Depart San Francisco, CA, USAIstanbulIstanbul - Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi PalaceGallipoli, tilted bus, ferry - CanakkaleTroy, Pergamon, AsclepionEphesusPAMUKKALEHEIRAPOLISCAPPADOCIAGöREME, KAYMAKIAvanos, TurkeyCAPPADOCIAANKARAISTANBULISTANBUL - DEPARTUREPARIS, FRANCEArrive San Francisco, CA
 | PaoloB |  | Wonders of Turkey - March, 2009. |
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Mar 12 2009
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Turkey - My second 2 week journey to this remarkable country.
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DAY 2 - March 13, 2009 FRI - Arrive in Istanbul, Turkey. Settle into the hotel, get a good meal (other than "meatballs," you'll get the joke later), and a good nights' sleep... for tomorrow the adventure begins!
DAY 3 - March 14, 2009 SAT - ISTANBUL Sights (many are UNESCO World Heritage Sites)
Get your cameras ready today(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul),(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinople). Visit the Blue Mosque (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque_(Istanbul) with its beautiful tiles and the Hippodrome where Roman chariot races were held (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodrome_of_Constantinople), and visit St Sophia, at one time a cathedral and a mosque, and now a magnificent museum(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia). Move on to visit the fabulous Topkapi Palace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topkap%C4%B1_Palace), a walled city perched above the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, and then the famous Grand Bazaar where - all under cover - there are more than 4,000 shops, cafes and tea houses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bazaar,_Istanbul). Consider sampling some traditional apple tea, or spending the evening watching some belly-dancing.
DAY 4 - March 15, 2009 SUN - ISTANBUL - ÇANAKKALE
Drive along the shores of the Sea of Marmara to the peninsula of Gelibolu, better known in the west as Gallipoli. Here are the battlefields where, for nine disastrous months during the Great War, Anzac troops fought unsuccessfully to gain control of the strategic Dardanelle Straits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles). Visit Anzac Cove and Lone Pine Cemetery, final resting place of soldiers who gave their lives over the entire Gallipoli campaign. From Eceabat, a 30-minute sea crossing to Çanakkale takes you from one continent to another as you leave Europe for Asia.
DAY 5 - March 16, 2009 MON - ÇANAKKALE - TROY (UNESCO World Heritage Site) - IZMIR
Drive to Homer's legendary city of Troy, where archeological excavation has established nine levels of habitation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy). See an enormous reconstruction of the famous Trojan wooden horse before continuing to Pergamon, the seat of an ancient kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pergamon). Visit the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena and the famous library, which is said to have contained 200,000 volumes. View the Red Courtyard and visit the ruins of the Asklepion, one of the most famous shrines and therapeutic centres in the ancient world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergama). Continue to the pretty port of Izmir on the Aegean Sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izmir).
DAY 6 - March 17, 2009 TUE - IZMIR - KUSADASI - EPHESUS (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
En route to Ephesus, visit the archeological museum at Selcuk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sel%C3%A7uk), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Apostle) where many of the excavated artifacts of Ephesus are displayed, and visit the House of the Virgin Mary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Virgin_Mary), spectacularly situated above the Ephesus ruins. Finally, tour Ephesus itself, one of the world's finest archeological sites (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Artemis), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sleepers). Visit the colonnaded Arcadian Way, the splendid façade of the Library of Celsus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Celsus) and see the Amphitheatre, the largest and most impressive structure to survive from Hellenistic Ephesus. Head to the lively coastal town of Kusadasi for an overnight stay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusadasi). Your hotel is one of the newest and most luxurious in this resort town - relax with a cool drink and take advantage of the hotel's indoor pool, Turkish bath and fitness centre - so bring your swim trunks!
DAY 7 - March 18, 2009 WED - KUSADASI - PAMUKKALE-HEIRAPOLIS (both UNESCO World Heritage Sites)
Drive inland to Pamukkale, famous for its ‘Cotton Castle', a dazzling chalk-white array of fantastically shaped fairyland limestone terraces, glistening pools and cascades in scallop-shell basins(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamukkale). Visit the ruins of ancient Hierapolis, the amazingly intact Roman Theater, the large collection of crypts at the Acropolis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierapolis). The rest of the day is yours to relax and enjoy the blissfully warm thermal pools at the hotel - again, another reason to bring your swim trunks! These springs are touted in the bible for their healing powers!
DAY 8 - March 19, 2009 THU - PAMUKKALE - CAPPADOCIA (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Head to Konya, the old capital of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire, now Turkey's most religious city and home to the mystic Whirling Dervish sect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konya). Visit the Mevlana Tekke, a museum and national monument, with its beautiful fluted turquoise dome, which contains the tomb of the Whirling Dervishes' founder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mevlana_Museum). See the Karatay Medrese and Ince Minaret before driving on to the historic region of Nevsehir in Cappadocia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nev%C5%9Fehir).
DAY 9 - March 20, 2009 FRI - CAPPADOCIA - FULL DAY EXCURSION TO GöREME
Enjoy an excursion to Göreme, a unique region of volcanic landscapes and rock-hewn churches decorated with ancient wall paintings, some of which you can see in the open-air museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6reme). Continue to the Zelve Valley where the scenery is dotted with churches, caves and troglodyte dwellings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelve_Monastery). Tour the underground city Kaymakli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaymakl%C4%B1_Underground_City), and see the cone of Uchisar. Enjoy dinner at the hotel followed by a colorful folklore show in an underground cave, featuring dances from different regions.
DAY 10 - March 21, 2009 SAT - CAPPADOCIA - ANKARA
Visit Agzikarahan, one of the best-preserved Seljuk caravanserais in Anatolia. Continue on to Ankara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankara) to visit the Hittite Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Anatolian_Civilizations) and Anit Kabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, Turkey's greatest modern leader (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An%C4%B1tkabir).
DAY 11 - March 22, 2009 SUN - ANKARA - ISTANBUL
Leaving Ankara, take the highway for a scenic drive through the Turkish countryside to Istanbul. Upon arrival, embark on a superb Highlight cruise along the Bosphorus Waterway (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosporus). Traveling towards the old city from close to the Black Sea, the scenery complements the grandeur of the Ottoman palaces, old mansions and fortresses. Consider celebrating the tour with a farewell dinner with your new friends at a colorful local restaurant.
DAY 12 - MARCH 23, 2009 MON - ISTANBUL
Send friends off on their various flights home to OMAMMA-OBAMMA. I spent an day in ISTANBUL.
DAY 13 - MARCH 24, 2009 TUES - ISTANBUL
Depart Istanbul for PARIS, FRANCE. 12 hour layover in the executive lounge CDG Airport - Paris. Not a bad place to be stuck... at least I'll get a shower, a shave, and a nap.
DAY 14 - MARCH 25, 2009 WEDS - PARIS
Depart Paris for San Francisco, CA, OMAMMA-OBAMMA. Arrive SFO.
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