Team M3 nabs a good park on arrival in Istanbul.
The text message didn't make any sense, but nor did it sound like a joke: "Are you guys safe? Chaos in Turkey."
Osmancik - a small village just north of Ankara and very close to the middle of nowhere - at that moment seemed to us like the least chaotic place on the planet. Tumbleweed would have been an occasion.
"Really? Not where we are. What's going on?" Marta replied.
"Glad to hear. Terrorist attack in Istanbul. 140 Casualties."
When we had left Istanbul - only a few hours before the expolsions - there was no indication of the violence about to erupt. With its grand minarets and markets, high culture and cuisine, the great city was only as chaotic as I'd expected.
In fact, Istanbul seemed to tower above other cities as a harmonious, tolerant and vibrant collision of East and West.
What struck us more than anything else was how friendly and welcoming everyone was. There seemed no limit to people's generosity, their interest in us and their hospitality.
As we drove out of Istanbul along the sparkling coastline we unanimously agreed that in only a few days it had become one of our favourite cities.
From our perspective now, safe on the Black Sea coast, this makes the bombings overwhelmingly sad and disappointing.
Matt Kennedy-Good
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