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​Itinerary and Booking​

Hello friends!

I wanted to share some exciting news with you. After some additional coordination with our tour agency, we're adding a number of new experiences to our itinerary for Turkey next spring! We're going to enjoy nine jam-packed days of epic sightseeing, delicious food, and learning about Turkish history and culture! I wanted to share some of the new activities we've added to the official itinerary for those of you who might still be on the fence about booking this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The Istanbul Tulip Festival

Our timing for this trip is truly perfect - we'll get to see the tulips in full bloom in Emirgan Park in the northern part of Istanbul! There will be tons of photo opportunities; I'm planning to lead a group up to Emirgan on both our official arrival and departure days to make sure that everyone gets a chance to experience this only-in-Istanbul, only-in-April opportunity!

Bosphorus Cruise

You simply can't leave Istanbul without a sightseeing cruise past the palaces and Maiden's Tower and under the bridge... we'll plan to set sail sometime between our arrival back from Kayseri (Cappadocia) and our farewell dinner.

Ayvalik Toast

This is a hidden gem of Turkey, and I'm so glad that we're working it in to our tour! We'll visit a food court where they sell nothing but pressed sandwiches traditional to the Aegean coast. What is Ayvalik toast, you ask? Well, there are different variations but the important ingredients are salami and cheese. You'll have to trust me on why this is such a unique sandwich that you can't easily recreate at home!

Traditional Cuisine

We're building lots of opportunities to enjoy traditional cuisine into our tour. I'm still looking for the perfect restaurant in Cappadocia, but we'll likely have a chance to try the region's traditional cooking in clay pots. We will also enjoy the opportunity to try lots of Turkish classics like borek, pide, manti, and of course kebab. While in Ayvalik we will try to enjoy a traditional fish dinner with lots of side dishes, either in the town or across the bay in the peaceful village of Cunda.

Two Breakfasts in One Day!

You heard me right... get ready for double breakfast! Our tour operator wouldn't let us drop one of the hotel breakfasts, so we'll go light and enjoy a second full breakfast outside at a traditional breakfast-only restaurant! Many Turkish breakfast restaurants are open all day - think of Waffle House or Denny's (if you're from the States) but with wholesome Mediterranean breakfast staples served day or night, from sucuk and omelettes to simit, fresh cheese, jams, olives and pancakes.

We've added a few other experiences to the itinerary, including the Galata Tower in Istanbul, the wine-filled village of Sirince, and the Devil's Feast coastal viewpoint in Ayvalik. We'll be adding more experiences as we get closer to next April... if you're thinking about joining and have any special requests, don't hesitate to reach out!

The trip isn't until next April - why should I book now?

Over 150 of you registered your interest with our tour agency, so we do expect to sell out. Similar tours offered by this agency have sold out within the first month, so I can't guarantee that space will be available later on. Re​member that you only need to deposit about $750 today to hold your spot! Also, the sooner we have confirmed the number of travelers, the more options we will have for booking the optional excursions.

Any additional questions? Don't hesitate to ask - just reply to this email!

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