SEPTEMBER 5, 2007       Wednesday
Arrival in Istanbul. Welcome dinner in one of Istanbul's fine restaurants.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2007       Thursday
We will take you to your Half Day Hands on Turkish cooking class.
Lunch at cooking school – Taste what you have cooked!

In the afternoon a food lovers guided tour – walk through a local produce market with stops for artisanal food.

Dinner at one of our recommended restaurants.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2007       Friday
After breakfast, you will start your full day tour of Istanbul.

This tour will take you to the old city of Istanbul. St.Sophia, the most magnificent Byzantine Church of all times, the Byzantine Hippodrome, the former center of sporting and political activities of Constantinople, Blue Mosque, a 17th century mosque that dominates the skyline of Istanbul. TopkapıPalace, the former imperial residence of the Great Ottoman Empire and the Grand Bazaar.

Lunch will be served at a typical fish restaurant near the sights.

Dinner at one of our recommended restaurants.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2007       Saturday
Start the day at a well known shop famous for their excellent “Baklava” from the city of Gaziantep where you will have the opportunity to watch “Baklava” making.

Then continue to the Spice Market which is a famous exotic food market selling spices, dried fruits and many more ingredients.

You will have a delicious Southeastern Turkish Kebab lunch overlooking Golden Horn and then proceed for a scenic Bosphorus cruise.

Transfer to the airport for your  flight to Kayseri. Upon arrival to Kayseri Airport at 19:40, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in.

Today's dinner will be served at Somine Restaurant in Urgup. You will taste the deliciousTesti Kebab (meat stew cooked in a seamless pot, broken with a hammer upon service) as well as varieties of Turkish meze selections and local wine.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2007       Sunday
Your first real encounter with Cappadocia’s almost Martian landscape is in the Dervent valley, where the rock formations are amazing. A walk through the Zelve Open Air Museum is a journey into the past, with its troglodyte houses. This is one of the earliest inhabited and latest abandoned monastic settlements in Cappadocia. After Zelve you will visit Pasabag’s “fairy chimneys”, where the voice of the wind harmonizes with the songs of the fairies. From here you will stop at Avanos, a centre of terracotta art since 2,000 BC, for a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop.

Lunch is at Hanodasi Restaurant. The restaurant is carved right in 2 fairy chimneys in Goreme village. The restaurant is most famous for its manti (Turkish ravioli) and you will watch the ladies while they are making it. There is also a tandur in the restaurant and they make tanduri bread here. This is going to be a an unparalled experience.

After lunch, you will visit the famous 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 as early as the 10th century. Next stop is theTurasan Winery in Urgup. This is the biggest and oldest winery (since 1943) of Cappadocia. Your day will  day with a detailed tour of the winery while tasting their local wines.

Dinner will be served at Old the Greek House Restaurant in Mustafapasa village. This is a mansion built in 1887 by the Greeks and now owned and run as a restaurant by a Turkish family since 1992. The ladies of the family willcook for us. We will get there about 1 hour before the dinner, so you will be able to join the ladies of the family in the kitchen to cook some of what you willhave for dinner (ie. stuffed vine leaves). This is going to be one of the best dinners and you will sit on the floor in a traditional way while having your dinner.

A glimpse onthe menu: Sheppard's salad, beans in olive oil, cheese pastry, stuffed vine leaves, casserole (beef, egg plant, tomatoes, green pepper and garlic), chips, meatballs, rice and baklava.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2007     Monday
In the morning, you will descend towards the center of the earth, with a trip to the underground city ofKaymakli, one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia's many such settlements.

Then, you will drive to Ayvali village, where you will watch the villagers make salcha (tomato paste) and pekmez (grape molasses) in a village type of kiln.

Lunch will be served at the Aravan Evi, where the food is cooked in a tandur. You will spend about 2 hours in the restaurant to make the casserole and cook it in the tandur. The wife of the owner will be pleased to see you in the kitchen and help her with the food. This is going to be a hands on experience!

In the afternoon, you will visit the Soganli valley, which is one of the earliest settlements in Cappadocia. Later, you will be transferred to Kayseri Airport to take the 20:30 flight to Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2007     Tuesday
Transfer to the airport for your departure flights.