Asia
The Silk Road
M o r o c c o
Syria &Jordan
T u r k e y 101
Spiritual Tours
Sierra Club
Special Interest
Educational -
University CLARK
COLLEGE EARLHAM
COLLEGE
Anita and I have organized many tours
to Western Turkey, Eastern Turkey, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan,
Karakalpakistan in Central Asia. We took our groups to Mongolia,
West China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan on the Silk Road. We have
covered Morocco from the Atlantic Ocean to the Sahara desert. We
have always had wonderful people travel with us. We had laughter.
We had tears of joy . We always celebrated the wonderful
crafts and works of the women that we have met on our travels. This time, we have decided to treat our selves to a unique
experience of living the cultural life of Turkey through concerts, opera, movies, spas and of
course history and crafts. Anita Mayer is my mentor. Join her on
this tour to also learn from her how to grow ,mature, and be more
worldly through travel and sharing.
Meli
We do not have the 2008 weekly
programs for the performances. As soon as the programs are
made public, we will let you know what the program for our
tour will be for the Opera, concerts and ballet.
Tour Dates:
Day 01 Saturday- Oct 11, 2008
- Day 14 Friday Oct. 24, 2008
Tour Extension (Post Tour)
:Day 01 Friday Oct 24, 2008 - Day 4
Oct, 27, 2008
Dinner at a roof top where you can experience a
great feel for the past 2000 years of Istanbul
and her unique geographic location - connecting
Asia and Europe. Overnight at Hotel
Ayasofya located in the neighborhood of Aya
Sophia. This hotel is a renovated 18th Century
Ottoman House with only 23 rooms and a very
friendly personnel. Dinner is included at
the Blue House
DAY 2 October 12,
2008 Sunday ISTANBUL
BLACK SEA COAST,ORTAKOY, MAMMA MIA Full
day tour - Istanbul
to and back
from the Black Sea coast of .
The
Bosporus of Istanbul divides Asia from
Europe. As we are cruising up towards the Black Sea, we
will witness the beauty that has been an inspiration to many
artists. The sea gulls will dance around our boat while we
are admiring the houses lined around the shore. The two-
three hundred year old wooden houses will cast their shadows
on the dark blue waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of
Marmara rushing north and south trying to hug as if they have
not seen each other for ages. The grand fortress on the shore
will rise as a witness to the hardships that city had gone
through for ages.When we finally arrive at the northern most point of
the Bosporus, we will be welcomed to the small
fishing village where the fishermen will be mending their
nets. Some will be unloading the
silver colored creatures still wiggling in the bottom of the
blue painted boats.
there will be no sign of the big city here. The restaurants
trying to compete with each other will serve the best of any
thing caught in the Black Sea. Lunch is included.
At this town, if you do not finish the meal with an excellent
ice cream , unique to this village, they say that "the fish
you have just eaten will not rest in peace in your stomach
"
On the way back from our cruise, we will stop at Orta Koy ,
the square next to the picture on the left. The local artists
display their art work at this square This will be your
chance to walk the streets on your own and experience
what some people of Istanbul like to do for their
Sunday afternoon with their families. Dinner is not included
tonight. this is your chance to pick up a restaurant for an
early dinner. Tonight we have a fun show to attend in
Istanbul show Center.
The tickets are purchased (July 19, 2008)
Mamma Mia please
click here for more information on this show. The show starts
at 8 pm. Lunch is included Dinner is not included at Orta
Koy.
DAY 3 October 13,
2008 Monday ISTANBUL Chora
Church, Dar Ul ziyafe,, Turkish Bath , Lacivert rest.
For those who have not been to Istanbul before, we will visit
some
of
the see must sites of Istanbul . Since on Monday the other
museums are closed, we will visit Chora Church today. Chora Church was built in the 12th Century and was used as a
Mosque for 500 years after the fall of Istanbul. The frescoes
and the mosaics were perfectly well kept over centuries. They
are the best examples of Christian art of the Byzantine era.
We will be able to trace the lives of Jesus and Mother Mary
through the eyes and the hearts of the artists who had
created the images to be the models for the Renaissance
Artists.
