– Handcrafted by Heather Daveno –
Of all the things I saw in Chicago, this was probably the most spectacular of them. If you only have an hour to spend in Chicago, spend it here.
My full journal for this trip from 2018 is at Daveno Travels. Here some additional highlights. I fear I’m becoming notorious for taking more notes and photos than a single blog can hold…
This church-converted-to-mosque is among the oldest religious sites in the world and is among the most important examples of Byzantine architecture still standing.
I find the Suleyman Camii to be among the most calming of any I spent time in in Istanbul….
I arrive at the Topkapi Palace 2 hours before closing. I wait in a line that eats up twenty valuable minutes, and enter through the Gate of Salutation, whose iconic towers remind me a little bit of Disneyland.
It’s overcast outside, much like my mood. I’m exhausted. I cannot get onto the WIFI. I am ready to buy a return plane ticket if I can ever get online…
The Grand Bazaar as large and noisy as you would expect a 5,000 store shopping mall to be. Rick Steves says to spend about 2 hours here, which is about as much time as a human has before their retinas start to melt…