Meander Travel your company exceeded all our expectations. Our tour was amazing. Firstly I must thank Hasene Gur. She was a wonderful young lady! (I had been communicating with her for over 6months thinking she was a male !!) My sincere apologies. You were exceptional. Your planning of our holiday in Turkey was everything we expected and more. Our guide you choose was also exceptional. Typhoon Yalcin has had 20 years experience guiding in Turkey and his knowledge on all the historical sites we visited was excellent.(Of course our knowledge was very average!) We rejected the history test he was going to subject us to at the end of the tour!. He was extremely professional, very respectful of all our needs ie knee issues negotiating steps & stairs. Had a wonderful sense of humour, and added a personal Turkish dimension to the Turkey we expected to see. Thank you Typhoon for making our time in Turkey so enjoyable.
Highlights were of course:- Istanbul. What an amazing city. We visited all the historical sites over three days, really enjoyed Chora Church, Suleymaniye Mosque, Bosphorus Cruise, Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, but it was the unexpected that we loved. The beautiful gardens & parks full of tulips, families picnicking beside the Maramaris sea. Lunch at the Fish Market, Taxim Square & the street where 4 million people walk each & every day.Ataturk's favourite restaurant in Sisli is a must do, the area is alive with people 24 hours a day. The streets are so clean. The Turks believe their front door is what the world sees and it is their responsibility to keep it clean. That begins at the airport gateway. The road into the centre of the city is just beautiful, with flowers, hanging baskets, gardens & trees. The animals are cared as well, most of the street dogs have been tagged & are cared for by the city & it's people. The people are respectful and friendly. The traffic is immense but there are very few bikes which make it more congested but less chaotic. Wonderful city.
Cappadocia is another highlight. Do the Balloon ride. Walk the Zelve Open Air Museum. Go to Avanos and buy a beautiful traditional piece of ceramic. It is very classy. Goreme with its rock-cut churches & frescoes is unbelievable. Go to a Whirling Dervish show at Konya. We then crossed the Taurus Mountains with freshly covered snow to Aspendos. The Roman theatre is spectacular. We then went on to Perge & Gorcek where we boarded a "Blue Cruise" Gulet Yacht for 4 nights. The captain and crew were experienced, very professional and a great bunch of guys. Thank you to the team. We had a fantastic time & the Aegean in April was fresh but very swimmable.(We are Kiwis!) Unfortunately we were a little early for the Garetta-Garetta Turtle but we did see two in the distance using a good pair of binoculars.
Ephesus is a must see & also the Terrace Houses & the Temple of Diana. We then drove to Pergamon where you visit the Temple of Zeus & Athena. We also visited Asclepion the famous first Roman Health Centre and Troy.
From there we drove to Gallipoli. We were lucky enough to have won a ballet ticket to the 100 year commemorations. It was a very emotional and moving experience & our thanks goes to Typhoon for managing to get two of us to and from the site & the commemoration with such ease. Gallipoli, Anzac Cove, Lone Pine & our New Zealand memorial at Chunuk Bair is what has brought our three countries together. It is a real brotherhood. For us it was a most defining moment. Thank you. Hasene for all the organisation, booking of Hotels, arranging tours. To Typhoon and our fantastic driver Andy from Mesyeni Bus company for the exceptional time we have had in Turkey.