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TOUR DATE: Sept 23rd -
Oct, 05th, 2006
DAY 1 ISTANBUL
Sept 23rd
ISTANBUL Arrival in
Istanbul and transfer to Hotel Ayasofya. The tour members will be given a
transfer to the hotel from the airport. Please check the arrival info for
the details. Hotel Ayasofya is almost as it was 200 years ago and is
situated within walking distance of all the must-see places in Istanbul. The
tour starts at 5.00 pm. After a short introduction we will visit the Blue
Mosque and have dinner
DAY 2
ISTANBUL Sept
24th
ISTANBUL Some of the sights we will see
include the Cistern, the Turkish Islamic Art Museum, St. Sophia, and Topkapi
Palace. The visit to the Turkish Islamic Museum, especially the ethnographic
section, makes a perfect introduction to what we will see in the countryside
Breakfast Lunch Dinner included
DAY 3 ISTANBUL OVERNIGHT TRAIN
Sept 25th
TRAIN Shop at the famous
Covered Bazaar. We will
visit the Chora church to see the exquisite Byzantine mosaics from the 12th
century. If you are interested in early Christian art and dogma you will be
overwhelmed by this museum. After lunch on your own in the 19th century
Quarter, We will end the day with a cruise on the Bosphoros aboard our own
private boat. The views of the city at dusk with its 600 mosques are
unforgettable. Dinner will be at a seafood restaurant much favored by the
locals. Train to Ankara. In Turkey, trains are regarded as the most
civilized mean of transportation. Your luggage will be with you in your
compartments. Unless you chose to be single 2 people to a compartment. The
train leaves at 10.30 Pm and arrives Ankara the next morning at 08.00 AM
Breakfast and Dinner included
DAY 4 ANKARA OVERNIGHT at CAPPADOCIA UCHISAR
CAPPADOCIA
Sept 26th
CAPPADOCIA In Ankara, visit the most beautiful museum of Turkey, the
Anatolian Civilization Museum. This is a one of a kind museum, displaying 26
different civilizations. All the artifacts of these civilizations that have
been excavated from Anatolia are in this museum.
Seeing it will give us a better understanding of the cultural and historic
layers of the Anatolian civilization. After lunch we visit the mausoleum of
Ataturk, the father of the Turks, then take a bus to Cappadocia over a
beautiful country road for a taste of lovely Turkish landscapes and farms.
Overnight at Museum Hotel at heart of Cappadocia. Waking up in the morning
to magnificent sights is one of the unique aspects of this motel Brekfas
Lunch Dinner included
DAY 5 CAPPADOCIA
Sept 27th
CAPPADOCIA Cappadocia is a land where nature and man have competed with each
other to create the most unusual and the most beautiful. We will hike to
10th and 11th century churches, monasteries, and houses carved in the rocks,
and visit a family living in one of these rock dwellings. ( The description
of the hike is below ) The moonlike terrain of Cappadocia with its endless
artwork is a photographer's delight.
Since Cappadocia is the carpet center of Turkey, we will schedule a
demonstration at a factory where the art of making carpets by hand and dying
with natural dies is being kept alive. We will see Turkish folk dancing this
evening at dinner. Overnight in Cappadocia Brekfas Lunch Dinner included
DAY 6 GUZELYURT
Sept 28th
GUZELYURT Avanos will be
our next stop. People have been making pottery here since the time of the
Hittites (3rd century BC). We will visit a local potter who is keeping this
art alive After visiting the underground city of the early Christians. Home
visit in a village Dinner and overnight in Guzelyurt, in a hotel that was
built in 1853 as a Christian girls school. You will be given the option of
home stay at this small town HOME STAY OPPORTUNITY Brekfas Lunch Dinner
included
DAY 7 KONYA
Monday
Sept 29th
Breakfast at a village
house Visit a church which is now a mosque built in 385 AD The oldest
monastery of Christiandom We then depart for Konya, stopping en route at a
12th century Caravanserai. Konya is the first capital of the Selcuks, the
oldest Turkish Empire in Anatolia. It is also known for being the homeland
of Rumi, a 13th century poet-philosopher and one of the earliest humanists.
The ambiance of the city has not changed much for the past 800 years.
Overnight at a hotel in the center of Konya. Breakfast Lunch Dinner
included
DAY 08
Sept 30th ANTALYA
DAY 09
Oct. 01st
ANTALYA BOAT TRIP
DAY 10 Oct 02nd PAMUKKALE
Via a wonderful lake drive to Pamukkale .
Today we visit Pamukkale (ancient Heirapolis), the most unusual natural
phenomenon of Turkey. The Turkish name literally "cotton castle" - refers
to the extraordinary surface of the snow-white cliffs, shaped over millennia
by the accumulation of calcium deposited by mineral springs. Visit the hot
springs and swim in a spa amid Roman columns. We will have dinner and
overnight in a local pension in the village center where you can continue to
swim in the curative waters of this five-thousand-year-old health center
Brekfast Lunch Dinner included
DAY 11 June Oct 03rd KUSADASI
Selcuk (Ephesus) Drive through a meandering valley visit the temple of
Appollo ,the oracle center and Visit Miletus the last stop of St Paul in him
home country Enjoy the pleasure of hiking in an ancient city. Overnight at
Selcuk Brekfast Lunch Dinner included
DAY 12 KUSADASI
Oct. 04nd
Selcuk (Ephesus) This will be our big day in Ephesus, the best-preserved
classical city on the eastern Mediterranean and among the best places in the
world to get a feel for what life was like in Roman times. Certainly, the
climax of the trip will be at the city of Ephesus, sitting in the theater
visualizing 35,000 Ephesians following the silversmith Demetrius shouting
"...great is Artemis of Ephesians..." in reaction to St. Paul's preaching
"there should be no man-made gods." Overnight in Selcuk
Day 13
Oct, 05th
End of the tour in
Kusadasi
Tour
Price
US$ 2.250.-
Single room supplement US$ 250.-
THE PRICE INCLUDES
* 11 nights hotel, double occupancy
* ONE NIGHT AT THE TRAIN Train ride
* Private boat in Istanbul
*Private boat in Antalya
* Breakfast, lunch and dinner each day except for 2 dinners in Antalya
* All entrance fees
* Tips at the hotels and the restaurants
* All transportation
* Guiding through out the tour
*Water with the meals
NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
* Flights to and from Turkey
* Domestic flight
* Beverages and drinks
* Cancellation insurance
* Tip to the Driver
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