We will have an excellent lunch at the 450 year old building
built by the Master Architect of the Ottoman Palace ,
Mimar Sinan. After lunch at Dar ul ziyafe ( included) we will stroll
around the old neighborhoods of Istanbul which are being
renovated to have the right face lift for 2010, when
Istanbul will be honored the title of "THE CULTURAL CITY OF
EUROPE" . We will witness what it takes for a city to gain
this title. The rest of the day will be your choice. You can
take time to rest, to shop or do few more site seeing. Turkish Bath is a wonderful way of relaxing and
getting the jet lag off from your system. The Turkish Bath is
included.
The late dinner on the Bosphorous tonight is included.
To continue with our Bosporus experience , to night we
will have dinner at an excellent restaurant on the
water at
Lacivert Restaurant.
DAY 4 October 14,
2008 Tuesday ISTANBUL
Visit Quilt makers at night Concert
? Since 2008
Fall schedules are not yet published we do not know exactly
what the activity we will choose for this day.
But in Istanbul there is no shortage of activity.
This morning, we will start with few more site seeing. We
will first explore the underground of Istanbul. The
Basilica Cistern was built with no concern of art but only to
make sure that there was enough water supply for the
construction of Aya Sophia. However, when you walk down the
steps and catch the first glimpse of the 1500 year old
building, you will think that it was built to top
the most artistic edifice of the world of that time. Our next
stop will be Aya Sophia. When this building was completed in
532 AD The emperor who had ordered the church to be built was
so proud of his accomplishment that he had claimed that
his church was better than the one built by Solomon. He said,
" I surpassed thy
fame Solomon"
After lunch ( included) we will visit the Istanbul
guild of quilters. You will get a chance to interact with the
ladies and share with them about what you do for your crafts.
To night we will go to an Opera on the Anatolian side of
Istanbul .
DAY 5 October 15,
2008 Wednesday ISTANBUL Visit
Salvador Dali exhibition, Sufi Performance
Today in the morning we
will have free time at the Grand Bazaar. Meli would love to
show you the little shops owned by the refugees from
Afghanistan. Their shops are full of in expensive but
very colorful nick knacks that can make excellent
Christmas gifts. We will see the colorful dresses of those
women who have to hide underneath Burkas. Lunch will be in
the historic setting of the grand bazaar.
After lunch we will visit a superb exhibition of
Salvador Dali We will have a one hour work shop
with a painter at the exhibition hall.
At
06:30 PM we will leave from the hotel to go to a Whirling
Dervish performance.
The Whirling Dervish are the followers of Celalettin Rum-i, a
13th Century Philosopher, poet, humanist who had celebrated
the beauty of the human beings : in his words
" The Human beings are the master piece
of perfect art"
DAY 6 October 16,
2008 Thursday, ISTANBUL - TRAIN Movie during the day
and continue to Ankara on the night train Today is our last day
in Istanbul. You can either choose to have free time in the
morning or you can join the tour to the Topkapi Palace and
the Harem. We will meet at the hotel to go to Lunch. We will
load our luggage on the bus. Leave the hotel for lunch and
afternoon activities before we get on the night train for the
evening. The train leaves at 10:30 pm. the next morning
arrives at Ankara at 08:00am.
DAY 7 October 17,
2008 Friday ANKARA-
Anatolian
Civilization Museum in the morning concert at night
We
will have breakfast on the train. We will visit the Anatolian
civilization Museum. The museum has been given the "Best
Museum of Europe " award not only for the way it is
exquisitely designed but also for the amazing content. The
displayed objects help one to understand the evolution
of the culture of the man kind. From the time when the Man
Kind started domesticating the animals and cultivating the
land to the times when over natural resources they have
made wars, traded and created multiple deities to protect
themselves. The building where the museum display is , is a
superb 15th century caravan sarai which naturally adds to the
pleasure of visiting this museum. After lunch, we will
check in our hotel. The hotel is in the middle of the city
which is the capital of Turkey. So in the next couple of
hours which will be free time, you can either take a rest and
catch up your sleep if you could not sleep well on the train
or you can walk the streets of Ankara to get the feel for how
different this city is from Istanbul. We will meet at the
hotel . We will visit a work shop of a lady who uses ethnic
craft work for her creations. After an early dinner in the
Embassy Quarter of Ankara,
DAY
8 October 18,
2008 Saturday ANKARA-
Visit Ayas an old
Ottoman village where they do silver weaving and have an
excellent cuisine.
