"This year I'm definitely going out! I don't care!"
"Yeah, we'll get revenge for last year!"
"Wanna go Moscow? We still haven't properly been there- airports don't count."
"But I've been to Mega!"
"Shopping malls don't count either."
"But I really wanna go out of Russia. Go to someplace new. Like, Europe."
"We are in Europe, dummy."
"OK, like, western Europe."
"What about Egypt?? I heard someone said about wanting to go to Egypt?"
"Let's have a look at my world map! See, from here, we can go here, and here, than circle back here, drop a visit here, and fly back from here..."
"Yeah, if we're planning on going broke for the next six months, we can."
"Ok then, what about here? We can take train from here to here..."
"Know what? There's a special promotion for Aeroflot ticket fares to selected Eropean cities now."
"Oh yeah? Till when?"
"Tomorrow."
"What the...??? Man, let's book the tickets now! Why haven't you told me earlier??"
"I just got to know last night myself!"
""Why haven't anyone-"
"Don't ask. Wondering the same myself."
"Here's my idea. We hit Frankfurt, then some of the guys I heard are going skiing in Vienna. We can join 'em there."
"Why not Munich? It's nearer."
""Know something else? S7 are also having promotion. Their Frankfurt fare's freaking cheap."
"Well then. But hey, hey, hey... I see Paris's not so far away from Frankfurt. Hmm..."
"And Prague too- Prague's beautiful. Well, in Mission Impossible, it is."
"I've always wanted to go to Paris."
"Do you know anyone there?"
"Er... (TKY came to mind) An old classmate is studying there. But really, it's not a good idea. We weren't exactly... close. (non-existent relationship more like)"
"Laa, just go and ask him! Do you speak French??? Exactly. He can help us get around. And you guys can rekindle your friendship."
"(ERRRRRRRRRRRR????????)"
"ERRRRRRRRRRRR????????"
""Heyyy.... no special price fare from Paris to Moscow! Not fair!"
"Well, well... We can go up to Brussels, fly Moscow from there."
"Or climb further to Amsterdam. Amsterdam sounds better."
"The price is also higher. Here, how about Zurich?"
"Man, this is too confusing."
""Alright, have you decided already? I've spent the night thinking and becoming more confused."
"No. You? How about her? And her? And them?"
"Ok, me and my sister are flying to Frankfurt and return to Moscow from Milan."
"Hah? Since when Milan came into the picture?"
"Milan?? Waaa I wanna go Milan!!"
""AC Milan's your favourite team right? Haha come with us then."
"Well... but my sister and I have decided to go to Istanbul."
"Right. And since when did Istanbul come into the picture.."
"And maybe go to Athens too? Don't know, if there's time."
""And what about you?"
"I'm going to Munich then to Vienna."
"You?"
"Berlin, then travel down, maybe to Munich, Prague, I don't know... the main thing is I have to get on the plane back here from Zurich."
"O-kay..."
"You guys are going to Madrid right?"
"Yeah, and fly back from Barcelona."
"hey has anyone seen the ad in the lift? A trip to Italy!"
"Ok, it's too late."
"I've always wanted to go to Italyyy..."
In the end, everyone's going separate places. Haha. Geli hati betul.
7 comments:
Didnt know that one day that one of my offsprings would be able to decide to hop around Europe just by looking into a map. That easy huh!
Anyway TKY in Paris? Wahh..most unlikely place of study for him eh? Wonder how he's coping in class now? Quiet as ever or has he opened up and making French his mother tongue??? hehe
tak yah lah gi athens, kat turkey pun latk habis sebulan jalan. ;)
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/Maps/TouristicMap.html
http://www.mapofturkey.info/
read this
This 14-day small-group tour by Argeus Tourism & Travel begins in Istanbul and visits Ankara, Antalya, Kusadasi and Pamukkale, as well as biblical Cappadocia and the ancient cities of Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Didyma, Hierapolis, Miletus, Priene, Perge, Aspendos, Side and Termessos.
