In the midst of moving the motor home up here to Interlochen and getting started with the boys, I have not yet sorted pictures from the trip, which is next on my list of "things to do." Meanwhile, Overseas Adventure Travel asked for opinions and a review, which I wrote. It is a brief synopsis of our trip, so I decided to place it here, also, with pictures and more to follow!
When we first decided to choose the "Ancient Treasures, Modern Wonders: Turkey and Greece" trip, we had absolutely no idea what to expect. Of course, we knew of the Acropolis and the Parthenon in Athens, had read The Iliad and knew of Troy, were familiar with the battle of Gallipoli, and were aware that we would be served a great deal of eggplant and lamb. What we found was a whole new world of "adventure and discovery," led by one of the most educated, interesting, delightful, and humorous guides, Kadir, whom one could ever expect.
The pre-trip to Crete with its marvelous ruins at Knossos, its archaeological museum, and its lovely coast, was fascinating. Once in Athens, we were awe-struck by the Parthenon and the Acropolis, seen from all parts of Athens, and we enjoyed the museums, galleries, shopping,and foods of the city, as well as our delightful Greek guide, Elena. The trip to Corinth and seeing the place where St. Paul stood to preach was amazing, as was King Agamemnon's tomb in Mycenae. The island of Rhodes led us to imagine exactly where the Colossus would have stood, and how the medieval knights guarded the gates to the East. The ship Arethusa and her crew could not have been more hospitable as we traveled to beautiful Aegean islands of Symi, Kos, Patmos, and Chios, including seeing the cave where St. John wrote and the tree under which Hippocrates taught, and Bodrum, site of the mausoleum of Halicarnassus. We explored the ruins of Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis, our third Wonder of the Ancient World on this trip. Exploring Troy was amazing, and we found the Gallipoli battlefields unbelievably horrifying.
I must say that the visit to Turkey provided the most new material for us, more than we ever expected to learn, thanks to our guide Kadir. In Istanbul we saw the beautiful mosques and museums for which the city is famous, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace, where we even saw "the daggar" from the movie Topkapi! And, of course, we had a great time spending our money at the bazaars! We also thoroughly enjoyed the optional side trip, Sailing Between Continents, covering both sides of the Bosphorus from both Europe and Asia.
We had also opted for the post-trip to Cappadocia and Ankara, which was amazing! To see the "fairie chimneys" and visit the early Christian hideaways was simply fantastic, and we wouldn't have missed seeing the Whirling Dervishes. This trip provided us with so much information about the Hittites, their culture, and their lasting effects upon the world, that we were excited about seeing the museum in Ankara. Our awareness about the religious beliefs found in Turkey, the history of country, particularly concerning the leadership of Ataturk, and the overview of modern Turkey today, increased exponentially, and we can only urge more Americans to learn more about this fascinating country and its history.
Would we encourage others to take this trip? Absolutely! The hotels were splendid, the food was fabulous, and the guides were superb! The ship was a luxurious treat! And, not only did we enjoy all of that, but we learned so much as well! And, we now have a whole new group of friends! Thank you, OAT, for this excellent time of "adventure and discovery!"
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