WHEN HOLIDAY ROMANCES WORK

For these two women, a chance meeting led to something special

- EIMEAR O'HAGAN

‘My friends and family didn’t think it would last’

Kirsty Firat, 28, is a support worker and lives in Edinburgh with her husband Ismail, 28, who works in hospitality.

Dancing in my husband’s arms at our wedding, I felt so proud of us both. Against the odds, our holiday romance had blossomed into a marriage.

It was on the last night of my stay in Marmaris, Turkey, in April 2018, with my mum, that I first laid eyes on Ismail.

STRONG FEELINGS

He was a waiter in a restaurant we were dining in, and we kept looking at one another and smiling. I thought he was handsome, but because he was working, there was no chance for us to speak.

On the flight home the next day, I couldn’t stop thinking about this guy whose name I didn’t even know. Days later, I saw a post of his on a Marmaris Facebook page and recognised him from his profile picture. Nervously, I messaged to say hello and asked if he remembered me, wondering if he would even reply. To my delight, he did.

We started messaging – I spoke some Turkish, he spoke some English and we relied on Google Translate a lot! Within weeks, we were speaking on the phone, then video calls. The more we got to know one another, the more I was desperate to see him again. After a few months, I told friends and family I had strong feelings and wanted to visit Ismail.

My mum was supportive, but my dad was worried and didn’t want me to get hurt.

In October 2018, I returned to Turkey with my parents and a friend. That was when Ismail and I became a proper couple, going for meals, talking for hours on the beach and finally being intimate.