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| Culinary and Cultural Tour of Turkey |
| August 16 - 23, 2010 Tour is limited to no more than 10 participants. The small size will give you the personal attention that is not possible on larger tours. Susan Baldassano and her husband Jeff Rickin, co-owners of To Grandmother's House We Go Cooking Tours, will personally lead the tour along with our Turkish host. Tour price $3,250 per person, based on double occupancy. Tour includes everything as listed in itinerary below. Air fare is not included. Please click on "Terms/Conditions" below for full payment information. Transfers to and from Attaturk Airport, Istanbul are included, as follows: Monday, August 16, 2010 there will be a pick-up provided at 12Noon Istanbul time. Monday, August 23, 2010 There will be one transfer to the airport provided, time to be determined. Accommodations are at Blue House Hotel, Sultanahmet, Istanbul located in the historic old city, in walking distance of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. In Cappadocia, accommodations at Capadoccia Cave Hotel, Yunak Evleri, a fabulous hotel whose rooms are in natural caves. Rooms are double occupancy, Single supplement is $400. |
| Itinerary : |
Day 1 Monday, August 16th - Arrival Day, Lunch, Market Tour, Welcome Dinner Arrival at Attaturk Airport. There will be a pick-up provided at 12Noon Istanbul time. Transfer instructions will be provided for those arriving earlier or later. Group activities will begin at 2pm. Check-in at Blue House Hotel in Sultanahmet. Located in the old city center, in walking distance of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. We will have a light lunch followed by a market tour in the Pera area. We will walk on Istiklal street with stops at specialty shops: pickles, spices, fish, bread, greengrocer, meet local vendors and learn about how different ingredients are used in the Turkish Cuisine In the evening you will be welcomed into a Turkish home in Nisantasi for dinner. Limited wine or aperitif is provided. Day 2 Tuesday, August 17th - Guided Tour of Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Cistern, Cooking Class, Spice Market, Dinner at Asitane Breakfast at hotel Guided tour with private guide: Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) is a historical mosque popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I, Cistern The Basilica Cistern, is the largest of the ancient cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul. Built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Hagia Sophia Originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 A.D. on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian It was the religious focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly one thousand years. In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and the building was converted into a mosque. In 1935 it was converted into a museum by the Republic of Turkey. Cooking class with Selin A typical meze (small plates) lunch - phyllo cigars, grape leaves, salad, stuffed vegetables, seasonal fruit dessert no alcohol Hands-on. Spice market tour This extensive market was built in the 17th c. Spices, nuts, dried fruits and other condiments used in Turkish cuisine are on brilliant display. Dinner at Asitane Asitane serves imperial Ottoman cuisine, incorporating Central Asian, Anatolian, Middle Eastern and Balkan flavors. You will taste a pre-designed menu chosen from 200 sweet and savory recipes, prepared in keeping with the cooking methods of 500 years ago. Day 3 Wednesday, August 18th - Guided Tour of Topkapi Palace and Harem, Ferry to Asian Side, Kadikoy Market Tour, Lunch at CIYA, Grand Bazaar, Dinner not Provided Breakfast at hotel Guided tour with private guide: Topkapi Palace the residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1856. The palace is a complex of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. Visit to the Imperial Harem occupied one of the sections of the private apartments of the sultan; it contained more than 400 rooms. The harem was home to the sultan's mother, the concubines and wives of the sultan; and the rest of his family, including children; and their servants. We will take a ferry to Kadiköy on the Asian side of Istanbul and walk through the Kadiköy market. This market is one of Istanbul's most colorful, vibrant and accessible shopping spots. Many traders have been in business since the early to mid 1900s. Ciya restaurant specializes in food from the Southeastern region of Turkey. The ingredients used in the dishes come from the cities of Hatay and Gaziantep: aromatic red pepper, pistachios, chickpeas, olive oil and pomegranate molasses. Here we will enjoy a sumptuous meal of their signature dishes; Zahter salad, kebab with pistachios, stuffed eggplant, babahannus, and many more. After lunch we will take the ferry back to the European side. Grand Bazaar This will be an insider's visit to the Grand Bazaar with its more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like. No dinner provided. Day 4 Thursday, August 19th - Baklava Making, Ferry to Buyukada, Lunch, Horse Drawn Cart Ride, Cherry Liqueur, Kebab Dinner Breakfast at hotel Tour of Baklava factory with demo, hands-on. Ultra fine phyllo, 40 