I cannot believe I am finally here, in the Historic Areas of Istanbul — a UNESCO protected site. On the cobblestoned Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, I am out with a list scribbled “Things to do in Istanbul”. Vehicles are not allowed here. Thankfully, the warm June day is cloudy and breezy. The road is moderately crowded with tourists. My plan is to explore the Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Misir Bazar and the Galata Tower. Istanbul, a transcontinental city in Eurasia, is the cultural capital of Turkey. Established by people of Greek ethnicity in 660 BCE as Byzantium, it aligned with the Roman Empire…