Mad About Turkey! - 50 Plus Travel

Mad About Turkey! Special Offer to GrownUps Members

SAVE UP TO $400!

The cost of the 20-day Discover Turkey tour is $6,975 per person shared twin, departs May 2012. Book and pay in full by 5 August 2011 and save $200. Book within next five days and save additional $100. Plus we’ll give you US$100 to spend in Turkey.

Please email anna@50plustravel.co.nz for detailed itinerary or visit www.50plustravel.co.nz

Want to know more about our recent Discover Turkey tour?  Click here for the full account of our adventure or read our July Newsletter. We hope you’ll be as excited about this tour as we were.


 
Like all travellers, we too have been blown away by the beauty and history of Turkey. On our recent Discover Turkey tour we visited 10 cities in 20 days, and wished we had another 20 days there.

That’s why I can’t wait to go back in May next year. With three people already booked we are, as the saying going, 25 percent full – so act now and you won’t miss out on this remarkable tour!

When I rave about this tour people ask me what I liked most: I think I exhaust them with so many highlights. Here are some:

Our tour (and yours too if you are able join us) started in Istanbul, the only city in the world spread over two continents – Europe and Asia. We crossed the Bosphorus Suspension Bridge to see Topkapi Palace the centre of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries and had a good insight into the life of the Sultans and their manywives.

Of course we visited the Blue Mosque, a triumph of harmony, proportiohttp://www.grownups.co.nz/backend.php/article/edit/id/7839n and elegance. This impressive six-minaret building is a focal point of the city. Its breathtaking interior has huge chandeliers, thousands of beautiful 17 th Century blue tiles, 260 stain glass windows and a huge area for prayer.

Next, the Basilica Cistern which was used as a reservoir to store water for the Great Palace: its underground interior with 336 columns and a high, vaulted ceiling is breath-taking. Classical music, and dripping water, accompanied us on our walk. The cistern's symmetry, and the sheer grandeur of the idea, is quite extraordinary.


 
Of course you can’t leave Istanbul and not see the Haghia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom as its history dates back 1500 years! Its awe inspiring, full of mosaic tiles (many gold) and galleries of paintings depicting religious scenes, among them the Virgin and Child as well as the Archangel Gabriel. Some of the mosaics are so detailed that they look like paintings!

Cat lovers love Turkey too. They have special status there and are everywhere. It apparently derives from Muslim ideas about tolerance and about animal rights.

We had lots of fun strolling around the Grand Bazaar, exploring many small and humble shops. It is one of the largest covered markets in the world with 5,000 shops – which is why we only visited a few! There are whole streets of shops specialising in jewellery, leather goods, ceramic and spices to list just a few. There are thousands of things you can find, bargain for, and then buy in the Grand Bazaar. It’s also an opportunity to discover the utterly fabulous Turkish hospitality and of course drink their sweet apple tea.

Add time for the Turkish Bath (Hamam) - it is a ‘must do’, an experience of a lifetime: a place for you to indulge in your senses and forget modesty. We did. We lay naked on a huge marble slab in the middle of the room and had a full body scrub, hair wash and massage. We emerged glowing and rejuvenated. Retreating to a Turkish Bath became one of our addictions during the tour.


 
On the Gallipoli peninsula we had a guided tour of the WW1 battlefields and the memorials to the Australian, New Zealand, French, British and Turkish troops who died here. This of course was one of the most tragic WW1 offensives. We also visited Anzac Cove, Ariburnu cemetery, the Australian and New Zealand memorials of Lone Pine, Chunuk and Museum. It was a heartbreaking experience to see soldiers as young as 17- year old died there. Visiting Gallipoli was another one of our highlights.

Off we then went to Ephesus one of the best preserved Greek-Roman cities, and the cradle of early Christianity. We saw the most famous sites of ancient Ephesus, including the Library of Celcus, Great Theatre and Gate of Hercules. We also visited the less famous sites like the Roman Toilets, the Brothel and took a photo with the Statue of Nike, now the Goddess of sporty footwear.

