If...part 3

4.  If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?

This question brings to mind an idea that my daughter has developed as a way for us getting places.  After riding along with me on trips to our bank, Evalyn has decided that she wants to build a pneumatic tube system between our house in Decorah and her grandparents' house in both Winona, MN and Monticello, IA as well as her best friends house in Iowa City, IA.  She thinks she should be able to transport herself as quickly as possible to the three places and people she loves the most.  I think that is a wonderful idea.

But would I do the same?  See someone I love?  Probably not.  I've always wanted to travel and see the many wonders and cultures this world has to offer.  For many different reasons, I always put the idea of travel off.  I always thought, "I'll do it when I'm older."  So, I'm sitting here early in the morning and am reminded that I love to watch the sunrise.  Although it wouldn't be the same time anywhere in the world, I would love to be on a rooftop before dawn listening to muezzins issuing the call to prayer.   It would be in a city founded in the 7th Century B.C.E.  A city that has seen its fair share of rulers and ruling religions.  A bastion of architecture sits within its limits from Roman aqueducts and obelisks, through Byzantine churches and domes, to Ottoman mosques.  Surrounded by the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Golden Horn and divided by the Bosphorus, I would visit, Istanbul, Turkey.

I remember my first interest with Istanbul very vividly. My grandmother Loretta always found it important to have National Geographic for her grandchildren.  Having a subscription given to you as an 8 year old seemed to lead to very little bemusement other than the pictures.  As I became older, my fascination was held by more than just images.  Don't get me wrong, the spectacular photographs of places and buildings I couldn't even imagine drew me in, but the words held me.  The article was about The Grand Bazaar.  Glorious shots of covered streets filled with shops and people, I wanted to be there too.  My interest has only grown as my historical understandings of the city grew just as I have.  Although my first inclination at this moment would be to make sure I'm there for the sunrise, I would stay much, much longer.