For many years I had daydreamed about going to this city. Probably the first time it registered in my imagination was watching the James Bond film, From Russia With Love. In it, Sean Connery has to go to Istanbul to meet up with a Russian who is defecting to England. The local spy master says, "Welcome to Istanbul, Mr. Bond." Bond fights in the Hagia Sophia.
Years later and studying art history, and visiting Ravenna, Italy, the Byzantine emperor Justinian began to play a larger part than James Bond. The video "Byzantium" from the Discovery Channel by John Romer rekindled my desire to see things for myself. I found a deal on the website, Gotoday.com. and I asked Jeff to go along. Here is a picture of the neighborhood and a nearby hill on the way to the city center. This ruin that Jeff is sitting on is the old hippodrome that has been built over by a local high school. hmmm.....this is interesting.
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