When I mentioned our trip to Istanbul to an Australian tourist I met in Jordan, he insisted that I read the novel The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk and then go to the museum by that same name.

The novel and the museum go hand in hand. The novel is a true story of the love affair between a Turkish socialite and a shop girl that takes place during his engagement to another woman. The museum houses all the artifacts of their affair. As fate would have it, we stayed at a hostel around the corner from The Museum of Innocence.  Upon entering the museum I felt as if I was in a different world, and was completely enveloped in an intimate love affair. I also LOVED the presentation of the museum. There are 66 diorama type exhibits with sounds, smells and photographs to incite the emotion he was feeling during those times.

The book and the museum are both completely bizarre, but unlike anything I have ever experienced. At times it seems creepy and obsessive, but I mostly feel compelled to tell you that is a masterpiece and complete work of art.