旅行并非只是去參觀一連串“必看的”景點。于我而言，它更多像是帶著一本空白的日記去記錄下我經歷的這一段段人生旅程。這些旅途中的回憶就像在我的平凡生活中打開了一扇窗，讓我可以隨時看到我曾經去過的那些城市的濃縮景象。伊斯坦布爾這座城市不光有著令人著迷的教堂、宮殿、清真寺、市場以及奇妙的自然風光，讓我記憶最深刻的還有旅途中一起同行以及那些偶遇的朋友們……

By Leo Luo

祝平 注

As my three travel buddies and I beheld Istanbul from the top of the Galata Tower, minarets punctured the city’s skyline against the backdrop of the setting sun. As the sea breeze whirled around us, the wind carried the melody of the call to prayer for Muslims. The Arabic verses swelled in a chorus that implored every Muslim to bow in the direction of Mecca. As the sound echoed in my ears, I directed my gaze to the jumble of townhouses and spider-web of streets below where locals and tourists mingled. Women in sundresses that billowed in the wind strolled hand in hand with friends who enveloped their heads with the hijab, the headscarf worn by Muslim women. While young men carved meat off racks of lamb at kebab stands, families lounged upon their rooftops as they sipped their tea. Travel journals all advertise Istanbul’s intriguing intersections of traditional and modern, East and West. Yet the true soul of the city only reveals itself to those who have walked Istanbul’s streets and interacted with its people. Although the intricate ornamentation of its mosques and the delicate aromas of its bazaars left my friends and I breathless, its people are what gives the bustling metropolis its magic.

Istanbul is called the “City of 500 Mosques” for a reason, yet each building conveyed the same message that beauty stems from simplicity. Nowhere is that clearer than at the Blue Mosque . After removing our shoes, my friends and I ducked out of the Turkish sun and through the entrance. The interior swaddled us with cool air, illuminated by a low-hanging chandelier that stretched from one end of the building to the other. Compared to European cathedrals, where the stone and the darkness weighs down upon viewers as if to demand submission to God, the abundance of light and the ceilings that seem to float to the heavens invite the faithful to accept God’s embrace. Blue tiles swirled over the marble walls, interlocking with the crimson floral patterns. These intricate patterns were all bathed in a hazy azure sheen from the stained glass perched on each window. Despite the intricacy, each pattern blossomed from just simple geometric shapes or floral designs, which were repeated again and again. Each motif interacted with each other, weaving together as if grown by a florist rather than painted by an artist.

But perhaps the simplest expression of beauty was the active presence of worshippers. Tourists were cordoned off near the back of the building so that Muslims could pray without interruption. Individuals and groups were scattered across the carpeted floor: young and old, rich and poor. As I watched each man kneel in the same rhythm over and over, a little boy with a turquoise baseball cap scampered across the floor. He ran to his father, who had just straightened up from another bow. The father grabbed hold of his son and raised his hand, as if to smack a reminder that the mosque is supposed to be a sanctuary, not a playground. Instead, he simply turned his son’s cap backwards so that it wouldn’t get in the way when he bowed. With a quick hug to his father’s leg, the little boy placed his palms together and began reciting his Arabic prayers. I smiled at this interaction. Despite the products of modern life, this bond between father and son as they practiced age-old traditions is what breathes life into a building that is thousands of years old.

Indeed, the memories of Istanbul that left the deepest imprint on our minds came from mingling with the locals in the modern district, especially at its daily market. The first step into the market transported my friends and I back to a scene in the Silk Road. Nearly four thousand stalls piled high with fruit and silks charmed our eyes with mountains of colour. Every shopkeeper implored us to try their goods. Even though we could barely communicate in Turkish, they yelled “China! China!” and offered us handfuls of their wares, from nuts rich with flavour to mulberries that stained our fingers purple. Whenever our faces lit up at the taste, the shopkeepers would smile with an eyebrow raised as if to say “I told you so.” In a fit of mouth-watering hunger, my friends and I purchased an entire watermelon and decided to slice it up right there. The watermelon had echoed when we tapped it, so we had a hunch that this would be juicy and sweet. The shopkeeper stabbed his knife into the rind and pushed down with a resounding crack. He peeled away one slice and cheered “ooooohhh!” He showed us the ruby red flesh and the juice that sloshed off his knife. He and I shared the same grin that stretched from ear to ear. “Oooohhhhh!” We cheered with him this time as he made seven more cuts, each emitting a louder crack than the last. As we crammed our faces with watermelon, the shopkeeper simply watched us with a smile. The joy dancing in his eyes reflected his happiness at how he had an opportunity to show off the best of his city. We were graced with the best example of this hospitality by meeting up with a local university student who had attended Georgetown as an exchange student. Although we had never met before, our conversation over dinner quickly became an endless stream of jokes and laughter, not to mention praises of Istanbul. Not only did she show us some of the most authentic Turkish cuisine, but she also took us to one of the best ice cream shops, and then led us on a scenic walk along the coast to a trendy bar. By the time we hugged each other goodbye, it was already 2:30 in the morning. Her dedication to showing off the best of her city to guests represents the best of Turkish hospitality. Her gift to us was her city.