Really, you see all the high points of Turkey in only two weeks.
The boutique hotels you'll stay in are among my favorites: small, charming, historic, perfectly located. You benefit from Argeus's ability to reserve rooms in these choice places even at preferred travel times.
The touring party is limited to 10 travelers—more like a group of friends than a "tour group:" enough fellow travel enthusiasts to promote camaraderie, not enough to bog you down.
The tour's two departure dates are Sunday, May 13th, and Sunday, September 16th, 2007: the two best times of the year to travel in Turkey. Tour fee is US$3080 per person (about $220 per day, a very reasonable rate for what you get. See below for details.)
Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul (D)
An Argeus representative greets you at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport and escorts you to your hotel, the famous Blue House (Mavi Ev) in Sultanahmet. The major sights of Istanbul are literally right outside your door: the Blue Mosque, the Byzantine Hippodrome, the Sunken Palace Cistern, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and many more. Feel free to wander and browse until dinnertime.
Day 2: Istanbul & Bosphorus Cruise (BLD)
After a buffet breakfast, we walk to Eminönü to visit the Rustem Pasha Mosque, an Ottoman gem famed for its beautiful faïence (colored tiles). We continue along Hasircilar Sokak, a market street lined with spice and snack shops to the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar where Geneose and Venetian goods were sold at a time when there was no Suez Canal, and all the spices from the East were also brought here after being loaded on vessels in Egypt.
We then board a ferryboat and take a leisurely Bosphorus Cruise from northward to the village of Sariyer.
After lunch at a local restaurant we return to the city and enter the splendid realm of Topkapi Palace, one of the world's premier historical treasures, with its sumptuous pleasure kiosks, verdant gardens, mysterious Harem, and a Treasury filled with the incredible wealth of the sultans. The walk back to the Blue House for dinner is short, but filled with history....
Day 3: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia & Topkapi Palace (BLD)
We can take our time at breakfast because afterwards we'll just be walking across the street to visit the famous Blue Mosque, the Byzantine Hippodrome, the Sunken Palace Cistern, and Hagia Sophia, the grandest church in Christendom for 1000 years. After visiting these impressive sights we have lunch, then head off for a shopping spree in Istanbul's world-famous Grand Bazaar: 4000 shops selling everything from priceless antiques to everyday necessities. Laden with purchases—or just dazed by the glitter of window-shopping (one bazaar street is lined with nothing but jewellers' shops) —we make our way back to the Blue House for a relaxing dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Cappadocia, Soganli & Underground Cities (BLD)
We drive to Istanbul's Atatürk Airport to board our morning hour-long flight to Cappadocia. Not wasting any time, we start exploring this biblical "moonscape" region right away, passing through typical Anatolian farming villages to reach the Soganli Valleys, filled with Byzantine cave churches, monasteries and troglodyte dwellings.
After lunch in a historic old village mansion, we drive to the fabled Underground Cities, and enter the subterranean labyrinth that protected local people from marauding armies over the centuries. Imagine being in a huge "Swiss cheese" made of volcanic stone! Wandering through the labyrinth is an unforgettable experience. Finally we come to the regional farming center of Ürgüp and settle into our comfortable, stylish cave inn rooms at Yunak Evleri.
Day 5: Zelve, Pasabag, Avanos, Göreme & Uçhisar (BLD)
After breakfast, we plunge into the lunar landscape of Cappadocia at the Dervent Valley, then we head to Zelve Open Air Museum, which is one of the earliest inhabited and latest abandoned monastic settlements of Cappadocia. Seeing the best examples of the fairy chimneys at Pasabag Fairy Chimneys Valley, we drive to Avanos, famous for its pottery. After lunch at a local restaurant, we tour Göreme Open Air Museum, with its dozens of beautifully painted cave churches, monasteries, refectories and other troglodyte dwellings. We end the day with the climb to the top of Uçhisar, a natural rock fortress that is the highest point in the region, offering us a breathtaking panorama of the Cappadocian moonscape. Then it's off to dinner and our comfortable cave quarters at Yunak Evleri.
