Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Urban Destinations (3/8)

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

Adventure Exploit of World’s Famous Cities

Istanbul in Turkey, a fabulous and distinctive city where the ancient and modern co-exists. It is the only city in the world that spans two continents; a city where East meets West; a bridge between Europe and Asia! 

It has a serene beauty with incredible historical places.  Words describing Istanbul include ‘exotic yet distinctly western’, ‘ancient and modern’, ‘religious and secular’, ‘mystical and earthly’, ‘chaotic yet peaceful and ebullient’, among others.

Photo Credit: Not Mine

Among its greatest attractions include the following:

The tranquility of Istanbul strait connecting the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea,  is one of the major trade artery in the World with an average of 132 transits a day.     The charming Princes Islands.     The Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport is the world’s largest earthquake-proof building, with 300 bearings that shift the structure during tremors.     Open since 1461, Istanbul’s 334,000 square foot Grand Bazaar in Sultanhamet is the world’s largest covered bazaar, with 4,400 shops on 61 streets.     The historic and Byzantine splendors such as the sacred Haghia Sophia was a Byzantine church, an Ottoman mosque, and now a Turkish museum; and the Church of St. Saviour in Chora which houses surviving examples of art from the Byzantine era.     Wander and wonder at the lavishly decorated Topkapi Palace, the seat of Ottoman for over three centuries.

Leaving Istanbul, where will I go next?

+Cherie Faustino : You guessed my destination correctly..... Let us visit the Holy Land!