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Favorite Souvenirs: Pereja Turkish Lemon Cologne

On a long bus ride from Istanbul to Damascus about 15 years ago I encountered a very pleasant ritual. Whenever the bus was about to depart from a station or rest area, the driver would walk up and down the aisle offering spritzes of lemon cologne from a tall glass bottle. You'd put out both your hands and he would give the bottle a couple of shakes and you'd wipe the cologne on your face and neck. The whiff and tingle of the astringent alcohol concoction was always an eye-opener, and the pleasant lemon flower scent lingered just long enough for you to forget about the cloud of cigarette smoke enveloping everybody. Purchasing a bottle of Pereja Lemon Cologne as a souvenir, I soon discovered that splashing it on your face after shaving can result in a near-religious experience. Don't leave Turkey without buying a bottle or two. Alternately, you can order it online.

[Photo: Victor Ozols]

Related Stories:
· Pereja Lemon Cologne [akmarket.com]
· Souvenir Coverage [Jaunted]