Hagia Sofia, the Church of Holy Wisdom; The Blue Mosque tiled in "the color of the Turks"; Whirling Dervishes; floating over the travertine flows of Pumakkale; the call to prayer ringing through the early mornings; carpets of every color taking shape under the skillful fingers of a master weaver; spices that fill the air amid the thrum of the bazaar. These are just some of the sights and sounds of our 13-day adventure.  And you can join us with the inks provided below. So, Hadi-Gedelim!  Let's Go!                                                                  Istanbul                                    Ankara                ...

  HOME Thursday, April 30, 2026                                                                                                               We began our day in Ankara at the Museum of Anatolian Civilization, which covered the history of this area from the neolithic period through the Roman Empire.   It was fairly small, but very nicely done and with artifacts from each of the major periods.   This standing stone from the neolithic period came fro...

HOME Friday, May 8, 2026                                                                                                      Our hotel is actually in Kusadesi but the highlight of this part of the trip was the ancient of Ephesus.  At the time of its construction, Ephesus was a major port city, but over time the river deposited so much silt that the ports could no longer be used and the city slowly died.  In its heyday though it was a huge commercial site, with travelers arriving from a...

  HOME Wednesday, May 6, 2026                 Aphrodisias Before visiting Aphrodisias, we lunched at another small café.   One of the owners played a baglama, a traditional Turkish instrument resembling a lute.   The baglama has 7 strings, arranged usually arranged in combinations of 2,2,3.   The highlight of the performance was Tango, a parrot who jumped up and down in time with the music.   Tango is a little hard to see in the photo because he blends in with the greenery in the background, but he is sitting atop the chair. Aphrodisias is one of the most complete ancient cities and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is still being excavated and was almost completely buried.  The city and its temple were dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite. I n the photo above, all of the columns are original.   The bas relief friezes are copies, but the originals are in the museum on site.   This entrance gate...