Winnipegger in Istanbul describes the hours before the deadly New Year’s Day nightclub attack

WINNIPEG – A Winnipeger who landed in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve was out on the streets of the city celebrating just hours before the deadly attack that claimed 39 lives.

Tara Davis arrived in Turkey on New Year’s Eve and took in the festivities at Taksim Square.

That’s just under five kilometers away from the site of the shooting that killed 39 people at Reina Nightclub, including a Canadian.

The attack also wounded at least 70 other people.

RELATED: Canadian among 39 killed in Turkey nightclub shooting

“The city was on high alert. I think they said something like 17,000 police officers in the city and there were 5,000 in the square we were at,” said Davis.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The city was on high alert. I think they said something like 17,000 police officers in the city and there were 5,000 in the square we were at," said Davis.

She said as she celebrated in Taksim Square, there was a tense feeling that made her feel like the city was trying to celebrate amidst the high alert.

“Every time there was a pop of a child putting off a small firecracker, not one of the big ones, just those little pop ones, everybody sort of jumped and looked around,” said Davis.

She went to bed shortly after the celebrating, but she woke up to a phone filled with messages and calls informing her about the nightclub attack so close to where she had just been.

She said while she tried not to let fear take over, she did remain in the hotel for a bit and was anxious and unsure of what to do next.

But, Davis said she just couldn’t let the attack stop her from exploring the city.

“Of course it’s an awful, terrible thing but the people here refuse to live in fear,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Of course it's an awful, terrible thing but the people here refuse to live in fear," she said.

“When we finally did go out, the people were just carrying on with their lives. I talked to some of the women at the hotel and they said they refuse to let the terrorist govern the way they run their lives so I felt the same way,” added Davis.

However, Turkey as a whole is still an area that carries with it a travel warning from the federal government.

The government, on its website, reminding people to exercise a high degree of caution due to crime, the threat of terrorist attacks, and on-going demonstrations throughout the country.

On Twitter the Government of Canada urged people to avoid the area near Reina Nightclub and get in touch with family and friends.

Davis said while memorials fill the city, she will take a different approach to honouring the memories of those who lost their lives on January 1st.

“This is an amazing place and people are missing out if they don’t come here because of fear,” said Davis.

She explained that she will continue to travel the city and not stay inside her hotel, so that she can explore the place that many of the victims called home.