– Handcrafted by Heather Daveno –
“See what is outside of Istanbul for a couple of days. Cappadocia perhaps. Or Ephesus.” He offers to find a tour that I can afford and make those arrangements. I chose instead, the ancient Ottoman capitol of Bursa.
I find the Ibrahim Pasa Palace, a building that dates back to the Ottoman period which houses the Islamic Art and Ethnology Museum. It’s a treasure trove that would make my friends Sunjan and Khalja want to move here.
The final step is being led to a pool of cool water that did not smell of salt but which made me feel more buoyant than I know I am. There are shafts of light coming through the dome and piercing the water. I am floating as much in shafts as in the cool water of the pool…