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Day 1 -
Evening departure from Toronto on British Airways via London
Day 2 -
Istanbul - Transfer by private coach to the hotel where accommodation
has been reserved for three nights at the Hotel Arcadia. Welcome dinner.
Day 3- Istanbul -
Today we tour
the old city of Istanbul. The city's
skyline is eloquent testimony to more than 500
years of Ottoman
rule. But long before that, as Constantinople or Byzantium, it was
one of the greatest cities in the world.
On our tour we discover Byzantine and Ottoman treasures. We see the Hippodrome Square
where chariot races were held in ancient times, tour the Haghia Sophia Museum
which was the great cathedral of Byzantium and we marvel at the incredible Blue
Mosque with its priceless Iznik tiles. The highlight is a visit to the Royal Topkapi Palace - the
luxurious residence
of the sultans from the 15th to the 19th century. Inside
the palace we see
the sultan's harem and fabulous treasures including imperial robes,
jewels and magnificent porcelain collections. HOTEL
ARCADIA Breakfast and lunch
included.
Day 4 Istanbul -
After a leisurely
breakfast we explore the opulent Dolmabahce Palace.
This was the magnificent new palace which
eventually bankrupted the country. Following lunch we
return to the old city to visit the Spice
Market with its exotic fragrances and the Grand Bazaar where
Turkish merchants have brought their rugs, leather-goods and
jewelry for many centuries.
Built in 1450, the bazaar is a maze of small shops and cafes. We
have a brief stop at the Old Book Bazaar. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to
explore some of the old city on our own or return to the hotel
on the bus.
HOTEL ARCADIA Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 5 Istanbul / Kayseri/ Cappadocia -
for our exciting visit to Cappadocia we transfer
to the airport for the short flight to Kayseri.
We transfer by coach to our hotel in Cappadocia where we
stay for 2 nights. After checking into the hotel we tour the
Cappadocia Region to see
its fairy chimneys, volcanic landscapes, centuries old rock
churches and troglodyte
dwellings. We visit the open-air museum of the Goreme Valley, the
canyon of Zelve, the
natural citadel of Uchisar which gives us a panoramic view. Kizilvadi and Dervent
are small villages where where people still
use horses and carts as transportation.
HOTEL PERI TOWER Breakfast and dinner
included.
Day 6 Cappadocia -
We have a
full day touring including the Cavusin village with its Church
of John the Baptist near the top of a cliff which rises above
the village. We visit the handicraft centre of Avonos which is
famous for its beautiful pottery and carpets.
HOTEL
PERI TOWER. Breakfast and dinner included.
Day 7 -
Depart for the
Ihlara Valley. The first stop is at the underground
city of Kaymakli which was carved by the early Christians
escaping persecution. We continue to Ihlara where we have a
leisurely walk 5 km (weather permitting) in the
beautiful canyon along the Melendiz River to the village of Belisirma.
Along the way stop to see some of the Rock Cut Churches. Our bus
waits for us in the village to take us on to Konya and along the
way we visit the ancient Caravanserai of Sultanhani. In the days
when camel caravans plyed the trade routes along the Silk Road
from the East, the caravanserais were secure overnight stops (their
distance apart was the distance a camel could travel in a day -
about 20 miles).
Overnight at Konya HOTEL OZKAYMAK
Breakfast and dinner included.
Day 8 Konya - Konya
is
home of the mystic sect of Whirling Dervishes. We visit the Mausoleum
of Mevlana (founder of the Whirling Dervishes - a beleiver in
the virtues of dance and music as a means of freeing oneself
from earthly bondage). The whirling dance is now performed as a
folk-lore spectacle. In the afternoon we continue to Antalya,
descending through the Taurus Mountains.
Along the way we visit the ruins of the ancient Pamphylian cities of Perge and Aspendos.
Aspendos has the best preserved Roman theatre in Turkey.
We stay in the lovely walled city of Antalya for three nights.
HOTEL
ASPEN Breakfast and dinner
included.
Day 9 Antalya
- After a leisurely
start we visit the Archeological Museum
with its survey of the great periods in Pamphylia's history -
from the neolithic, on through the Bronze Age to Hellenistic and
Roman times. This region was the Cradle of Civilization -
inhabited for 50,000 years - and the museum has artifacts from
the Paleolithic Age to Ottoman times. It is one of the most
important museums in the Mediterranean region.
