Sunday, November 11th: Couchsurfers Day

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We wake up early for a Sunday... to go to Chuch! Today we will take a walk in Eyüp, to mister Pierre Loti, passing by different Orthodox churches.

Getting off from the boat, we go towards the Egyptian bazaar, meeting point with the international troops of couchsurfers. The group becomes bigger as the participants arrive. It will be an English speaking day since the troops are multiple... Turks, Iranians, Israelis, one guy from Quebec, a girl from Holland, another from Armenia, two Spaniards, a girl from Morocco and 3 French… The world meets there: Istanbul is always a bridge between cultures. It is very touching to see that all the stories told by media and politicians don’t touch us, we simple humans, joyful in discovering each other… We like couchsurfing more and more, it testifies to a new sensibility. Walking all the while, we have some good interchanges, little by little the conversation becomes more fluid and “unity” draws itself… We discover a world hidden between each person, we are delighted to meet 3 young Iranians and we feel this emotion that cannot be expressed: there are so many beautiful things that attracts, our desires go to the East, especially this country.  

On the walk down the Golden Horn, we visit some richly decorated monasteries and trek on the narrow streets of run down houses of the Jewish neighborhood. We discover on the way another Istanbul reality, poorer and more popular. We eat, and I discover a young officer of the Turkish army , maybe also a poet, who talks about his love for his birthplace, Konya, city of Rumi and the dervishes. We go up stairs and the bare slopes of a cemetery, in this sacred Muslim place. Our deep desire of another humanity elevates itself, since our group could be the forefront of the world we hope for tomorrow. On the place, faced with the magnificent mosque, the day ends with email exchanges, promises of future meetings in Teheran or Kadiköy.

We say good-bye but, curiously, looking for the way back, our groups meet again various time as if, by now, it were impossible to separate us. We get back to the ferry tired but happy with these magnificent encounters. We buy some fish, Eduardo will cook an excellent meal for us... then we go back to the port and by chance we meet Jonturk with his couchsurfing guests who are going to Nepal. A new meeting with this new dimension of humanity: travelling, discovering, sharing without too many means, expressing one’s sensitivity.

Silo’s Message is transmitted slowly, humbly, softly, adding meaning and giving faith and energy to these new generations. The night falls on Istanbul and we can already see the dawn of another world.

Denis