The Grand Bazaar – is massive with serpentine corridors going in all directions. It is clean, well lit, and feels like a mall that was not designed by a cookie cutter real estate developers.  

We visited the shop of an Armenian calligrapher, Nick Mendenyan who has developed a magnificent body of work, all on diffenbachia and caladium leaves that he imports from a greenhouse in Florida.  He dries the leaves in and then spends two months creating intricate designs in gold leaf and ink applied with brushes made of cat’s hair.  Striking, unique and wonderful…