Day 6: Agzikarahan, Ankara & Kusadasi (BLD)
We drive west along the ancient Silk Road, stopping to admire the Agzikarahan, an unusual example of the Seljuk Turkish caravanserai. Turning north, we drive along the eastern shore of Salt Lake (Tuz Gölü), Turkey's second-largest. Arriving in Ankara, an ancient city that is now the capital of the Turkish Republic, we have lunch before visiting the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations. Awarded the title of "European Museum of the Year in 1997, it is famous for its splendid collections of 3000-year-old Hittite art objects, as well as valuable artifacts from later periods. Continuing to the airport, we fly to Izmir, then drive for about an hour through the rich countryside famous for its figs to reach Kusadasi. Our hotel here is the famous Kismet, founded by a branch of the Ottoman imperial family in the town's most splendid setting. We watch the sun set over the Bay of Kusadasi and Bird Island at dinnertime.
Day 7: Virgin Mary's House, Ephesus & St John Basilica (BLD)
We start today's explorations at the pine-shaded hilltop site proclaimed by the pope to be the House of the Virgin Mary. Then we descend to the marble streets of ancient Ephesus, the most impressive ancient city in the Mediterranean, with its marble temples, mosaic-rich houses, its noble library, 25,000-seat Great Theater, public baths and latrines, and even a brothel. Later in the afternoon we visit St John's Basilica, believed to be built atop the tomb of the Apostle. From the basilica, we will be able to look down on the remains of the great Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We end the day with a visit to the grand Isa Bey Mosque, just down the hill from the basilica. Then it's back to our hotel in Kusadasi for a relaxing dinner.
Day 8: Priene, Miletus & Didyma (BLD)
We drive south to Priene, a leading member of the ancient Panionic League and the first city to plan its streets on a grid. The ancient city, backed by a dramatic mountain, overlooks the sweeping floodplain of the Meander River, on the far side of which is ancient Miletus, our next stop. We visit the gigantic theater of Miletus, then continue south to the stupendous oracular Temple of Apollo at Didyma. After lunch at a local restaurant we explore the huge marble temple, which was as important as the one at Delphi in ancient times. As the afternoon draws to a close we return to our hilltop hotel in Kusadasi for dinner and a restful evening.
Day 9: Aphrodisias & Pamukkale (BLD)
Driving east up the fertile Meander River valley, we pass fruit orchards and cotton fields on our way to ancient Aphrodisias, the City of the Goddess of Love. This is among Turkey's best-preserved and most magnificent cities, especially as it was the home of a renowned school for sculptors. Beautiful statues and carvings abound in both the ruins and the modern museum. The great marble theater, the smaller Bouleuterion, the vast Temple of Aphrodite, the perfectly-preserved stadium, and the stupendous Tetrapylon (triumphal gate) cannot be missed.
Continuing our drive up the river valley, we reach the ancient spa city of Hierapolis, now called Pamukkale. We have time to explore the ruins, including the triumphal way, the vast necropolis, the beautifully-restored theater, the museum, the sacred pool of warm mineral water, and the natural travertine terraces of gleaming white calcium. Then we settle in for a mineral-water swim and dinner at the Spa Hotel Colossae Thermal Pamukkale.
Day 10: Termessos & Antalya (BLD)
We drive through gorgeous mountain scenery (yayla in Turkish), descending from the Anatolian plain toward Antalya. After a lunch stop, we take a detour to the mountain fastness of Termessos, an ancient city high at the top of a steep valley. It was so remote and well-defended that Alexander the Great passed it by. The mountain panoramas are simply spectacular.
Descending to Antalya, the "capital of the Turquoise Coast," we penetrate the Roman walls of Kaleiçi (Old Antalya) where we settle in at the charming Marina Residence boutique hotel within sight of the Roman harbor (now filled with yachts). Take a stroll before or after dinner—you're right at the center of everything there is to see!