200 YEAR OLD
OTTOMAN HOUSE
Beypazari
is a village not too far away fromAnkara.
the Women of Beypazari are known for being the most talented
cooks of Turkey. They have created a cooking
cooperative so that they can make their cuisine world
famous. The village also takes pride in having the most
number of Ottoman houses still intact. In Istanbul we
will see the imperial Ottoman Architecture. Here in
Beypazari we will see what the civilian architecture was
like in the country side. Beypazari is also known for their
hand made silver jewelry. We will have lunch in
Beypazari and
return to Ankara for an other excellent meal
DAY
9 October 19,
2008 Sunday CAPPADOCIA-
After
Breakfast we will leave for Cappadocia.
After
breakfast, we will have four hours
of bus ride through a wonderful landscape where nature will
be changing colors to sleep over the winter. Cappadocia is a is a land
where nature and man have
competed with each other to create
the most unusual and the most beautiful. We will walk
to 10th and 11th century churches, monasteries, and houses
carved in the rocks, and visit a family living in one of
these rock dwellings. The moon-like terrain of
Cappadocia with its endless artwork is a photographer's
delight. But we will cover all the wonders of Cappadocia at a
very slow pace so that you can enjoy the time in Cappadocia
at your own pace. We will arrive Cappadocia for lunch. After
check in the Hotel, just to get oriented with the terrain, we
will have a short site seeing to village which has been
accepted as the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. Cappadocia is
know and the wine country. we will make a stop at the wine
factory and we will have wine tasting. The dinner will be
served at the hotel. The chef has been given many awards and
has international recognition for his delicious local food.
DAY 10 October 20,
2008 Monday CAPPADOCIA- Magical
Balloon ride ( Optional) Cappadocia with her spectacular landscape
offers
the most magical Balloon ride. The sun rises behind the
volcano which gave life to Cappadocia . The 13000 foot
mountain creates a wonderful
view of sunrise. Those who choose to have the Balloon ride
will return at 08: 30 am. Today we will not leave the hotel until
10:00. In the afternoon we will visit homes and learn
how to crochet oyas. Bring your own crochet and thread.
We will visit the Goreme Monastary and some less visited
churches of Cappadocia.
Dinner will be served at a local restaurant where we
can listen to local music. Overnight at the same Hotel.
DAY
11 October 21
2008 Tuesday CAPPADOCIA-
CLASSES FOR
CARPET MAKING AND POTTERY MAKING Since Cappadocia
is the carpet center of Turkey, we will schedule a
demonstration at a factory where the art of making carpets by
hand and dying with natural dies is being kept alive. We will
see Turkish folk dancing this evening at dinner.
For those
who are interested in learning how to knot Turkish carpets we
will have a class taught by the teacher of the local
cooperative. Those who are interested in pottery making can
take a class of pottery making. If you want to sign up for both classes we can arrange it too.
Lunch at Avanos, dinner at the hotel.
DAY 12 October 22
2008 Wednesday Fly to KUSADASI, EPHESUS We
will fly to Izmir this morning. Before we check in the hotel
we will visit Ephesus. Check into our hotel. Tonight dinner
will be on your own.
Ephesus is the best-preserved classical city on the eastern
Mediterranean and among the best places in the world to get a
feel for what life was like in Roman times. Certainly, the
climax of the trip will be at the city of Ephesus, sitting in
the theater visualizing 35,000 Ephesians following the
silversmith Demetrius shouting "...great is Artemis of
Ephesians..." in reaction to St. Paul's preaching "there
should be no man-made gods."
Kusadasi has many restaurants and the hotel has an excellent
buffet dinner. So this night can be a more relaxing evening
if you choose what you want to do with your time.
