Travel to Turkey
Overnight Flight
Depart Ice House at 5:00 PM for Washington Dulles. Flight: Turkish Airlines 008 Departing 11:00 PM and arriving into Istanbul, Turkey on Sept 10, 2019 at 4:15 PM. Dinner in Istanbul on our own (not included).
Istanbul Old City
After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll depart around 08:30 AM for a guided tour of the Istanbul Old City. We will visit the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column, the German Fountain of Wilhelm II. After lunch, we will visit the Basillica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, and Grand Bazaar. Dinner at Kumkapi Fish Restaurant with unlimited local drinks (included).
Total touring time: 12+ hours. Walking conditions will be easy, but long, as we will be touring well-traveled roads and famous, historical sites.
Bosphorus Cruise, Dolmabahce Palace, Spice Bazaar Tour
After breakfast at our hotel, we will visit the Istanbul neighborhoods of Ortakoy, Bebek, Arnavutkoy. We will then take a 90 minute cruise along the Bosphorus. After the cruise, we will visit Dolmabahce Palace. We will have lunch (included) and then visit the most famous bazaar in the world: the Spice Bazaar. This bazaar is heaven for spice lovers looking for local delicacies. Next, we will visit the Rustem Pasha Mosque, built by Mimar Sinani in 1560. We will then drive and visit the Chora Chora Church with the most amazing tiles, mosaics and paintings of early Christianity. We will have dinner at Asitane Restaurant which serves up dishes using original recipes dating back hundreds of years (not included). Overnight in Istanbul.
Total touring time: 12+ hours. Walking conditions will be easy, but long, as we will be touring well-traveled sites.
*Semi-required reading: “Bitter Lemons” by Laurence Durrell. We will sit, have coffee in the same restaurant and that he penned his famous book about the long history of Cyprus.
Total touring time: 8 hours. Walking conditions will be tough in St. Hilarion, as it is an ancient castle built by Richard the Lionheart for his wife during the Crusades. The rest of the walking conditions will be much simpler, but still hilly.
Authentic Turkish Hammam, Flight to Cappadocia
After breakfast, and for those interested, we will enjoy an optional, authentic Turkish Bath “Hammam” experience (not included). A Turkish bath at an original hammam is full of opulent ritual, including a bath bowl, slippers, a bath glove, an olive oil massage, shampoo, conditioner, and beyond. It is the most exfoliating experience you will ever have, washing you from head-to-toe (there are separate rooms for men and women).
For those not interested in a Hammam experience, this will be time for you to explore Istanbul on your own for a couple of hours and enjoy the many pedestrian-friendly alleyways and do some shopping. We will have lunch together (included) and then catch a domestic flight to Cappadocia. Flight information: Turkish Airlines departing Istanbul at 17:25 - Arrival into Kayseri at 18:50.
Total touring time: 3 hours
Hot Air Balloon, Devrent Valley, Goreme Open Air Museum
Optional Hot-Air Balloon flight - the hot air balloon experience is infamous in Cappadocia, with sweeping views of the breathtaking fairy chimneys and caves (not included).
After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll depart around 09:00AM to visit the sights and unique geographical landscape of Cappadocia, including the Devrent Valley and its fairy-chimneys; Pasabag (Monk’s Valley) and its mushroom-shaped pinnacles; Avanos, a center of terracotta art, for a pottery demonstration and lunch (included). After lunch, we will visit the Goreme Open Air Museum with its rock-cut churches that date back hundreds of years, many filled with excellent examples of Byzantine art. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Total touring time: 8 hours. Walking conditions will be moderate, as we will be walking along unpaved, but smooth paths through valleys, old Byzantine churches and some caves.
Kaymakli Underground City, Flight to Izmir
After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll depart around 09:00AM to visit the Kaymakli underground city where Christians between the 5th and 10th centuries lived in fear of Arab and Mongolian invaders. We will also pass through Mustafapasa Village (Sinasos), Soganli Valley, Keslik Monastry, Cemil Village. We will then take a domestic flight to Izmir. Pegasus Airlines departing Kayseri at 17:05 and arriving into Izmir at 18:30. We will then drive to our hotel in Kusadasi (approximately 1 hour drive). Overnight in Kusadasi.
Total touring time: 4 hours. Please note: walking conditions may be difficult in the underground city, with small tunnels that fray off and deeply inclined passageways.
