Istanbul Is Blooming

Literally, the spring has arrived to Istanbul. The tulips started to show up everywhere.

"Sümbüls" started to shade the terrace of my favorite day-time cafe again.



But more importantly, our much beloved "erguvan"s (Judas trees) started to bloom dotting the green landscapes of Bosphorus with its pink flowers setting gray winter-time imaginations free. To an Istanbullu, when erguvans bloom, it is time to end the hibernation and mix with life outside.

Indeed, the same time has been coinciding with Istanbul's major cinema festival for the last 28 years. The event - Istanbul Film Festival - is a two weeks cultural feast consisting of some 200 movies gathered from all corners of the world shown in movie theaters that mostly concentrate around Taksim area attracting thousands of loyal followers every year.

The lively crowd on streets melts all of a sudden during matinées making the Istiklal and its side streets resemble school corridors. Then when the movies are over, the crowd makes its way back to the streets rushing to cafes to grab a quick drink over a short chat with an acquaintance run into on street until making their way to the next movie.

The festival marks the cultural awakening of the city each year starting a chain reaction of festivals blooming one after another around the city making you believe whatever events you attended during winter time were merely preparations for the real thing - the cultural summer.

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