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What you need to know about Istanbul

Turkey, a country home to unique cultural diversities lying in both Asia and Europe. It has long acted as a bridge between those two continents throughout history. But we can’t really talk about Turkey without mentioning Istanbul. Istanbul is its largest city lying in both Europe and Asia. It is considered as its historical heart and also the heart of its economy and culture. It lies in both Europe and Asia and, in this article, we are going to discuss some of its most interesting places and facts. As the Grand Bazaar, Sultanahmet Mosque, languages spoken in Turkey and Istanbul.

The Sultan Ahmet Mosque

Did you know that about 99% of Turks are Muslims? Islam is the largest religion is Turkey and it contains some of the most beautiful mosques in the world. There are about 82,693 there and one of the most well known is the Sultan Ahmet Mosque. It is also known as the blue Mosque, and is located in Istanbul. It was built during the rule of Ahmed I. and is praised for its interior and exterior design. Its interior walls are adorned by hand-painted blue titles. And the mosque is bathed in blue at night as its five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes are framed by light.

The Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the oldest and largest markets in the world. It is often considered as one of the first shopping malls in the world. In addition, it dates back to the 14th century and has more than 4000 stores, and 61 covered streets. It was listed as number 1 in regard to being the world’s most-visited tourist attractions in 2014 with 91,250,000 yearly visitors. The bazaar was built after the acquisition of Constantinople by the ottoman during 1455/56. It was considered as a part of a larger initiative stimulating Istanbul’s economic prosperity.

Languages Spoken

It is known that Turkish is the main spoken language in Turkey. But, did you know that there are more than 30 other ethnic languages spoken there? These languages include Arabic, Kurmanji, Zazaki, and more. Some etthnic languages have very few speakers such as Balkan, Armenian, Turkish dialects, Bosnian, Georgian, Albanian and Circassian languages. Despite this variety, the Turkish language remains the most widely spoken. As it is the official and educational language. In addition, Arabic is also used as an elective language in the Turkish curriculum. The Zazaki language is spoken by about 1 million speakers across Turkey as well.

Overall, Istanbul is considered one of the most beautiful places to visit, ever. It has everything you need from culture to beaches and more. You would be baffled by the amounts of aromas, languages, colors and more.

7 places to Visit.

Do you dream of fresh air, cool sights, adventure, and more? Do you want to have a life changing experience? Here are our top 7 places in Switzerland, that will make all of that possible.

Appenzell

Appenzell in Switzerland is everyone’s cup of tea. It has everything you can dream of from the alpine clothing, towering mountains, wonderful buildings to colorful wildflowers. You would certainly also enjoy exploring the Alps of Appenzell if you love hiking with peaks like Mt. Säntis.

Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen will blow your mind with its beauty. It is not any normal swiss village, it is an entire valley located in the Alps. It will sweep you off your feet with its Towering snow-capped peaks, high-altitude waterfalls and rough valley sides.

Wengen

If you want to unplug and relax, you should visit Wengen. It is a charming village in the Bernese Alps. And there, you will find all the facilities that you could dream of, with mind blowing beautiful scenery in one place. As the great scenery of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains in addition to the Jungfrau ski region. The village is car-free, where you can enjoy the Jungfrau region. Moreover, you can go there by the cogwheel train from Lauterbrunnen.

Grindelwald

Grindelwald is considered to be one of Switzerland’s best ski resorts. So, if you are into skiing and snowboarding, it is the right place for you. You can also enjoy its beautiful nature in summer as well as. You can take a walk in the village and admire its wooden chalets. Their roofs are edged and you will find amazing colourful pots by their windows. Everything is there from cafes, hotels, clothing, adventure stores to souvenir and watch shops. Not to forget its beautiful alpine flower pastures as well.

Lake Oeschinen

You don’t want to miss Lake Oeschinen. It is a little heaven, located in the Bernese Oberland near Kandersteg and surrounded by the peaks of Bluemlisalp and Doldenhorn. Its turquoise water is crystal clear. Imagine taking a dip in such a lake surrounded by all those mountains. Also, since 2007, it has been recognised as a part of Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn UNESCO World Heritage site.

