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Art / Places We Go / Turkey
Category Archives: Places We Go
The Museo Historico Policia and Pablo Escobar
One museum definitely worth checking out in Bogota is the Museo Historico Policia (Museum of Police History) which is located just west of Plaza de Bolivar. The admission is free and allows one to see the inside of the lovely ex-headquarters of Bogota’s police force (built in 1923) as well as to review the great … Continue reading
Turkey – Scenes of Istanbul
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) and interior The New Mosque The Blue Mosque The Grand Bazaar and The Spice Bazaar – the ultimate medieval “shopping center,” with over 4000 shops There’s an informal bazaar outside that is possibly even more interesting because of characters like this: And lots of cats Basilica Cistern – Beneath Istanbul lie hundreds … Continue reading
Visiting Pripyat
Founded in 1970, Pripyat was a model Soviet city built for the Chernobyl power plant workers and their families. It contained all the conveniences that a modern Soviet family could desire: high-rise apartment buildings, schools, a cultural center, hospital, swimming pools, theaters, stores, restaurants, cafes, playgrounds, and a stadium. This picture of Pripyat was taken … Continue reading
The Longest Escalator In The World?
Well, it is certainly the longest I have ever seen or heard about… This is in Kiev, Ukraine and is the way down to the city’s subway system which is very, very far underground. The escalator moves quite quickly by Western standards, but it still takes several minutes to get to the bottom. Continue reading
Stalin Line Military Complex, Belarus
The original Stalin Line was a line of fortifications along the western border of the Soviet Union. Work began on the system in the 1920s to protect the USSR against “western aggression.” The line was made up of fortified bunkers and gun emplacements, similar but less elaborate than the Maginot Line (and equally ineffective). Following … Continue reading
The Whirling Dervishes Of Khartoum, Sudan
Something really not to miss around Khartoum is the gathering of the Whirling Dervishes at the Hamed al Nil mosque every Friday until the sun goes down. This Sufi order gathers together in the cemetery around the mosque to sing, chant and whirl in the dust wearing colorful patchwork clothes. Everyone stands in a huge … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 