DAY 13 October 23 2008 Thursday KUSADASI Breakfast
will be served at a village house restaurant. Surrounded with
flowering fields of Cherry trees, figs and vines and olives,
the village is a traditional Turkish village of narrow
twisting streets stone and white washed houses and terra
cotta roofs. Cooled by fragrant pine scented
breezes, Kirazli is a world away from the bustling
coastal strip. After breakfast, we will go to Meli's
farm by Ephesus . Those of you who are interested in cooking,
you can have a cooking class. Those of you who like to take a
walk you can walk in the forest. If any one is interested n
horse back riding you can have a ride. Our early dinner will
be at the farm. For those who are interested in a belly dance
class we can also have fun learning to wiggle our
tummies.
DAY 14 October 24 2008 Friday END OF THE TOUR Transfer
to the air port For those who
are leaving the tour today, we will transfer to the air port
after breakfast. Those who will take the tour extension to
bursa will continue to Bursa.
The flight ticket to Istanbul is not included in the tour
price. But if you are not taking the extension, please let
anta Mayer know so we can arrange for your flight to
Istanbul. with an early flight out of Izmir to Istanbul, you
can catch your international flight leaving around noon.
T O U R
P R I C E The price of the tour is:
10 pax ......... US$ 4873.-
15 pax ......... US$ 3846.-
20 pax ......... US$ 3332.-
Single Room supplement 340,- US$
If you want MELITOUR
to arrange for your flight from Izmir to Istanbul
The air plane ticket cost between US$ 80 - US $100 depending
on the day we purchase the ticket.
DAY 01
October 24 2008 Friday BURSA From Izmir to
Bursa it takes apprx 6 hours. The road is wonderful very
different from any thing else that we have so far seen in
Turkey. We will have lunch along the way .
Bursa was the First capital of the 'ottoman empire and the
summer capital of the Byzantine empire. The presence of these
two empires however, did not make Bursa as an imperial
city as Istanbul. The monuments of bursa are more down to
earth, decorated with breath taking Hat art and tiles. bursa
is also known for the spas and therapeutic hot waters. Our
hotel is a spa hotel. For today and tomorrow, MELITOUR
can arrange for massage . The Turkish Bath at the hotel is a
wonderful experience.You can have private bath or you can go
as a group. You will love the experience
DAY 02 October 25 2008 Saturday BURSA Bursa
is known for her Old
Makets excellent mosques, Silk production and towels.
we visit the grand Mosque, ULU CAMII , you will have free
time to explore the covered bazaars and silk shops.
Bursa is also famous for a special kebab called Iskender
kebab named after Alexander the Great. We will try this
dish for our lunch today. In the afternoon , you can enjoy
more of the Turkish bath and the spa. the dinner will be at
the hotel.
DAY
03 October 26 2008 Sunday ISTANBUL
Iznik is ancient
Nicea. t is a small town built by the lake which gives its
name to the town. We will visit the Iznik Tle Foundation , an
organization which is trying to revive the ancient tiles of
the Ottomans. After the visit to the Church of Aya Sophia
where The Eucemenic council had decided Jesus was God we will
visit Azize Hanim's farm and see her dolls.
We will take a ferry to Istanbul across the sea of Marmara.
Tonight we will have a farewell dinner at the Golden
Horn Fish restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Ayasofya. DAY
04 October 27 2008 Monday The end of the
tour
After breakfast
transfer to the air port.
Arrive in Istanbul. Transfer
to the Hotel.
Full
day tour - Istanbul
to and back
from the Black Sea coast of .
When we finally arrive at the northern most point of
the Bosporus, we will be welcomed to the small
fishing village where the fishermen will be mending their
nets. Some will be unloading the
silver colored creatures still wiggling in the bottom of the
blue painted boats.
there will be no sign of the big city here. The restaurants
trying to compete with each other will serve the best of any
thing caught in the Black Sea. Lunch is included.
At this town, if you do not finish the meal with an excellent
ice cream , unique to this village, they say that "the fish
you have just eaten will not rest in peace in your stomach
"
of
the see must sites of Istanbul . Since on Monday the other
museums are closed, we will visit Chora Church today. Chora Church was built in the 12th Century and was used as a
Mosque for 500 years after the fall of Istanbul. The frescoes
and the mosaics were perfectly well kept over centuries. They
are the best examples of Christian art of the Byzantine era.
We will be able to trace the lives of Jesus and Mother Mary
through the eyes and the hearts of the artists who had
created the images to be the models for the Renaissance
Artists. 