Following this we have a walkabout around the Old Harbour to see
Hadrian's Gate and the medieval walls. The
rest of the day is at leisure - perhaps lunch at one of the many
seafood restaurants or an optional tour to the ancient mountain
site of Termessos. You climb the last 2 kilometres on foot and the view
from the top is spectacular. HOTEL ASPEN. Breakfast and dinner
included.
Day 10 Antalya -
Day at leisure -
The guide will have suggestions for optional tours
Of course there is always the option of browsing through the many shops.
HOTEL ASPEN . Breakfast and dinner included.
Day 11
Antalya / Fethiye
Early morning departure for a long but interesting day. We
follow the Turquoise Riviera's beautiful coastline stopping in
Demre (the ancient town of Saint Nicholas) where we visit his
church and see the rock tombs. The legend of Santa Claus started
here when Saint Nicholas (the Bishop of Myra), in the first half
of the 4th century, was said to have made nocturnal visits to
the houses of local children to leave gifts, including gold
coins as dowerys for poor village girls. If a window was closed
he would drop the gifts down the chimney (so the story goes). In
the afternoon we visit Xanthos, the greatest
city of ancient Lycia. The earliest historical reference to the
lycians date back to the Late Bronze Age (ca 1500 - 1200 BC) in
numerous Egyptian, Hittite and Ugaritic texts. It is known from
these that the Lycians were involved in acts of piracy against
Cyprus around 1400 BC and that they fought against Egypt in the
ranks of the Hittites during the battle of Kadesh in 1295 BC
(the famous battle of Ramses II ). We
continue to the quaint seaside
village of Fethiye for dinner overlooking the harbour filled
with Turkish gullets (boats). Breakfast and dinner included.
HOTEL ECE SARAY
Day 12 Fethiye / Bodrum -
After breakfast we depart
for Turkey's St Tropez - Overnight at Bodrum with its beautiful harbour and
castle. In ancient times Bodrum was the city of
Halicarnassos. Breakfast and dinner included. HOTEL DEDEMAN
Day 13 - Bodrum - In the morning we visit the mausoleum
of Halicarnasos which was one of the seven wonders of the world.
We also visit the Bodrum Castle Rhodes Cavaliers which offers
one of the best underwater museums of the world. Afternoon free
to enjoy sea and sun. Breakfast and dinner included. HOTEL DEDEMAN
Day 14 - Bodrum/ Kusadasi -
Today we drive to Didyma where we visit the Temple of Apollo.
This is part of the ancient Sacred Way. As grand in scale as the
Parthenon, this temple has 124 well-preserved columns. Its
oracles rivaled those of Delphi. The corridor walls would throw
the oracle's voice into deep and ghostly echoes which priests
would interpret. We
continue to Kusadasi where we stay for three nights in a
charming waterfront hotel owned by the great grandson of the
last surviving Sultan. The gardens of the Kismet are a beautiful oasis with
palm trees and bougainvillea cascading from the walls. The hotel
has played host to many dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth
and the Aga Khan.
HOTEL KISMET Breakfast and dinner
included.
Day 15 Kusadasi -
Today is a highlight of a
visit to Turkey. We visit the Ionian City of Ephesus
which dates from the 1st century B.C. and considered to be the
best preserved classical city on the Aegean. As the capital of
Roman Asia Minor, it was richly endowed with marble temples and
beautiful mosaics which have been uncovered recently. The Celsus
Library, agora and theatre which seated 28,000 people are
fascinating to visit. Ephesus
grew to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire, the site of a Christian shrine, and one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world. Legend has it that the
Virgin Mary came to Ephesus at the end
of her life. There will
be a stop at the archaeological museum near Ephesus. HOTEL KISMET
Breakfast and dinner included.
Day 16 Kusadasi/ Istanbul -
we depart for the airport in Izmir for our flight to Istanbul. Tonight we have a farewell dinner
with entertainment at an atmospheric Turkish
restaurant in Istanbul. Breakfast and dinner included.
Day 17 -
Depart from Istanbul for
home on British Airways.
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