"Sultans of swing
ANTHONY TORRANCE
Istanbul prides itself on being a city of contrasts - where Europe meets Asia, as the guide books never tire of telling you. You�ll find this curious fusion affects the climate, too. One afternoon in November, I sat at a delightful Istanbul fish restaurant, watching the glorious autumn sunshine glittering on the Bosphorus. On the way back to the hotel, just before the approaches to the majestic suspension bridge that spans the river, the sky suddenly darkened and a violent snowstorm whirled out of nowhere. Visibility was reduced to about 50 feet, and we inched our way over the bridge as the windscreen wipers worked overtime and the snow piled up. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the snowstorm swept on, and we emerged on the other side of the bridge in bright sunshine, with the city of Istanbul laid out before us and the great dome of the Blue Mosque shining in the distance. "
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