DAY 01: ISTANBUL
Arrival Istanbul and transfer to your hotel for some free time to freshen up.Afternoon touring of the city starting with the huge Byzantine Church St. Sophia from 6th. C. built by Justinian. Next visit the imperial Blue Mosque unique with its six minarets and built between 1609-1616. Then visit the ancient Hippodrome sitting in front of the Blue Mosque, the center of Byzantine civic life where the chariot races took place. Overnight at hotel.
DAY 02: ISTANBUL
After breakfast morning touring in Istanbul starting with a visit in the Spice Market a paradise of herbs and spices followed by a cruise on the Bosphorus by a regular boat zigzagging along the shores of Europe and Asia. Afternoon visit the Topkapi Palace, residence of Ottoman Sultans housing the richness of 700 years with crown jewels and unique collection of Chienese porcelaines, and finally the famous Grand Bazaar with more than 4000 tiny shops. Overnight in the hotel DAY 04: ISTANBUL / CAPPADOCIA
After breakfast , transfer to the airport to catch a flight to Kayseri. Meet at the Airport and drive to Soganli. Visit Soganli Valley that is an Open Air Museum in a wild natural setting near a typical Cappadocian village with its different style Rock-Cut churches and frescoes. Villages in the valleys, surrounded by the "table top" mountains, are spectacular. Keslik Monastery, near Cemil village, hides its frescoes behind a very thin smoke layer which we can only see by torch light. The Medrese (Theological School) from Seljuk Turks in Taskinpasa is the witness of an early and rich Turkish settlement in the town. Visit to Mustafapaþa (Sinassos), an ancient Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses: very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. Lunch will be in one of them. After lunch drive to Red Valley. Walking for about 4 km in one of the most attractive valleys of Cappadocia: Red Valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is in the heart of Cappadocia but away from the tourist crowd. Rock-Cut hermit churches with frescoes and paintings fit with the Valley's meditative atmosphere, remained intact since the beginning. DAY 04: CAPPADOCIA
Our first real encounter with Cappadocia's almost Martian landscape is in the Dervent valley, where the rock formations are amazing. A walk through the Zelve Open Air Museum is a journey into the past, with its troglodyte houses. This is one of the earliest inhabited and latest abandoned monastic settlements in Cappadocia. After Zelve we visit Pasabag's "fairy chimneys", where the voice of the wind harmonizes with the songs of the fairies. From here we pause at Avanos, a centre of terracotta art since 3,000 BC, for a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. After lunch in Avanos, we visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum to see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia. These are found in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings dating from as early as the 10th century. We complete the tour with a visit to the Uchisar Rock-Castle, giving you a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia DAY 05: CAPPADOCIA
Today, the tour begins with a descent towards the centre of the earth, with a trip to the underground city of Kaymakli; one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia's many such settlements. From here we drive to Ihlara canyon, walking through the canyon via the Steps of Anatolia to Belisirma village, the ancient Peristrema. Set by the Melendiz River this is known as the "Valley of the Sky". Churches carved from the rocks form a gallery of early paintings that are remarkable for their accuracy. We lunch in Belisirma at a local restaurant by the river. On the way to the Caravanserai of Agzikarahan, we visit the beautiful village of Selime. Agzikarahan is a very fine example of the Turkish Seljuk art, built in the early 13th century on the legendary Silk Road, for the accommodation of the traders and their camels. DAY 05: CAPPADOCIA - ISTANBUL
After breakfast, drive to Kayseri airport for a domestic flight to ýstanbul. |
