Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, Monday, 13 October: Welcome meeting over traditional Turkish breakfast of freshly baked bread, organic homemade jam, olives, goats cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers served with steamed Black Sea tea on the terrace of the Turkoman Hotel in Sultanahmet; Istanbul with an overwhelming view of major historical sights. Our Tour will begin with walking through the Hippodrome square, the scene of hundreds of chariot races during the times of the Eastern Roman Empire, to visit the Blue Mosque named after its spectacular tiled interior.
A short distance away is the venerable Aya Sofya, probably Istanbul's most famous monument dating from 537AD and renown as the greatest church in Christendom till 1453. Lunch near the Arasta Bazaar and then a stroll to the Grand Bazaar one of the worlds oldest under cover shopping centers housing over 4000 shops and no visit to Turkey would be complete without experiencing its atmosphere and exquisite products. Dinner will be in local style.
Day 2, Tuesday, 14 October: The famous Turkoman breakfast will be followed by a walk to visit Topkapi Palace, formerly home to Selim the Sot who drowned after drinking too much champagne, Ibrahim the Mad who lost his reason from being caged for 4 years and Roxelana the beautiful but malevolent consort of Suleyman the Magnificent to name only a few. It dates from 1453 and has an exquisite collection of Ottoman textiles, exotic Harem quarters and kitchens with everything on a gigantic scale. Lunch will be served overlooking the Golden Horn before going to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts housed in the palace of Ibrahim Pa&; a built in 1524 with its amazing exhibition of floor to ceiling U; ak carpets and interesting ethnographic department. Dinner at the fish markets.
Day 3, Wednesday, 15 October: After breakfast we will wander through the back streets of Sultanahmet to the exotic Spice Market constructed in 1660 to enjoy the ambiances and array spices, dried fruit and exotic wares. We will lunch locally and everyone will have awhile to discover their own favorite corners of this area before transferring to Ataturk Airport for the 1 hour flight to Izmir. We will arrive in Sirince a village 9kms east of Selçuk, the small town near to the ruins of Ephesus. Sirince is a former Ottoman Greek Village which became Turkish after the exchange of populations in 1924. Our home for the next few days will be Kirkinca Evleri Hotel a delightful venue with a sophisticated yet village atmosphere where dinner will be served overlooking olive groves and vineyards a complete contrast to the hustle of Istanbul.
Day 4, Thursday, 16 October: Following a village breakfast we will head down the valley to the Roman Ruins of Ephesus. Nothing really prepares you for the grandeur and scale of this ancient city with its amphitheater capable of seating over 20,000, restored Celsius Library and Terrace House Museum full of perfect mosaics and frescoes. Lunch will be near by under the trees next to the grotto of the Seven Sleepers where local ladies can demonstrate the art of making: gozleme - a wonderful paper thin dough filled with a variety of options, folded and grilled on a concave metal plate over an open fire. Then awaiting for us at Artisan store-studio in Selçuk will be a well-known Oya expert to present and teach a variety of techniques. Everything will be provided for those who would like to try this ancient art of fabric embellishment. Dinner will be in local restaurant in Selçuk.
Day 5, Friday, 17 October: We will be able to visit a small town 30kms away with a fascinating bazaar quarter untouched in many ways by modern technology and living. The town has been a center for felt making in this region for decades supplying local shepherds with their cloaks, villagers with floor coverings and bridle makers with their necessary felt. A days felt making workshop will be held in a family run old studio with plenty of time to create your own unique piece using your own inspiration and the supplies fiber. Tire is also famous for Tire Kofte- special meatballs served with tomatoes & freshly baked flat bread too good to be missed. We will return to Sirince for a relaxing dinner under the trees.
Day 6, Saturday, 18 October: We will drive to Odemi; following breakfast. This a town 60km from Selçuk to visit the famous Saturday market, a wonderful opportunity to see the wealth of seasonal fruit and vegetable grown locally and to meet the ladies selling their oya, lace and other unique pieces in the shady square. Lunch will be in the vicinity and we will head out of town to visit a silk weaving center something that has been revived in the area then onto Birgi. Birgi is an undeveloped village home to the gorgeous Çakiroglu Kona, perhaps the finest house open to the public in Turkey. On our return dinner will be in the hills above Tire.