Geneva

Of course we are going to mention the amazing Geneva. It is widely believed that it has the energy of a big city with the tranquility of a small town. Its Old Town is considered as a historical jewel with medieval charm. You can take a cable car at Saleve getaway to the top of the mountain and enjoy the mind blowing scenery from above. Or, you can rent a battle board in the amazing Lake of Geneva which has the snow-covered Alps backdropping it. In winter, you can go hiking, paragliding, mountain biking or cross-country skiing. In addition, if you are into art you should visit the Quartier des Bains which has a number of art galleries and exhibitions. The Quartier des Bains is considered as the European platform of modern art. And certainly you have to visit the water jet which has a huge jet of water soaring straight up from the lake surface in a 145-meter plume and is considered a symbol of Geneva.

You also have to try Jungfraujoch, which is Europe’s highest train station. There, you will enjoy the snow and play in it, visit the Aletsch Glacier and you will get to stand on one of the most easily accessible, highest places in Europe.

Overall, Switzerland is an amazing country full of spectacular places that will meet your expectations in every which way. If you want to hear about other travelling destinations, click here.

Harry Styles journey from boy band to Winning Best Pop ”Solo” Performance 2021 GRAMMY Award

Harry Styles has recently won the best pop solo performance for “Watermelon Sugar” at the 2021 Grammy awards show. He is mostly known as the former member of One Direction, but he proves to be more day after day. We are going to discuss his journey in this article highlighting most of his works and achievements.

Harry Styles is a very famous English solo singer, song writer and an actor, but he wasn’t always a solo artist. He was the lead singer at a band called White Eskimo where his music career began. He then auditioned for the UK television show The X Factor where Harry and other four young boys: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik were put together to form a band under the name of One direction. One direction had an immense amount of success and became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Their five albums Up all Night, Take me home, Midnight Memories, Four and Made in the A.M topped the charts in almost every major market. Further, most of their singles made a huge hit such as What makes you beautiful, Live While We’re Young, Best Song Ever, Story Of My Life, and Drag Me Down. They made history as their four albums ranked as number one in the US Billboard 200 and they won nearly 200 awards including Brit Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and others. After the band’s hiatus in 2019, Styles completed on his own and began his solo career.

Harry Styles First Album

Styles began his solo career in 2017 by releasing his singles Sign of the Times, Kiwi, Two ghosts, and an album renamed after his own name. His album included songs as Meet Me in The Hallway, Carolina, Sweet creature, Only Angel, Ever Since New York, Woman and From the Dining Table. Generally speaking, themes such relationships were featured in this album with emphasis on the actions attributed to love whether romantic or platonic His album was described by several music publications as being an assembly of soft rock, rock, Britpop and pop. Critics have also noted some influence of British classic rock and singer-songwriter folk. This album is both enigmatic and simple. As not all its videos reflect the message behind the lyrics. Take for example Kiwi. The lyrics and the music video have nothing in common.

You will experience different emotions throughout this album, from sadness, loneliness, confusion, serenity to finally enjoying yourself. Moreover, this album received positive reviews generally. It was on the top of the charts in several countries such as Australia, Canada, the UK and the US and was validated as platinum in Canada, the US,Poland, Australia, Poland, and Mexico, and gold in nine countries counting the UK. His album, according to the IFPI was the ninth best-selling album around the world of 2017.

Fine Line

In December, 2019 Harry Styles released his second album. It included six singles as Lights Up, Adore You, Falling, Watermelon Sugar, Golden, and Treat People with Kindness. The album included other songs such as Cherry, Falling, To Be So Lonely, She, Sunflower, Canyon Moon, Fine Line and Treat People With Kindness. Generally speaking, this album include themes such as the excitement of meeting someone for the first time, break ups, and having sex and feeling sad. It was described as pop rock, folk, soul funk, and indie pop.

Many people knew styles as the former member of One Direction, but in this album he has made his own print. This album is considered a bridge from what Styles was to what he wants to be, changing his fan base from mostly teenagers to young adults and adults. You would discover a new artistic side of Harry’s music including new sounds and sense of self. This albums’ music is nothing but straight forward or simple. There are several interpretations to every and each song and he has even left some easter eggs in them. It is worth mentioning that listening to his music audios alone is a very different experience from actually watching the music videos.

