OUR MED ZONE DIRECTOR

OUR INTERVIEWS:  Adnan Öner President LCD Turckey and UICH Med Zone Director

It’s always a great honor and pleasure to interview our friends and this time we wanted to ask to Adnan Öner – Chief Concierge at Swissôtel The Bosphorus and Director of Med Zone – a few questions about his impressions after attending our National Congress in Trieste, their International Congress in Istanbul scheduled in 2023 and which are the beauties of the city not be missed according to him…

Adnan, in November 2019 you had the opportunity to attend our LCD National Congress. Would you like to tell us your impressions and if you had ever visited Trieste?

Both the Congress and the beautiful Trieste were unforgettable for me as it was the first National Congress I have attended as Director of Med Zone. I had the opportunity to be together with my dear Italian friends with great pride and appreciation. We had a perfect Congress under the leadership of my dear friend Michele, the previous President and my dear friend Federico, who was newly elected at the Congress. On the occasion of this Congress we also had the opportunity to meet as a Med Zone Presidents. A part from the International Congresses such gatherings are very valuable for us. Together with my Italian friends and Med Zone country Presidents, we had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Trieste and the taste their delicious meals. Finally, I would like to mention my dear friend Bernie Gallotta as the star of the Congress.

You mentioned me that the International Congress will take place in Istanbul in 2023. As Director of Med Zone, can you tell us how proud is your section for hosting this important meeting?

Having an International Congress in Istanbul has been our greatest dream since the first Athens Congress we have attend in 2002. Since then we have lived the dream of an Istanbul Congress with our members after each Congress. The year of 2023 is also very valuable for us in two ways. It’s both the 20th anniversary of Les Clefs d’Or Turkey being accepted into the Les Clefs d’Or International and 100th anniversary of Turkish Republic. It will be a great pride for us to host our dear friends from different corners of the world in Istanbul. We have already started to work to make our dear friends experience both a wonderful Congress and beauties of our Istanbul. With the great excitement of the day, we invite all our friends to Istanbul.

In your wonderful city what unforgettable experience would you warmly recommend to your guests who are coming for the first time?

İstanbul, capital city of three successive empires with over 2.000 years of history and fabulous turquoise blue waterfronts, welcomes you to share this amazing experience on the crossroads of Europe and Asia… İstanbul is the only city on earth located on two continents. “There God and human, nature and art are together, created such a perfect place that it is valuable to see.” Lamartine’s famous poetic line reveals his love for İstanbul, describing the embracing of two continents, with one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe. İstanbul, once known as the capital of capital cities, has many unique features. It is the only one to have been a capital during two consecutive empires – Christian and Islamic. Once capital of the Ottoman Empire, İstanbul still remains the commercial, historical and cultural pulse of Turkey, and its beauty lies in its ability to embrace its contradictions. Ancient and modern, religious and secular, Asia and Europe, mystical and earthly all co-exist here. İstanbul, with its historical peninsula, numerous scenic and historical beauties is a magnificently unique city that has been capital to many civilizations from past to present and still continues to be home to residents from all over the world. This rooted city, with a history dating back to 2000 BC, constitutes a mosaic of many civilizations and cultures combined. One may come across legacies and monuments of thousands of years behind any door or around any corner in İstanbul. Whether you take a tour in İstanbul or visit any of the 39 districts nearby, you will catch various historical and natural wonders in any given minute. You may begin your İstanbul tour at the Grand Bazaar that will enchant you with its bright and pleasant environment while a sense of peace and security will wrap you tightly in Hagia Sophia. A tour of the pearl of the Bosporus, Ortaköy, Beşiktaş and Kabataş will let you enjoy the delightful views along the deep blue coast. With the Black Sea in the north, the Marmara Sea in the south and the İstanbul Strait running in all its glory through the middle of the city, you will experience great moments in İstanbul and witness the unique combination of the Mediterranean and Black Sea climates. Watching the flying seagulls at Eminönü by the time the rising sun illuminates the city, you will notice the docked boats rocking gently as if to greet you. What’s more, you will not be able to resist the fresh scent of the city when the first ray of lights illuminates the shimmering fishes swimming around the fishing twines. The setting sun illuminates the city like a painting every evening. The candle-like silhouettes of the mosques rise above the historical peninsula to greet the city while the sun and the moon salute each other as the day turns into night. Right at that moment you will feel like a sultan in the cradle of civilizations. Bridging two continents, this unique city, where one can encounter people from different countries and witness diverse cultures merging in harmony, will awaken completely different feelings in you. There is a lot to experience and share in İstanbul.

Marco Rinaldo