Day 7, Sunday, 19 October: A day devoted to the delights of Turkish cuisine. We will be taught the art of making Yaprak Dolma and Manta in a village kitchen overlooking the sweeping olive groves. Yaprak Dolma - stuffed vine leaves- a dish best made as a group when after preparing the mixture the leaves can be filled while chatting. Manta on the other hand is the Turkish equivalent of ravioli, parcel shaped and served with garlic flavored yogurt, tomato sauce and melted butter. We will of course sample the efforts of our labors. In the afternoon we are invited to gather seasonal ripe fruit from a local farm followed by a free evening.
Day 8, Monday, 20 October: After breakfast we will return to Artisan for workshop discussions, further textile information and instruction. With free time available to wander to the Museum, St Jean the Baptists Basilica and through the streets of quaint village homes affording amazing drawing and painting inspiration. We will be welcomed into the kitchen of a family restaurant nearby to be shown ways of preparing various Turkish vegetable enters. Late in the afternoon we will fly from; Izmir to Kayseri to begin the Cappadocia stage of our tour and will be staying in Gamirasu Hotel built around and into the local caves.
Day 9, Tuesday, 21 October: We will be picked up from the hotel for a full days tour of Goreme and the Fairy Chimneys our first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia. The Devrent Valley is beyond belief and we will walk through Zelve Open Air Museum a journey into the past with its troglodyte houses to visit Pasabag Fairy Chimneys. After lunch in Avanos, famous for Terra gotta since 3000BC a visit is planned to one of the famous potteries in the area for a hands on chance to try our luck at the potters wheel. In the afternoon we will arrive at Goreme Open Air Museum with its spectacular examples of Fresco Art from Byzantine times on the walls of churches hewed out of rock. We will climb on top of Uchhisar Rock Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia before returning to our hotel for dinner.
Day 10, Wednesday, 22 October: This will be the first day for learning the ancient art of carpet making with an exceptional expert as our tutor in this field - we will hear about the design motifs, the symbolism, yarn spinning, natural dye methods and types of looms. We will be shown how to make a single& double knot, how to read a design from a graph and how to create our own ideas surrounded by exceptional kilm and carpet examples in a typical village workshop In the evening we will be shown the preparation of Central Anatolian cuisine different in its nature from Aegean specialties.
Day 11, Thursday, 23 October: Our carpet workshop will continue giving the everyone the chance to complete a miniature sample personally. For those who feel the landscape is so overwhelmingly full of inspiration an alternative of a drawing workshop will be available. The total environment is even a novices dream. We will return to discover our chefs secrets and watch the sunset over the worlds only lunar landscape while sipping local wine and enjoying Cappadocian specialties.
Day 12, Friday, 24 October: On our last full day together we will travel to Kaymakli Underground City one of the most interesting settlements in Cappadocia then on to Soganli Valley an open air museum in a wild natural setting. Nearby there is a village with a different style of Rock Churches. Villages in the valleys surrounded by Table Top Mt are spectacular. After lunch we will see Sahinefendi Mosaic Houses and Archaeological excavation site continuing to Keslik Monastery near Cemil. Our tour finishes with a visit to Mustafapasa, an old Greek town with wonderful old Greek houses. Our farewell dinner will be a chance to reflect, enjoy and savior special moments among to mysteries of the fairy chimneys.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Transportation by a comfortable AC non smoking Luxurious car/ Van with professional driver.
- Professional and experienced licensed guide during the tours.
- Internal Flight from Istanbul to Izmir and from Kayseri to Istanbul.
- Turkmen Hotel in Istanbul.
- Kirkinca Evleri in Sirince.
- Gamirasu Hotel In Cappadocia (de luxue cave suite).
- Entry fees to the museums and sites.
- Meals as in the itinerary.
- Parking free.
Also see tour packages in:
Middle East
Turkey
Food & Wine
Textile Arts
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