From
It was my fourth time to fly with
Since
Exploring
It was early in the morning when I arrived in
I ate enough so I would have enough energy until lunchtime as the group had a full day ahead exploring
As we walked further, we smelled the aroma of fragrant chestnuts and corn being sold from street food vending carts. We reached the 17th-century Sultan Ahmed Mosque also known as the Blue Mosque (lines of people getting in the mosque were manageable) and marvelled at its beautiful interiors.
A short walk from the mosque is the Hagia Sophia built in 537 AD, whose interiors, in my opinion, are more beautiful than the Blue Mosque's. We then went to
From there, we took a cruise on the famous Bosphorus strait that separates
Though smaller than the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market has an astounding array of goods like souvenirs, lamps, jewelry, spices, tea, nuts, and sweets like Turkish delights, baklava and pistachio nests! Beyond
The next day, we boarded the very comfortable Dorak buses (equipped with Wi-Fi) and headed to Gallipoli, where we took a ferry on the southern coast of the Dardanelles. Upon arrival in the province of Canakkale, we visited the ancient city of Troy and its ruins.
Our group gathered by a replica of the Trojan horse for a photo-op. We then drove to the lovely seaside city of Canakkale where we had dinner and where our hotel was.
This city has a bustling port filled with shops, bars and restaurants. This is where I finally got to try Turkish street food sweet corn and mussels stuffed with rice and drizzled with lemon.
(Also found here is the Trojan horse used in the 2004 Brad Pitt movie Troy.) We also went to the beautiful city of Bergama Pergamon in the province of
This UNESCO World Heritage Site was a famous healing center during the Roman empire and is said to be the very first psychiatric center in the world. It was here where I first tried a glass of delicious, freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, which is widely available throughout
We then headed westward toward Ku?adas?, a beach resort town on the Aegean coast near Ephesus. The first major stop, especially for Catholics, is the house of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which has a chapel, remnants of a cistern, and a wall where one can put one's written wishes.
Our next stop was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ephesus, a remarkably preserved ancient city. The highlight of our visit there was the
To be concluded. To check PTAA member agencies and inquiries on their Turkish package tours, visit ptaa.
org.ph.
These Turkish tours can be tailor made to your preferred touring pace and hotels.
For more information, call 8894-5416 or 8864-0600, e-mail manilasales@thy.com or ticketing@thy.
com.ph, or visit www.
turkishairlines.com.
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