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 A stone's throw from the Hagia Sophia was the former home of Ottoman Sultans for four centuries, Topkapı Palace. My favorite artifacts were the shiniest: the bewejeled Topkapı dagger, a box stuffed with enormous emeralds, and the gilded latticework securing the doors and windows of the private inner palace chambers. My favorite of the Sultan's thrones on display was an unassuming sofa. How I wished I could hop the security rope and rest my legs awhile, smoking a hookah and clapping for belly dancers. Angie lounged on the steps of the palace harem while I entertained visions of palace intrigue. Dinner that evening was in the palace's windy Fourth Inner Courtyard, at a café overlooking the waters of the Bosphorus, Asia just visible in the hazy distance. |
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