey to Portugal began. I set off on a long trip, one I had been waiting for for ages. It was an open ticket just waiting to be booked. With Ozan’s invitation, I finally booked it. I flew to Belgium, and from there on to Portugal. Journeys longer than an hour always feel long and tedious to me. This time I was heading somewhere lovely, yet I still got terribly bored. I suppose long flights are unbearable even with a book, music or a film to hand. In short, I’d say the reason is that planes are just so noisy.
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| With Ozan Arslan in Antwerp, Belgium, November 2022 |
This time there are no long descriptions, no grudges and no burdens brought on by time, neither in my suitcase nor in this post; this is a simple travel piece. Don’t be misled by the title: I have no recommendations about lovely spots in Portugal or in beautiful Antwerp. This piece is about me. Like the breadcrumbs left to find the way home in Hansel and Gretel, on this journey I left behind, along every road I walked, all the baggage that kept me from seeing things objectively; I got lost even more in order to find the roads I had lost. On the way back, all I had were new memories on my phone, along with a few pieces of writing and a few chocolates…
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Senhora De Pedra, Gaia, Porto, Portugal, December 2022
Exactly 14 years ago I went abroad for the first time, on the Erasmus programme. I spent a year there taking Computer Engineering courses at Fernando Pessoa University. I lived in a lovely hall of residence and had a superb year. Every year this place would turn up in my dreams a few times. I would enter Portugal without a visa, wander around, and when the dream ended I would wake up and return to my own country. I know why I put it off for years, but I'd rather not share that here. What I would like to say, dear reader, is this: life is very long, and a real joy to live. The reason this 12-day trip was my greatest birthday present is that I can now communicate with myself and with others. This trip is a symbol for me, because in life we can reach everything, everyone and everywhere, or at least we can try. For that, what we need is not so much a plane ticket as communication. In Sapiens, Harari says that humans have achieved a great many things over the years; individuals can achieve a great deal by communicating with one another. I achieved something huge: thanks to my friend's invitation, I rediscovered the me I had missed, and came back to Istanbul happy. I made these trips via Greece, and I'll go back there again at the first opportunity.
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| Rua Monte da Luz stop... The Atlantic Ocean behind |
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| Lapa café, Foz |
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| Rua Monte Da Luz - the street of the mountain of light :) |
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| The Praça de Abril road, the way to UFP... |
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| Foz, Porto |
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| Foz, Porto |
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| Antwerp |
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| Pallini, Athens, Greece, December 2022 |
“If you want to solve something, listen,” says Ernesto Sirolli, and I learnt to listen. Once I listened, I made peace with people, with nature, with myself. My grudges ended; I made peace with my memories. I travelled, I saw civilisation, and I wanted to see and get to know even more of it.
Finally, I tore down my prejudices. I no longer enjoy watching films; I rarely do. They take up a lot of time and I find it a tiring activity. But the other day, by chance, I started watching the film Yeni Başlayanlar İçin Hayatta Kalma Sanatı (The Art of Survival for Beginners) on a cinema TV channel. You know how, while you’re eating, whatever comes on first just stays on? It stayed on the screen like that for a while… When I started watching, I was thinking, what kind of film is this, it could encourage people to take their own lives, how pointless, and as I chewed my food the film carried on. Without giving any spoilers, I can say this much: the film ends with a finale powerful enough to give you a new zest for life. Of course, what prepares you for that ending is the journey they set out on. Çanakkale, İzmir… I really enjoyed watching it; I love the Aegean so much that one day I could live there even completely alone, that’s how much… What keeps a person alive is the memories they gather; every moment is precious. Embrace the past and say hello to the future once again. Our mistakes and our rough edges are the stones within what makes us who we are; without breaking or scattering them, we keep on breathing, in order to become stronger, more aware and more truly valuable.
Kadıköy, Istanbul, December 2022