Day 11: Antalya as You Like It! (BD)
No driving today! Relax by the pool, stroll through Kaleiçi or the nearby bazaar, take the tram to the excellent Antalya Museum and/or the beautiful long Konyaalti Beach. Have lunch (on your own) in the city, in Kaleiçi, or the Roman harbor: there are dozens of good choices with a few minutes' walk of your hotel. We gather again for dinner at the Marina Residence to trade stories of the day's discoveries.
Day 12: Perge, Aspendos & Side (BLD)
We drive to the eastern outskirts of Antalya to visit the impressive ruins of ancient Perge, then continue to Aspendos, with the best-preserved Hellenistic theater on the Mediterranean, still used for performances. After lunch near the theatre, we drive east to Side (SEE-deh), where Anthony and Cleopatra are said to have met for a romantic tryst. Its marble temples and beautiful beaches keep us busy until it's time to return to Antalya, a good dinner, and a good night's sleep.
Day 13: Istanbul Farewell (BD)
We fly from Antalya to Istanbul in the morning, settle in at the Blue House Hotel, and have the rest of the day to do last-minute shopping and sightseeing on our own. Perhaps the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, or the Archeological Museums, or the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. They're all just a few minutes' stroll from the Blue House. Lunch is as you like it, where you like it. We gather in the evening for our farewell dinner within sight of the illuminated Blue Mosque.
Day 14: Homeward Bound (B)
Argeus representatives escort you to Atatürk Airport for your homeward flight.
Tour Details:
Guaranteed departure dates: May 13 and September 16, 2007 (departures on other dates are possible; rates vary depending on the number of persons in the group)
—Minimum 6, maximum 10 persons on guaranteed departure dates
—Tour fee: US$3080 per person double occupancy (single supplement: US$485) (contact Argeus for fees for other dates)
—Infants 0-2 years free; children 2-12 years 50% discount; student (13 to 17 years) discount 10%
Your Tour Includes:
—Accommodation as described in the tour itinerary
—Most meals, as shown in the tour description (B= buffet breakfast; L = lunch; D = dinner)
—Transportation within Turkey, including flights (but international transport to Turkey is NOT included)
—Licensed professional multilingual guide
—All admission fees
—All taxes
For more information and availability, please contact Argeus.
Wow! Menarik itinerary tu. Just in case masih juga nak ke Athens, you can spend 4 or 5 days in Istanbul and the take a train to Athens via Tessaloniki(can`t remember the spelling) or even a bus. You can also take a eurail pass from Istanbul to many european countries. But bring along your Youth pass to enjoy the discounts. With a youth or international students card, you get discounts at museums, trains, cinemas etc in Turkey and many european countries.
Stay away from too friendly strangers is an advisable thing to do if you have an tourist expression on your face.
Read about your destination at www.lonelyplanet.com so that you can make sense of what the guide is explaining. Read about ancient greek, helenistic period, Hitit, Persian, Alexander and most important about the ottomans and visiting Turkey will be more meaningful. The 1.5km walk crossing the ancient city of Ephesus is tiring for many and whats there to see but ruins, piles of rocks but for some, they see far beyond. The more we read, the further we can see and the slower our steps become. Hehehehe...but in our clan, mana ada hok jalan lambatnya?
Abah, wow... mahal gle tour fee. kalau abah nk support, beres... haha. Acik- I tried to email you tp tak sent. rasenye salah address kot. bg smule bleh? tak pun email fi- thescientist02@yahoo.com. thanks.
Mak- eh, kan dah penah ckp TKY study kat france? Kalau tgk gaye die tu, mcm takkan ubah je.. hehe.
fi, bukan suruh ikut package dia, iternery to sebagai guideline je.
just to show you terlalu banyak tempat untuk melawat di turkey, 2 minggu pun tak habis. troy tak jauh dari istanbul rupa-rupanya, day trip je.
macam acik kata, beware of too friendly and helpful strangers.... rule of thumb.
swell.~!
So, where are we spending Christmas, Eidul Adha and New Year????
Germany, Spain, Turkey or Italyyy?
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