Personally, I enjoy some of his audio videos more than their actual music videos. On the other side, I can rematch specific music videos on repeat. Such as Adore You where Harry’s artistic side shines. They show an island in a parallel word called Eroda which is Adore You inversed. It is portrayed as an island where people forgot to smile and were famous for their resting face. Here, Harry was portrayed as a person born with a set of shining white teeth which by time he had to hide to fit in. He hid his smile and literally bottled his pain in bottles until he met a fish. He met this fish while trying to end his life by drowning himself to death. The fish was thrown by the tides to some stones on the shore and when Harry threw it back to the water it came out again. So, he decided to take it home. They started sharing their life together and the protagonist grew fonder and fonder with this fish. The fish started to grow larger and larger by time and Harry started losing clues on where to hide it. His smile returned and he started moving the fish with him wherever he went in a portable aquarium. Since all good things will eventually come to an end, their story did too as one time the fish got so scared after seeing another fish in the fish market being slaughtered away. The fish started to scream until it broke its container and almost died. Realizing that he can’t keep the fish for ever, the protagonist returned the fish to where it first belonged. He then left the island and started sailing alone using his bottled pain as wind fuel. In a sense, the fish saved him and he saved it. Furthermore, the album is full of similar things that will take on different journey’s experiencing different emotions. Now, we come to our guest of honors which is Watermelon Sugar.

Harry Styles Grammy 2021

Watermelon Sugar is one of Harry Styles’ best songs so far. It is one of those songs that has a music video portraying a very different story than the lyrics. Harry has formerly stated that this song is about the initial extreme happiness when you start seeing someone for the first time. Or just the normal feelings of excitement when you are around them. This song has earned Harry a Grammy in 2021, beating out Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, Billie Eilih, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift. Winning this award proves what a series artist Harry has become. It adds more and more to his success and helps people to view him and his music in a different light.

Harry Styles Grammy 2021 Harry is just a start. He is proving himself time after time as a serious multi-talented artist. He is one of those artists who really values music; he doesn’t see it as a means to becoming rich or having money, quite the opposite. So, you should give his music a try to see it in a better light.

Swiss Army Man Explained

Swiss Army Man is an American movie directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schreier, starring Pal Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. It is set on a deserted island discussing different themes as alienation, loneliness and friendship. Swiss army man explained is considered a detailed movie review, just in case you haven’t watched it.

Swiss Army Man Explained Part 1: The Beginning

The film opens with Hank Thompson, depicted by Paulo, in that deserted island trying to commit suicide, but failing miserably. On his second attempt, he saw a body suddenly appearing on the shore. He quickly runs to see if that creature has come to rescue him, only to find that he is dead. Ironically, the body’s only response to Hank’s words was by farting which he attributed to some excess gases in his dead body. On Losing hope again and completing his second attempt of ending his own life, he saw Manny, depicted by Daniel Kwan, farting heavily and an idea sparked in his head. He literally rides Manny’s body through the water to a different destination, as silly as that sounds.

When asking the directors about the idea behind the movie they said that they wanted to depict everything that people normally hate and depict a different angle of these things. In other words, they wanted to transfer something so disgusting, as a fart, into a more meaningful thing. When they finally reach shore, Hank starts dancing out of happiness. He couldn’t believe he was saved by a farting corpse. He starts discovering the island and takes Manny along in case he needs his powers again. After exploring the place he found different things indicating that other people were formerly present there and that normal life is near. They soon hide in a cave waiting for the rain to end. There, Manny starts addressing the dead corpse out of his desperate need for company. Knowing very well that he won’t be judged, he talked with ease. Furthermore, He wakes up the next day to find Manny, enough, able to speak. Manny, the dead corpse, starts slowly as the film unravels, going back to life. He starts seeing the world through Hank’s eyes, revealing to us and to Hank himself how silly the world is and our coping mechanisms.

Swiss Army Man Explained Part 2 : Signs of Life

Manny finds it strange to hide his farts as Hank tells him, he finds it strange that people have to hide things all the time, although these things are normal and a part of us all; he finds it strange that people can’t normally be themselves around other people. Manny’s abilities start to unfold slowly and consequently Hank starts believing that Manny is there to guide him out. So, he starts by helping Manny regain his memories as a living human being and whenever he remembers something, whenever feelings ignite inside of his chest, strangely enough, his organs start to work. Moreover, instead of remembering his own memories Manny remembers Hank’s memories. He starts explaining life from his eyes and it is beautiful in the start. All the colors and things a person sees throughout their lives, all the experience they accumulate and Manny starts imagining the world as a beautiful place.

