DATES: MAY 30 through JUNE 13, 2009
The wonderful Turkish people welcomed our Behind the Scenes Adventures group this past spring, and eagerly showed us the best textile collections, the best Turkish baths and the best bazaar stalls, then proceeded to offer us delicious and exotic dishes at every meal.
We will stay in the same beautiful hotel in Istanbul that charms us on every trip; it was once a private home, decorated with beautiful antiques. The hotel is in the heart of Sultanahmet, the old historical part of Istanbul, and only two blocks from the exquisite Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace of the Sultans, and Santa Sophia.
And those bountiful buffet breakfasts--with big platters of fresh-baked breads, olives and cheeses, cucumbers and tomatoes, yogurt, nuts and dried apricots, to be polished off with juice and delicious coffee! We will help ourselves to breakfast in the cozy dining room where hundreds of colored glass lamps give off a soft, glowing light.
Next we fly east to the town of Tokat where we will have a private woodblock printing workshop to pattern our own beautiful cotton scarves, called yazma - using your choice of the hand-carved wood-blocks traditional to the area. In Tokat, we also visit the Gok Madrasa (1271 AD) now an ethnological museum, and eat a delicious pasta dish called manti. Continuing south, we will visit carpet makers and bazaars, then head to another treasure--the stunning and fascinating Cappadocia area. During the course of the trip, we will visit many textile artists--carpet weavers and rug knotters - as well as caravanseries, Byzantine-era churches decorated with ancient frescoes, and a fabulous underground town hollowed out of eroded volcanic cones and hills.
In Cappadocia, we'll sleep peacefully in our cozy rooms at our unique and delightful cave hotel. There in our cooking classes, we will learn to make delicious traditional dishes, perhaps manti and bouerek or baklava, with organic foods - thanks to the innovative chef at the hotel.
A wonderful experience in Cappadocia is the optional hot air balloon ride over sensational, eroded tufa stone landscapes. The balloons float safely and silently over the area, offering the passengers unparalleled views of the "fairy chimney" volcanic formations. (Anyone not ballooning may sleep in, as the balloon crew leaves at 6am and returns for breakfast around 9am.)
We continue in our comfortable private van southwest to the fascinating town of Konya where we visit the tomb of the famous Sufi poet, Rumi. We also visit markets, sock knitters, and kilim rug (slit tapestry) weavers to see the fine, colorful textiles produced in the area. Then we visit the pretty town of Selcuk- and have a guided tour of Ephesus, the largest and best-preserved classical city on the eastern Aegean. Later, we go to Bursa and see the market and a fabulous private textile and costume collection.
Farewell dinner back in Istanbul the last night.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- all hotels (tourist-class boutique hotels, double occupancy)
- all meals of delicious traditional Turkish cooking
bountiful buffet breakfasts at the hotels
- TWO interior flights
- all ground transportation by private van with excellent driver
- English-speaking guide
- entrance to all historical and archaeological sights on the itinerary
- and the private Tokat scarf printing workshop with your creations to take home
Single Supplement: $350; optional hot air balloon ride: $150 (to be paid directly to balloon tour company in Urgup).
Also see tour packages in:
Middle East
Turkey
Food & Wine
Textile Arts
Email it to a friend:
Click here to email this vacation to a friend
|
