|
DAY 1 ISTANBUL
June 09, 2007
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
June 10, 2007
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 June 11, 2007
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 June 12, 2007
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
June 13, 2007
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
June 14, 2007
 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 June
15, 2007
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 Antalya June
16,
2007
Rumi and his philosophy will be the topic of our morning
lecture. We'll then visit the Mevlana Museum, which is
dedicated to him. Next comes the most scenic drive of
our trip -- five hours to Antalya. You will be able to
see how the flora changes as we drive over the grand
Taurus Mountains. Poised between these jagged mountains
and the shimmering sea, Antalya is the principal city on
Turkey's central Mediterranean coast. In this beautiful
city we will stay at a 200-year-old stone house that has
been renovated as a pension. You'll be "on your own" for
dinner.
Day
09 Antalya 17, 2007
Weather permitting, we
will take a five-hour cruise on the Mediterranean to the ancient site of
Phaselis, located on a peninsula with ancient harbors on both sides. This will
be our first Roman site. The ancient stones are scattered among the reed pine
trees, which grow right out from the sea in an incomparably romantic setting.
Tonight you'll have the option of going to a Turkish bath (included in the trip
cost). We'll overnight in Antalya, with dinner on your own.
DAY 10 PAMUKKALE
June
18, 2007
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
KUSADASI
June
19, 2007
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
June
20, 2007
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 END OF THE TOUR June
21,
2007
The trip ends after breakfast, and transfer
to Izmir Air port
But you
may extend your stay on your own if you wish. There are many options
available, such as a yacht tour on the Turkish Riviera at very reasonable rates
or the Greek island of Rhodes (only a one-hour boat ride away). Otherwise, you
may return directly to Istanbul by bus or air for more sightseeing before your
departure. You may also return to Istanbul via a 3-day bus ride visiting other
sites in western Anatolia, such as Pergamum and Troy.
IF YOU WANT SEE OUR AFTER THE TOUR
OPTIONS PLEASE CHECK OUR TOUR HAND
BOOK
Tour Price
US$ 2.350.-
Single room
supplement US$ 250.-
THE PRICE INCLUDES
* 11 nights hotel, double occupancy
* Train ride
* Private boat
in Istanbul
*
Breakfast, lunch and dinner each day
* All
entrance fees
* Tips at the hotels and the restaurants
* All
transportation
*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
|