? Since 2008
Fall schedules are not yet published we do not know exactly
what the activity we will choose for this day.
o
make sure that there was enough water supply for the
construction of Aya Sophia. However, when you walk down the
steps and catch the first glimpse of the 1500 year old
building, you will think that it was built to top
the most artistic edifice of the world of that time. Our next
stop will be Aya Sophia. When this building was completed in
532 AD The emperor who had ordered the church to be built was
so proud of his accomplishment that he had claimed that
his church was better than the one built by Solomon. He said,
At
06:30 PM we will leave from the hotel to go to a Whirling
Dervish performance.
The Whirling Dervish are the followers of Celalettin Rum-i, a
13th Century Philosopher, poet, humanist who had celebrated
the beauty of the human beings : in his words
We
will have breakfast on the train. We will visit the Anatolian
civilization Museum. The museum has been given the "Best
Museum of Europe " award not only for the way it is
exquisitely designed but also for the amazing content. The
displayed objects help one to understand the evolution
of the culture of the man kind. From the time when the Man
Kind started domesticating the animals and cultivating the
land to the times when over natural resources they have
made wars, traded and created multiple deities to protect
themselves. The building where the museum display is , is a
superb 15th century caravan sarai which naturally adds to the
pleasure of visiting this museum. After lunch, we will
check in our hotel. The hotel is in the middle of the city
which is the capital of Turkey. So in the next couple of
hours which will be free time, you can either take a rest and
catch up your sleep if you could not sleep well on the train
or you can walk the streets of Ankara to get the feel for how
different this city is from Istanbul. We will meet at the
hotel . We will visit a work shop of a lady who uses ethnic
craft work for her creations. After an early dinner in the
Embassy Quarter of Ankara,
Beypazari
is a village not too far away
from
Ankara.
the Women of Beypazari are known for being the most talented
cooks of Turkey. They have created a cooking
cooperative so that they can make their cuisine world
famous. The village also takes pride in having the most
number of Ottoman houses still intact. In Istanbul we
will see the imperial Ottoman Architecture. Here in
Beypazari we will see what the civilian architecture was
like in the country side. Beypazari is also known for their
hand made silver jewelry. We will have lunch in
Beypazari and
return to Ankara for an other excellent meal
competed with each other to create
the most unusual and the most beautiful. We will walk
to 10th and 11th century churches, monasteries, and houses
carved in the rocks, and visit a family living in one of
these rock dwellings. The moon-like terrain of
Cappadocia with its endless artwork is a photographer's
delight. But we will cover all the wonders of Cappadocia at a
very slow pace so that you can enjoy the time in Cappadocia
at your own pace. We will arrive Cappadocia for lunch. After
check in the Hotel, just to get oriented with the terrain, we
will have a short site seeing to village which has been
accepted as the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. Cappadocia is
know and the wine country. we will make a stop at the wine
factory and we will have wine tasting. The dinner will be
served at the hotel. The chef has been given many awards and
has international recognition for his delicious local food.
Magical
Balloon ride ( Optional)
offers
the most magical Balloon ride. The sun rises behind the
volcano which gave life to Cappadocia . The 13000 foot
mountain creates a wonderful
view of sunrise. Those who choose to have the Balloon ride
will return at 08: 30 am. Today we will not leave the hotel until
10:00. In the afternoon we will visit homes and learn
how to crochet oyas. Bring your own crochet and thread.
We will visit the Goreme Monastary and some less visited
churches of Cappadocia.
Since Cappadocia
is the carpet center of Turkey, we will schedule a
demonstration at a factory where the art of making carpets by
hand and dying with natural dies is being kept alive. We will
see Turkish folk dancing this evening at dinner.
We
will fly to Izmir this morning. Before we check in the hotel
we will visit Ephesus. Check into our hotel. Tonight dinner
will be on your own. 
From Izmir to
Bursa it takes apprx 6 hours. The road is wonderful very
different from any thing else that we have so far seen in
Turkey. We will have lunch along the way . 
B
ursa
is known for her Old
Makets excellent mosques, Silk production and towels.
we visit the grand Mosque, ULU CAMII , you will have free
time to explore the covered bazaars and silk shops.