Istanbul in $510s-$660s RT

Picking our favorite historical sites in Istanbul is nearly impossible—this is a city where even the birds have ornate palaces, after all.

Heck, some of the famous sites even grant wishes.

So we'll just let honorary flight finder Mark Twain make today's recommendation: the Basilica Cistern. He apparently hated the Hagia Sophia ("the rustiest old barn in heathendom") and the Grand Bazaar ("a monstrous hive of little shops"), but found himself awed by the "sombre twilight" of the underground cistern. And when you're down there among the columns and gorgons, it's easy to see why.

Now, we happen to think the Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar are pretty cool, but he definitely got the cistern right :-)