Along the scenic route, we passed by a group of young people who were huddled together on the dock. As we watched, a paper lantern bloomed from their midst and began to float into the air. Buoyed by the candle strapped at its base, the lantern climbed up towards the sky. When I asked my Turkish friend about it, she responded that those were called “wish lanterns.” We would make a wish, and then release the lantern to the wind. If the lantern kept floating, then the wish would be carried to heaven and come true. Without another word, I hailed down a merchant to purchase one. My friends and I gathered around, thinking about our wishes as the lantern inflated. Eyes closed and hands clasped , I thought back to the message that my mom had sent me over we chat that morning. She described the first time that she visited Dalian and saw the ocean with her own eyes. It was a dream come true for her, for the rolling waves exceeded any image she could have imagined. My eyes snapped open. I knew my wish. On the count of three, my friends and I released the lantern, and off it flew. As it joined the night sky as another star, I looked to my friends and realized that my wish had already come true. As a young person in this age of globalization, the world is at our fingertips . But becoming a global citizen takes an open mind and an open heart. Sightseeing is not enough, for revealing the world’s realities only comes through interacting with peers from all over the world. And yet through the warmth of my friends, both new and old, I glimpsed the soul of Istanbul that whispered in the wind: “te?ekkür (Thank you) for stopping by.”

Vocabulary

1. behold: 觀看；Galata Tower: 加拉太塔，是新城的地標，也是俯瞰伊斯坦布爾的最佳地點；minaret: 叫拜樓，清真寺的尖塔；puncture: 刺穿，這里指“屹立于地平線上”。

2. sea breeze: 海風；whirl: 旋轉。

3. 合唱團唱起阿拉伯圣歌，歌聲愈發清亮，感召著每個穆斯林向圣地麥加的方向跪拜。swell: （聲音、音調等）變響亮；implore: 懇求，這里指“感召”；Mecca: 麥加，伊斯蘭教的圣地。

4. jumble: 混亂；townhouse: 市政廳；mingle: 混合。

5. 婦女們身著隨風飄舞的太陽裙和她們那些頭戴希賈布（穆斯林婦女戴的頭巾）的友人們手拉著手漫步街頭 。billow in: 在……中飄動；stroll: 漫步，閑逛；envelop: 包住，裹住；hijab: 希賈布，穆斯林婦女戴的面紗或頭巾。

6. rack of lamb: 小羊肋骨肉；kebab: 烤肉串；stand: 攤位；lounge: 懶洋洋地躺臥；sip: 啜飲。

7. intriguing: 有趣的，迷人的；intersection: 交叉。

8. 盡管伊斯坦布爾的清真寺里那些錯綜復雜的裝飾物和市集上那些食品香味讓我和我的朋友們為之傾倒，但是這里的人們才是這個熙熙攘攘的大城市魔力的締造者。intricate: 錯綜復雜的；ornamentation: 裝飾物；mosque: 清真寺；aroma: 芳香；bazaar: 集市，市場；bustling: 熙熙攘攘的；metropolis: 大都市。

9. Blue Mosque: 藍色清真寺，清真寺內墻壁全部用藍、白兩色的依茲尼克瓷磚裝飾，是伊斯坦布爾最著名的標志性建筑物之一。

10. duck out of: 逃避。

11. swaddle: 用襁褓包裹（嬰兒），這里指冷風“撲面而來，環繞”；illuminate: 照亮；chandelier: 枝形吊燈。

12. submission: 臣服；abundance: 大量，充足；the faithful: 這里指“信眾們”。

13. 藍色的瓷磚裝飾在大理石墻壁上，瓷磚上面是深紅色的、環環相扣的花朵圖案 。tile: 瓷磚；swirl: 盤繞，這里指“裝飾”；interlock: 連結，相互扣住；crimson: 深紅色的； floral: 花似的。

14. 這些錯綜復雜的圖案全都沐浴在朦朧的、蔚藍色的光輝中，這些光輝通過嵌在每扇窗子上的彩色玻璃透進來。hazy: 朦朧的；azure: 蔚藍的；sheen: 光輝；stained glass: 彩色玻璃；perch: 放置于高處。

15. blossom: 發展；geometric shape: 幾何圖形。

16. motif: 主題；weave: 交織；florist: 種花人。

17. cordon off: 用警戒線隔離。

18. scatter: 使散開，使分散。

19. kneel: 跪下；turquoise: 藍綠色的；scamper: 蹦蹦跳跳，奔跑。

20. smack: 猛地扔下；sanctuary: 圣殿。

21. imprint: 印記；mingle with: 和……混合。

22. 大約4,000個攤位上全都摞滿了水果和絲綢，繽紛的色彩吸引了我們的眼球 。stall: 貨攤；mountains of: 大量的。

23. wares: （尤指在街上或集市上出售的）商品，貨物；mulberry: 桑椹；stain: 給……染色。

24. light up: 使面露喜色。

25. a fit of: 突發一陣。

26. hunch: 預感。

27. stab: 刺穿；rind: 外皮；resounding: 響亮的；crack: 破裂聲。

28. ruby: 紅寶石色的；slosh: 飛濺出來。

29. cram: 把……塞進。

30. hospitality: 殷勤，好客。

31. authentic: 正宗的，地道的；cuisine: 菜肴，美食。

32. huddle together: 擠在一起；dock: 碼頭。

33. buoy: 使浮起；strap: 束牢。

34. hail: 大聲招呼。

35. clasp: 握緊，扣緊。

36. snap: 使迅速地行動，急速做出。

37. at one’s fingertip: 唾手可得。

38. glimpse: 瞥見；stop by: 來訪。

（來源：英語學習雜志 編輯：丹妮）