May 27, 2013 Cappadocia - Zelve open air museum and Goreme open air museum

Today we visit the two open air museums which feature the fairy towers and the ancient Churches (now museums) built inside the towers.
We stopped at a tourist shop and restaurant to buy bottled water, souvenirs, take photos and see the fairy towers from the restaurant patio.
The view of the valley is like looking at a moonscape.

We then got back on the bus for our first museum visit which was the

ZELVE OPEN AIR MUSEUM  http://www.goreme.com/zelve-open-air-museum.php.

We started out as a group hiking on the guided path which led us up and down gentle hills and staircases past these towers. Some of the rooms were open so we could go in and inspect them and others roped off. We spend about 1 1.2 hrs hiking around the loop enjoying the scenery and beauty of the area. Afterwards our group gathered and hopped on the bus for the ride to the Goreme open air museum. 

http://www.goreme.com/goreme-open-air-museum.php features a lot of small churches inside the tuft complexes and some of them are named after the image on the doorway such as the Church of the Apple and the Snake.

The highlight is to visit the Dark Church (extra admission) which is accessed by climbing a metal staircase to get to the entrance and then going in a tunnel to see the room which is the Church.

What is amazing to me are the old fresco icons which are well preserved but the fact that all the icons seem the same whether you see them in an old church in Turkey or Greece or Cyprus.

After our visit here we walked down a ways to the Church of the Buckle which was well preserved and had a lot of beautiful fresco icons.

Lunch was at the Altinocak restaurant in in Avanos. It was in a large cave carved into the tuft material. We sat at a large circular table and watched the waiters prepare our lunch which consisted of a soup, salad, meat dish cooked in a dough sealed tureen and fruit.

It was very tasty and filling.

After visiting the museums we were taken to a Turkish carpet weaving cooperative where workers weave traditional Turkish silk and wool carpets. The cooperative is supported by the Turkish government who pays for all the taxes and shipping of the carpets to Europe and the US when they are purchased by tourists.

We were treated to tea, water and raki as we watched the salespeople unroll carpet after carpet in a synchronized manner and then taken to smaller rooms to make our purchases.

At the end of the day we were driven back to the Peri Tower hotel to have a delicious buffet dinner.

Tomorrow is a drive to an old monastery carved in the stone/tuft and then a stop at an old church before returning to the hotel.

May 26, 2013 Patriachate and St. George Church, Chora Monastery and Pammakaristos Church and fly to Kaysar in eve.

Today we all went to attend liturgy at the St. George Church at the Patriarchate in the Phanar neighborhood. Not only were there local Orthodox faithful attending but lots of Orthodox from other countries. The service and sermon were very moving. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._George,_Istanbul

After Church we took a few photos and then got on a bus to go to the Chora Monastery which is now a museum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chora_Church

We were told by many that have visited this church/museum of its beauty and history and were really anticipating our visit this afternoon.
We arrived at the Monastery and stopped for lunch before our visit. We ate at a local cafe next to the monastery and the food and atmosphere was good.

We then paid our entrance fees and entered the Monastery and were overwhelmed by the beautiful icons - both mosaic and painted.

We were told that all the icons in the Church showed the the story of Christ and the Virgin  Mary.
We could follow the history by looking at each side of the inner and outer narthex and the center of the Church. We spent about 1 1/2 hours here and fortunately it was not too crowded so we can hear the guide's explanations, see the icons and take photos.

We had a few minutes to buy books and cards before we had to get on the bus for our next stop at Pammakaristos.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pammakaristos_Church

The church had been converted to a mosque before it became a museum.  The icons were made of mosaic and very beautiful. Our group was the only visitors so it was not crowded or noisy. We heard our guide's explanations and took photos of the icons.

After our visit we got on the bus to go back to the hotel. Tonight  we fly to Cappadocia .

We arrived in Kaysar and took the bus to our hotel the Peri Tower http://peritower.com/en/home/. It is a very nice property and wonderful rooms and the food was great. However it is far from everything- not even a little store to buy water or snacks or essential items. 
Had a buffet dinner and then retired to our room.

2015 Greek Celebration Cruise on the Celebrity Equinox

I am excited to be able to offer another fun filled Greek Celebration Cruise on the Celebrity Equinox in Jan 2015.

May 25, 2013 Istanbul/Constantinople and Halki Island

Today we headed to the old City to visit  a Church and a Monastery. Our first stop was at the Church of St. Mary Blachernae - http://www.triposo.com/poi/Church_of_St2e_Mary_of_Blachernae_28Istanbul29.