Sara, the girl Manny remembers is actually a person Hank never knew but wanted to. The more Hank tells Manny more about his relations with his friends, his father, and his mother; the less interested Manny becomes in the outside world. He tells him about his own father and how he is incapable of displaying affections. He narrates more about the fear his father inherently has. Also, he tells him about his inability of remembering his deceased mother without associating her with a specific memory, so he chooses not to. After every story, Manny starts growing less interested in life. He finds it absurd that people live in fear of almost everything even of themselves. How they let everything control them till they get completely drained and he starts questioning internally if he really wants to remember. Then, Manny experienced pain for the first time when Hank unraveled that all the memories implanted in Hank’s mind are actually his.

Swiss Army Man Explained Part 3: The Ending

Hank explained that these memories are his, they are all things he couldn’t pursue, he didn’t have the courage to. After a while, they see a house and the first individual they run into is a little girl. Manny acts normally a he is used to and the girl couldn’t tolerate how queer he was and she stared crying. Seeing how the first other real human he meets can’t really handle how strange he is, Manny preferred to return back to the way he originally was without all those feelings running through in his chest and he goes back to being just a lifeless corpse. Strangely enough, that house turns out to be Sara’s house and the girl is her daughter.

Some interpretations say that Manny was just a hopeless hallucination from Hank’s lonely mind. Hank started to finally get out of his bubble at the moment Manny preferred death. He started speaking up for himself and facing his fears. He confessed to Sara, who had no idea he existed before, that he never really liked her; she just seemed so happy and he was not. He started trying to take Manny’s corpse back and set it free once and for all. The film ends by Manny saving himself the way he first saved Hank.

Reviews and Opinions on The Film

the final part of swiss man explained depicts different reviews about the movie. Some express how ridiculous the film was, others stress how raw it is. But they all agree on how queer it was. When you ask actors about their opinion, you would notice a sense of possession in their words. They talk about it as their queer little creation, something they had to depict and protect. They both knew playing a part in this movie was like gambling, but they did it anyway. The film was directed by two directors which is normally a difficult thing to maneuver. They stated that they spent an entire year preparing for this movie. Reviews vary on this one, some believe it was absolutely a disaster, others think it was bizarrely beautiful; they just recommend watching it alone to avoid awkwardness. Those who love the film tend to watch it several times, as it allows them to enter a magical prejudice free bizarre world. Moreover, the film scored 72 on rotten tomato website, 4/5 common sense media ratings and 7.0 on IMDb. Personally, I find the film intriguing enough to watch. First it will disgust you and make you regret all your life choices, then just when you completely lose interest everything changes. It starts with a warm familiar feeling, and suddenly you will catch yourself laughing. This film will make you laugh, cry, question your sanity, but mostly it will leave you with a good tranquil feeling.

Soul Movie Review

Soul, a dream-like emotional journey that reminds adults that life, despite everything, is still magical. It is a 2020 American computer-animated fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. We will discuss the film thoroughly, a heads up in case you haven’t watched the film yet, and lets dive into this Soul movie review.

A Dream Come True

Why do we really exist? Is it to fulfill a certain goal or just simply to experience life. This journey focuses heavily on the topic of life and the purpose of it. We are presented by Joe Gardner, a middle school teacher from New York city, who teaches music. He is looking for a chance to shine, a chance to make sense of his life and his love for music. And finally, such a thing happens. A former friend of Joe tells him about an opening in the band of jazz legend Dorothea Williams. He auditions there and his dream comes true. Dorthea enjoys his playing and gives him the chance of performing later that night with her band.