Ephesus, Temple of Artemis, House of Virgin Mary
After breakfast, we depart for a tour of Ephesus, an important city of the ancient world. Ephesus is a deeply historical Roman & Greek city with amphitheaters, columns, temples and beyond. It is an amazing, well-preserved large city that is mentioned multiple times throughout the Bible. We will visit the Temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the House of Virgin Mary, where many believe she spent the final years of her life and the impressive ruins of the The Basillica of St John.
Total touring time: 8+ hours. Please note: walking conditions may be difficult in Ephesus (ancient city, not paved).
Smyrna, Saint Polycarp Church, Tire Farmers Market
After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to Smyrna. The first settlement of ancient Smyrna dates back to 3000 BC. and visit Saint Polycarp Church. This is the oldest Christian church in Smyrna, which was built in 1625, by the wish of French King Louis 13th. It was dedicated to St. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. Lunch will be at Kordon (included). Then, we will and learn how to make the Turkish local spirit of Raki (similar to Ouzo) here. We will then drive to Tire, the largest Farmers Market in the Aegean for some local shopping. Overnight in Kusadasi.
Total touring time: 8+ hours. Please note: walking conditions will be long, but not strenuous.
Lake Bafa, Local Lunch, Sirince Vineyards
After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to Lake Bafa, a quiet and scenic village built over the ruins of ancient Heraclia. We will have a nice trek along the shore of White Beach, where there are two ruined 12th century monasteries. This is one of the most beautiful hiking experiences in all of Turkey. We will have lunch at one of the lakeside restaurants (included). On the way back, stop for a grape harvest and eat in a local place with a local, Turkish family and experience how to make and enjoy Turkish pastas: Gozleme and Manti. Before we return for the evening, we will have a Wine tasting and tour of a local vineyard in Sirince, the primary wine making region of Turkey, Overnight in Kusadasi.
Total touring time: 8 hours. Please note: the drive from hotel to Lake Bafa is approximately 1 hour. The drive from Lake Bafa to the wine village is another hour. And the final drive back to our hotel from the vineyard is 35 minutes. Walking will not be strenuous, but at a gentle, pleasant pace.
Lost City of Sculptures, Temple of Aphrodite, Thermal Baths, Necropolis
After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Aphrodisias, The Lost City of Sculptures. We will visit Aphrodisias, including Temple of Aphrodite, Monumental Gateway, Bouleuterion, Sebasteion, and the Stadium. We will then drive to Pamukkale, or “Cotton Castle” in Turkish. Pamukkale is famous for its healing thermal mineral waters, and beautiful snow-white petrified waterfalls. We can take a dip in Cleopatra’s Thermal Baths, the place where Cleopatra supposedly swam to find the fountain of youth. We will then visit Hierapolis, the ancient city known for its magnificently preserved Necropolis. You will see the Main Street and Gates, the Thermal Baths, the Devil’s Hole, and the Theatre. Drive to Bodrum for overnight.
Total Tour time: 12 hours. Please note the drive from hotel to Aphrodisias is approximately 1 hour. The drive from Aphrodisias to Pamukkale is about 3 hours. The drive back to hotel is about 2.5 hours. Walking conditions will be more difficult in Aphrodisias, as this is an ancient Roman City with unpaved roads. Also, please note: Cleopatra’s thermal baths are wet and slippery. You must be careful! They are very, very shallow, but they can be slippery. Today will be one of our longest days.
Bodrum Castle
Bodrum is a fantastic, seaside city that overlooks the Aegean! It’s nightlife is famous, as its cuisine. After Breakfast at the hotel, we will visit Bodrum Castle, Museum of Underwater Archaeology, Bodrum town, Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Bodrum Windmills, Gumusluk, charming fishing port near Bodrum and dinner. We can find a delicious fish restaurant for dinner (not included). Overnight in Bodrum.
Total tour time: 6 hours. Walking conditions will be easy, as Bodrum is a modern, clean city with plenty of sidewalks.
Flight Home
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to airport for our flights home!
Turkish Airlines flight 2509 departing Bodrum 11:15 AM and arriving into Istanbul at 12:45 PM. To connect with Turkish Airlines flight 007 departing Istanbul 14:45 and arriving into Washington Dulles at 19:25 PM. We will then have transportation waiting for us in Dulles to take us back to the Ice House in Harrisonburg.
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