visit the Hagia Sofia in Turkey

I first saw pictures of the Hagia Sophia in an art history class. When the opportunity arose to visit Istanbul, I jumped at the chance without any idea how to afford it. The universe aligned and I made it. The Hagia Sophia is nothing short of incredible. The Blue Mosque next door is more beautiful from the outside but the interior of the HS took my breath away (even though they were fixing the top dome and there was the largest scaffold I have ever seen filling up the middle of it. If you ever have even the remotest chance of visiting Istanbul, go. Spend several days in Sultanahmet, it’s all there. The HS, the Blue Mosque, the old roman cystern, The bazaar, the sultan’s palace, ancient homes built into a 2000 year old city wall. And the people (the Turks anyway) are so kind. Best time of my life.