layers, used to make this mouth watering baklava, sample of the various types of baklava at the shop nearby. Ferry across the Sea of Marmara to Buyukada, the largest of the Princes Islands, no cars allowed, many fine old traditional wooden homes, once a place of exile for Byzantine princes, now a place of relaxation, excellent sea food and beautiful surroundings. Lunch on the Sea of Marmara featuring meze plates, seafood and Raki, an anise flavored drink. Let's relax and take a horse drawn buggy (except for bicycles and walking the only way around the island) for a tour of the island. We end our ride at Selin's island home for coffee and homemade cherry liqueur. Return to our hotel to rest until dinner at a Kebab Restaurant. Day 5 Friday, August 20th - Flight to Cappadocia, Hotel Check-in, Underground City, Lunch, Turkish Pide (Bread) Making, Lunch, Open Air Museum, Rock Castle, Dinner Breakfast at hotel Today we fly to Nevsehir in Cappadocia. Check in at Cappadocia Cave Hotel, Yunak Evleri Kaymakli Underground City The houses in the village are constructed around the nearly one hundred tunnels of the underground city. The tunnels are still used today as storage areas, stables, and cellars. Lunch near the sites where you will also try your hand at making Pide, Turkish flat bread 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 the 10th c. You complete the day with a visit to the Uchisar Rock-Castle, giving you a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia. Dinner at Sömine restaraunt Lamb or beef with tomato, green pepper and onion in a clay pot sealed with dough and casseroled in a traditional oven for 4-5 hours, broken open when served. Days 6 Saturday, August 21st - Hot Air Balloon Ride (optional), Market Visit, Cooking Demo & Lunch, Fairy Chimneys, Avanos Pottery, Wine Tasting, Dinner OPTIONAL Hot air balloon ride (1 hour, early morning) No visit to Cappadocia is complete without a sunrise flight to take in the remarkable landscape by hot air balloon. Your breath will be taken away as you silently move down the fertile valleys and deep canyons and take in the unique panoramic views of the cave houses and rock formations that are not possible from any other vantage point. After landing, you will enjoy a traditional champagne toast to a successful adventure! This is an optional event, cost $266 US, and must be reserved in advance. Payment will be made at the venue, by cash or credit card. Breakfast at hotel Ayvali village We'll begin with a visit to a local market and then join a cooking demonstration in a home with the women of Ayvali village. They will show us how to make manti, a traditional dish whose heritage stretches back in to the Central Asian origins of modern Turkey. Also, we will roll vine leaves to make dolma. Lunch with our host family. Pasabag's "fairy chimneys", where the voice of the wind harmonizes with the songs of the fairies. Avanos, a center of terra cotta art since 3,000 BC, for a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. Wine tasting, in this region the tradition of grape production and wine making is more than 4,000 years old. Dinner will be served where the food is cooked in a traditional tandur clay oven. no alcohol Day 7 Sunday, August 22nd - Return to Istanbul, Bosporus Boat Tour, Farewell Dinner on Board Breakfast at hotel Return flight to Istanbul Free time Bosporus Boat Tour with farewell Dinner on board. We combine a boat tour of the Bosporus with our farewell dinner for an unforgettable experience. Day 8 Monday, August 23rd - Departure Departure from Istanbul. There will be one transfer to the airport provided, time to be determined. |
| The above itinerary is subject to change without prior notice.
Responsibilities: To Grandmothers House We Go Cooking Tours LLC does not own or operate any of the companies providing lodging, transportation or classes for this tour. We assume no responsibility for delays, losses or accidents, or for damage to persons or property caused by any persons, firm, corporations or other legal entity providing hotel, transportation, restaurant or other services incidental to these tours. No refund is made for any part of itinerary not taken. All breakfasts are included and other meals only as listed in itinerary. No substitution is permitted. Transportation to and from Turkey is not included. Transfers from Attaturk Airport, Istanbul on Monday, August 16, 2010 and to Attaturk Airport, Istanbul on Monday, August 23, 2010 as indicated in the published itinerary are included. Tips to hotel personnel and drivers and personal expenses, not specifically listed in the itinerary, are not included. Non-alcoholic beverages are included; alcoholic beverages are provided as indicated in published itinerary. Alcoholic beverages not included will be paid by tour participant. This itinerary is subject to change. |
| Click below for more information on the Turkish tours. |
| Itinerary for August 16 - 23, 2010 |
| Accommodations in Turkey |
| Terms/Condtions |
| Our Teachers in Turkey |
| Frequently Asked Questions |
| More on the classes/sample menus for Turkey |
| Be sure to check out our Oaxacan Cooking, Crafts and Cultural Tour! |
| F o r more information: Phone: 718-768-4662 or 718-541-2091 e-mail: info@tograndmothershousewego.com |
