Cultural Trip to Istanbul

On the 24 October, a group of 16 students met at Luton Airport to begin a four day cultural trip for an overview of the religious and social nature of Istanbul. We arrived in the evening, checked into our hotel and went for a walk around the Old City before having dinner. A highly noticeable difference between London and Istanbul is the sounds. Whilst London is overwhelmed by the sound of trains, buses and cars, each morning in Istanbul at around 5am and throughout the day, calls to prayer are announced from the hundreds of mosques situated in the city. This sound echoes all around and moves from one mosque to another in a wave-like pattern. The amount of stray cats walking around the city was quite unusual and they all acted like road sweepers, eating anything that fell on the floor much like our London pigeons. All the locals were very friendly and welcoming but we always had to question their motives, as at the end of many conversations would be the extension question of "would you like to buy something from my shop down the road"? The last morning in Istanbul was spent making final purchases of Turkish Delight, taking last minute photos and packing. A weary group of better travelled students with heavier bags filled with Bazaar bargains returned to Luton Airport. Everyone had a great time and we would like to thank Mr Westlake, Mrs Plummer and Mr Griffith for organising it.

Daniel Orchard, Year 13