We went in to view the church and pray and light candles. During our visit a school group from Greece entered the church. Our two Priests let us in singing the hymn Christ Has Risen! since we were there after Easter.
We then went to the area with the faucets for Holy Water and had a sip and the church assistant provided us with bottles to fill with the Holy Water so we can take it home.

We then took a short visit to the gift shop and then to the bus to go to the next stop, the Church of the Life Giving Spring in the Balouki Monastery.

http://www.triposo.com/section/Life-giving_Spring

The spring is located under the Church.  In the courtyard are the tombs of Patriarchs.

After lighting candles and praying we got back  to the bus for a ride to the Ferry terminal where we were going to one of the Princess Islands, Halli to visit the Church and Theological School.
After a pleasant 45 min ferry ride we got off at Halki to get a ride to the Church.
Cars are not allowed on the island so we took horse drawn buggy to the top of the hill to the Church.

The Church and School and other buildings as well as the grounds were in very good condition. the classrooms are all set up and waiting for students.
In the Church we viewed a rare two sided wooden Icon.
Our group then headed to a view area where we could see Istanbul in the distance as well as some of the other islands.
After taking photos we went back to the road to get into our buggies for a ride to the port. We had about 30 mins before the ferry arrived and this was our chance to get lunch or  a snack. We found a donner stand and had a beef/lamb donner and soda.

Boarding the Ferry we headed back to Istanbul and the bus. Our last stop of the day was to attend Vesper Services at the Patriarch- the Church of St. George.

After the Vespers our guide had arranged for us to visit the Vicar since the Patriarch was travelling. The Bishop welcomed us, treated us to coffee and a chocolate and a small cross as a gift.
We then went to the smallest gift shop I ever saw- it was the size of a closet and only two people at a time could enter and buy gifts.
We had group photos taken and then back to the bus to go to the hotel and dinner.

This was a busy day but we did a lot and really enjoyed it. I have always dreamt of going to Halki island and to St. George.

NOTES-  I found out from watching a Greek TV series on the Mega channel that there are a lot of  active Greek Orthodox Churches in Istanbul.
In front of the two Churches we visited today Turkish vendors set up street stalls selling postcards and other items that were related to the Church we were visiting. None of us purchased anything from these vendors.

May 24, 2013 Istanbul - St. Sophia, Tokapi Palace, Hippodrome and underground cistern

Today is going to be a busy day touring the Old City sights. Since our hotel is in Taksim Sq. we must take our bus to the Old City- a trip of about 45 mins. due to traffic.

If one is planning to stay a few days in Istanbul, I recommend staying in a hotel in the Old City where everything is in walking distance. Chora is a distance away and is best reached by taking a taxi- takes too long to take public transportation and risking getting lost.

We arrived at the bus drop by the Topkapi Palace around 9am and walked to St. Sophia (Agia Sophia) Museum/Church/Mosque.
We were able to get in when the museum opened and it was not too crowded.  This time like last time we were here there were several tour groups of Greek visitors.

Our guide took us up to the gallery to see the mosaics and then to the main level where we could see some mosaics but mostly the designs where the mosaics were covered when St. Sophia was converted to a Mosque.

When we visited St. Sophia a few years ago there was some restoration work going on but not to the extent at this time. Although there is a lot of scaffolding there is no work going on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia




We then went to the underground cistern to see this amazing underground reservoir- one of many in the city.
There were a lot of tours and the passageways narrow it  took a long time to traverse the reservoir and to see all the columns.

http://www.istanbultrails.com/2008/06/the-basilica-cistern-the-coolest-spot-in-town/

Our next stop was a walk to the Hippodrome- now just a large plaza to see two obelisks and to see the Blue Mosque from a distance.

We then walked to the Topkapi Palace and due to time restraints saw the four ? courtyards, the treasury and the religious exhibit.

To really see the Palace and enjoy the grounds and views one must spend at least 4 hrs. If one has seen the first part of the tour one can pay extra and tour the Harem.

http://topkapisarayi.gov.tr/en

Per this web site the St. Irene museum is now open to individual visitors. If you have a chance go see is as it has been closed off for tours except for concerts.

After visiting the Palace we headed for our last stop, the Archeological Museum which is next to the Palace. Warning- no elevator so if  one has knee or leg problems one either takes the stairs or just sees the exhibits on the first floor.
http://www.istanbularkeoloji.gov.tr/main_page

Near the museum was a nice snack bar/cafeteria where we stopped and enjoyed refreshments before boarding our bus back to the hotel.