Turkey Treasures: Where East Meets West

Board your overnight flight to Istanbul, arriving the next day, October 8.

Arrive this morning to Istanbul Airport, where there will be a group transfer (time to be announced) to your hotel. There will be an orientation tour on foot this afternoon and visit the underground Basilica Cistern, with its many reflections. Enjoy a welcome dinner, overlooking this amazing city. Overnight three nights Istanbul. (D)

Istanbul provides us with wonderful warm people to photograph, exceptional cuisine to enjoy, and most importantly the most outstanding city photography in Turkey. We will have two full days to explore this vibrant city on foot and utilizing public transportation. The first day we begin early with warm light on the Byzantine architecture (sixth century) of the Hagia Sophia. Continue on with more highlights of Istanbul, such as, the sights and sounds of the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar (be sure not to miss the back streets between the two), and the silhouette of the city from the Galata Bridge – breathtaking while the sun is setting. The photo subjects are endless. The guides will entice you with as much as possible, considering the interests of the entire group. The second morning the tour will begin in the streets of the local neighborhoods, examples may include one of the oldest, Kadirga, with streets lined by old wooden houses, or Kumkapi by the Marmara Sea, known for its colorful seafood restaurants and vendors. Photograph the winding streets, shop owners, and children playing in the streets. This afternoon will be free for those who would like to take an optional tour of the Topkapi Palace and Harem, the impressive architecture of the Blue Mosque, or return to previous architectural highlights on your own. (B, L; B) Please note the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque although impressive, and very important in Turkish history can be overwhelmed with crowds making photography quite difficult ~ therefore late afternoon on your own or perhaps arriving a day early may provide the best opportunity to view.

Depart after an early breakfast this morning Izmir. Upon arrival the group will visit a nomadic village, Nazarkoy (the Village of the Eye). For several generations many of the inhabitants have been specializing in the manufacture of beads bearing the protective sign of the evil eye. In the six workshops scattered throughout the village, seated around a communal furnace, the bead-makers melt down raw and recycled glass, adding necessary colors, which produces between 700 to 800 beads every day. You will also have time to visit the mountain village of Sirince, before traveling on to Ephesus, the best-preserved classical Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean. The ancient city located near the Aegean Sea in modern day Turkey, was one of the great cities of the Greeks in Asia Minor and home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Today, the ruins of Ephesus are a major attraction. It is also a sacred site for Christians due to its association with several biblical figures, including St. Paul, St. John the Evangelist, and the Virgin Mary. Visit such places as St. John’s Basilica & Ayasuluk Hill, and the House of Mary, a simple stone house where it is believed she lived until her Assumption in to Heaven. There will be additional time to photograph Ephesus early tomorrow morning. After Ephesus the second day will be filled with local villages, such as Tire and Birgi. Tire is just twenty miles northeast of Ephesus and is a very colorful village. There are felt and saddle maker shops, where we will wander the streets and photograph the artisans. Overnight Izmir or Selcuk (B, L; B, L)  

Fly this morning to Kayseri near the picturesque Cappadocia. Explore this afternoon and enjoy an additional two full days to visit the highlights of this region. A hot air balloon ride is optional for those that wish to take an hour ride, capturing this unique landscape in your photography. Cappadocia is a land where nature and man have competed with each other to create the unusual and the most beautiful landscape. A hike takes us to tenth and eleventh century churches, monasteries, and houses carved into the rocks. The moonlike terrain of Cappadocia with its endless natural artwork is a photographer’s delight, often seeming eerie, yet beautiful. Over thousands of years, the rain has eroded the land to give rise to strange rock formations known as “fairy chimneys.” Grottos magnificently decorate the walls with colorful frescoes. The highlights include Pasabag, Dervent, and Goreme Open Air Museum, which you will visit, however the less traveled surrounding valleys can provide the best photography. A stop in the village of Mustafapasa will provide you with local flare and a chance to see neighborhood homes and communities. Overnight Cappadocia three evenings. (B, L, D; B, L; B, L, Farewell D)

This morning the group will take a return flight to Istanbul, where your luggage will be transferred to the hotel, while you enjoy walking tour on the other side of the Galata Bridge. Those attending the extension will enjoy this program on October 19th, after you return to Istanbul from the Black Sea. Today will be filled with the Asiatic side of Istanbul, markets, narrow streets, local vendors and families as they enjoy their day. Traveling by foot and local public transport the group will experience the impressive ferry system connecting the many sides of Istanbul. Late this afternoon will be spent at Ortakoy, photographing the magnificent Baroque Mecidiye mosque at dusk, as boats glide in and out of your view. The mosque is set on the Bosphorus Strait, just beneath the Bosporus Bridge. If renovations are complete at the Galata Mevlevihanesi, you will have a treat to a whirling dervish performance. Those on the extension will leave those to dinner on your own this evening. Overnight Istanbul (B, L)

A group transfer (time to be announced) will be provided to the airport for flights home. (B)