When Joe starts playing the piano, you can see that he goes to a place only known to him, a place so intimate and warm. He narrates how he fell in love with music for the first time; his father taking the younger version of him to a Jazz concert and BAM it happened, he fell in love after seeing how the player was so wrapped up in his own world when playing, as if nothing else mattered. Ecstatically walking through the streets after finishing his audition, he fell down a manhole and his life ended. As simple as that. He wakes up to find himself, a shapeless blue thing cramped with other similar shapeless things heading to some place called the “Great Beyond”. The “Great Beyond” is the place where all dead heads. Unwilling to accept such an end to his life, Joe tries to escape but ends up in another place called the “Great Before”. It is a place where counselors, under the name of Jerry, prepare unborn souls for life with the help of mentor souls. Each and every soul at the “Great Before” has a badge which grants this unborn soul its pass to earth, once they find their spark. Joe, mistaken for a mentor, gets assigned to train 22, a tiresome soul who has been in “Great Beyond” for far too long. A Lot of great dead mentors as Mother Teresa got assigned to train 22, but they failed miserably. She just didn’t want to live; she didn’t know what was so great about life anyway. But after Joe explains his situation to her they both sign a pact. They are going to find her spark, Joe will take her pass to earth and go on with his life and she will get to skip it.

In The “Great Beyond”

So, They start experiencing to find 22’s spark. He notices that, as a soul, you can only feel things internally; you can’t feel warm or cold, you can’t feel the chill wind stinging you by or even enjoy food. No wonder 22 hasn’t found her spark yet! In their search, they enter a place called “the zone”. It is a medium between life and death. There, you would find people who are not completely alive nor dead. Trapped inside their own fears they lose themselves and slip. You can also find people in a state of euphoria; so in tune with their feelings. They reach such a state by practicing something that completely absorbs them, until they lose touch with reality. There, they found someone that could help Joe out of the “Great Before”.

They meet a living person called Moonwind, a hippie so Intune with himself that he can actually create this state of euphoria whenever he wants. He sails this land with his long hair, half crazy brain, friends and a boat; saving lost souls. He tells Joe that he can help him back to his body. He started locating his body, but Joe being so impatient jumped the second he saw his body grapping 22 with him by mistake. And boom, they are back to the living land, but not really.

Back to The Living Land

Joe is back as a fluffy orange cat, and 22 is allocated in his living breathing body. They start panicking for a while and then they decide on helping Joe out. They decide on finding Moonwind and asking him to switch them back. On their way 22 gets to experience life or the very first time; she gets to feel the sunlight and its warmth and to enjoy food, in huge amounts. She gets to talk to feel the subtle connection that bonds beings, and suddenly she wasn’t out of place anymore. She got to talk to that girl who wanted to quit playing her instrument, but couldn’t really because she loved playing way too much. She saw the person who didn’t want to become a barber, but he made the most of his job when there was no other way around. And suddenly everything made sense. She stopped wanting to go back to the “ Great Beyond” and started running the other way from the hippie-when they found him- and Joe, the soft chubby cat.

An accountant from the “Great Beyond” named Jerry, was looking for Joe. He found him at that time before he caught 22 and transferred them back. Quickly, Joe escapes from the “Great Beyond ” to the “ Great Before” and finds 22. She has found her spark and it is shining beautifully on her. He convinces her that what ignited her spark is his own dreams and feelings that she experienced in his body. That nothing of it is really hers. Appalled by what he said, she gives him his batch back. He uses her batch and goes back to the living, performs his part in the musical and just then, he realizes that life is way more. After achieving his dream, he realized that life is more than just a goal to chase, that his life wasn’t really meaningless till a dream is achieved . That despite everything life is precious; that the beauty of life is simply in living it. So, he goes back home and figures a way to be transferred to the ”Great Before”, again.

Finding The Spark

He is shocked to find that 22 has turned to a lost soul herself, now that she has actually lived. She is consumed by the fear of never finding herself. When he tried saving her, she gulped him into her darkness. He uses a maple seed 22 had kept to remind her of their time together on the living land, and convinces her that he was mistaken, that life is more than what he thought of it and that she is really ready to live. Remembering that, her darkness started to fade and slowly she returned to her normal self and convinced she jumped back to earth to begin her own story. After fulfilling his mission, Joe prepares himself to leave everything behind and give in. Just then, another Jerry stops him, and offers him another chance at life saying that he took care of the other Jerry. Going back, Joe committed himself to living his life to the fullest and enjoying it.

Soul Movie Reviews

The film was widely received positively among all the viewers of different ages. Some people stress on the fact that it is mostly designed for adults rather than kids. It got a great rating on several websites; 95% on rotten tomatoes and 8.1 on IMDb. Personally, I think it is both a magnificent experience and journey. It reminds you of the child buried deep inside; of the things that skips your heart a beat telling you to hold tight to them.