Two lovely days were spent in the charming village of Kas with its hilly cobblestone streets, flower-filled hedgerows and even views of Greek Islands. We boarded a gullet, the Turkish boat, for a full day sailing on the Mediterranean and swimming in the sea. We also visited the amazing Sunken City of Kekova.

We made a pilgrimage to the St Nicholas Church to see the statute of the real Santa Claus. This petite Byzantine church is spiritually and architecturally heavenly with beautiful frescos inside. It is patronised by Russians and hundreds visit daily. We also visited spectacular house tombs, carved into the cliffs and the carved mask reliefs from the theatre at Myra impressed us all.

In Antalya, (the Turkish Riviera) we had a sumptuous dinner watching the sunset over the harbour and drinking Efes beer. Food is excellent, but don’t expect Turkish coffee on every corner, they drink Apple Tea, a sweet tonic tea we became addicted to. The Antalya Archaeological Museum is a true jewel of Antalya with a unique collection of 2C AD Roman marble sculptures.

We had a long drive to Cappadocia. We stopped in the city of Konya, home of the Whirling Dervishes. To learn more of the history of this mystical religious sect we visited the Mervlana Museum and a 13th century monastery. We had one more stop in Karavanserai to see the well-preserved resting house used on the ancient Silk Road. We were rewarded with the Turkish Folklore evening, “all you can eat and drink” Turkish meal, lots of local folk dancers, as well as a belly dancer with fantastic stomach muscles. Despite lying naked in bathhouses, we were too shy to participate!


 
Next day we had a full day tour of the Cappadocia region. Words cannot describe it - it is simply amazing! This region is famous for its volcanic hills and inside them, many old churches going back to 7 th century with many excellent frescoes and some tombs.

It is an open air museum with its Fairy Chimneys, caves and churches. Nature and the human tenacity to build, paint, worship and live amongst these moon likes structures is truly a testament to the human spirit. We visited an underground city with the lengthy manmade tunnels. We were amazed with the ingenuity of people and just another place fighting to be at the top of our ‘highlights of Turkey’ list.

However, everyone thought Cappadocia and watching sunrise from our Hot Air Balloon Trip in this area were definitely the highlight of the tour.

We also spent time visiting the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations and Ataturk's Mausoleum, a national memorial to the founder of the Turkish Republic in Ankara. There are many statutes, hand tools, jewellery and artefacts, great displays and very explanatory signs. I met a woman from Amsterdam and she told me she comes to Turkey to visit this museum only – this was her 10th visit!

En route to Bursa there was an enlightening visit to the Tomb of King Midas. We learned the history of the tomb and tried to acquire the legendary “Midas Touch”.

We visited many delightful sights in Bursa - the Green Mosque, the Grand Mosque and the Green Tomb.

Bursa has a very traditional Turkish atmosphere and this is where we had our farewell Turkish dinner - and met a family of our local guide. It was a very special evening with lots of laughter and tears as well.

Finally we crossed the Izmit Gulf by ferry, arriving in Istanbul where we spent next day continuing to explore and soak in the vibrant atmosphere of Istanbul.

We did not want to leave Turkey! I can’t wait to take you there in May next year. I’d love you to have the same experience as we had and see for yourself this marvellous destination.

Discover Turkey Tour

Istanbul Gallipoli Selcuk Kusadasi Kas Antalya Cappadocia Ankara Bursa
20 outstanding days depart 20 May 2012

Originally $6,975 now $6,775 SAVE $200
PLUS US$100 to start your bargaining skills in Turkey

TOTAL SAVINGS AND BONUSES $325

Please do book NOW as our groups are small and places are limited. And as a “thank you” if you book within next 5 days we’ll take a further $100 off of the tour cost. You pay only $6, 675! Plus you still get US$100 to spend in Turkey. It can’t be a better deal!

Bon Voyage!

Anna and the 50 Plus Travel™ team
info@50plustravel.co.nz
www.50plustravel.co.nz

PS: Just a reminder that the Early Bird Discount on some of our 2012 tours is closing on 31 July. Take advantage of this offer, don’t delay and book today!

PPS: If you are heading to Cinque Terre Tuscany Italy we can book accommodation for you.
 

Published 26th Jul 2011

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