Teachers' Travel                Leisurely Touring

Ancient Sites of Turkey

          April 15 - May 1, 2009
           Oct 17 - Nov 2, 2009

Itinerary

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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