Arrive in Istanbul (D)

After setting in at our hotel, we will have a late afternoon orientation and get-to-know-you session, where you’ll receive your Creative Journal and Watercolor Kit. We’ll walk to a local restaurant for a traditional Turkish dinner with stuffed pastries, slow cooked kebabs, and honey-filled desserts. On the post-dinner stroll back to our lodging, you will get a sense of the wonderful city you’ve landed in and your first glimpse of the towering spires of the world-famous Blue Mosque.

Istanbul  (B,D)

You awaken to a gentle Arabic melody as the “call to prayer” reverberates throughout Istanbul. We share a lavish breakfast then come together for our first writing session. After lunch, you’ll get to experience the best antidote to jet lag: a traditional Turkish bath at Hürrem Sultan Hammam, a sumptuous Ottoman bath house dating from 1556. Located between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, they offer a luxurious, relaxing bath experience, which will not only clean and relax your body after the long journey, but also renew and purify your spirit. In the late afternoon, Brenda will teach your first watercolor class. Afterwards, we’ll dine together at one of Istanbul’s delicious restaurants.

Istanbul, (B, L, D) This morning we will tour the Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine church turned mosque considered by some the most beautiful building in the world. Then we will head to the Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest covered markets in the world, filled with over 4,000 stalls. We will share lunch together before free time to explore the seemingly endless labyrinth of shops, with everything from spices to carpets to intricate hand-carved tiles. Our afternoon writing and sketching session will bring us back together to absorb and reflect on our day. Afterwards, we’ll walk to another delicious Turkish dinner.

Istanbul, (B, L, D) After a morning of writing and art, we’ll have lunch at Hayat Saril (Embrace Life), a restaurant and social initiative that supports the homeless community with meals, mental healthcare, and skills training. Then we’ll visit KEDV, an economic empowerment foundation that helps low-income women improve their lives and become leaders within their own communities. Meet the amazing staff and learn about their impact, vision, and approach.

After our visit, we’ll take the ferry over to the Asian side of Istanbul: a beautiful 20 minute boat ride that will transport you across continents from Europe to Asia. We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon and evening wandering through Kadiköy, a lively, artsy neighborhood on the less touristy side of Istanbul, full of charming shops, and cafes. We will also have a tour of delicious Turkish street food.

Travel day from Istanbul to Şirince, near Ephesus  (B, D) We will take a 1.5 hour flight to Izmir and drive to our rural lodging on a high hill overlooking the charming village of Şirince and its network of local vineyards. The area is famous for wine production, where Turkey’s most prominent varieties are grown and processed. After we settle into our rooms, we’ll explore the extensive grounds and have a writing group, followed by dinner with a view.

Şirince and Ephesus (B, L, D) Ephesus is an ancient Greek city, one of the largest and best preserved in the world. Wander through the meticulously preserved streets of this once-great metropolis, once home to philosophers, scholars, and artisans. Discover the grandeur of the Celsus Library, the impressive Great Theatre, and the remains of the Temple of Artemis – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We’ll stop for a traditional lunch of gözleme (a delicious crepe-like wrap) before returning to the stone-paved hilly streets of Şirince with free time to write, sketch, shop, or simply wander. Then we have a short transfer back to our hotel for more free time to enjoy the pool and grounds before dinner.

Cruising the Turquoise Coast: Welcome Aboard Your Home for the Next Week–A Traditional Wooden Gulet (B, L, D) After breakfast, we’ll have one last chance to write and sketch in this beautiful hillside setting. After lunch, we’ll transfer to the port town of Marmaris on the Aegean Sea. During the 4-hour ride in a private coach bus, we will pass through the stunning Turkish countryside. After meeting Anne, guide and co-owner of the boats, and the rest of the crew, we’ll settle into our cabins and have an orientation to life on-board a Turkish gulet. Our group will be living and eating on two boats for the next week, coming together for writing and sketching sessions, hikes, and visits to cultural highlights.

Cruising the Turquoise Coast: Writing and Sketching on the Mediterranean (B, L, D) On board the boat, we’ll have breakfast at 8:30 every day with a Turkish feast of local fruit, tomatoes, olives, cheese, bread, honey, jams, strong hot coffee and tea. Our boats have sails, but we save time by using the engine to cruise to our daily destinations, about an hour ride this morning. We will walk uphill to view the turquoise waters and striking rock formations from above, where we will write and sketch before heading back to the boat for lunch and free time to swim or just relax. We'll cruise to our next destination, then gather for a group writing session before another delightful dinner.

Cruising the Turquoise Coast: Discovering Byzantine Ruins on the Dalyan River (B, L, D) Today we hop on a taxi boat to the Dalyan River, passing ancient Lycian tombs carved high in a rock wall. After landing, we’ll walk along a rural road for several miles past pomegranate and fig trees, low stone walls, and farm stands, stopping at a family-operated ethnographic museum to tour their collection of local artifacts and enjoy fresh sage tea. We’ll continue our walk to the ruins at Caunos, a site still under active excavation, which dates from the 4th century BC. We will stroll past its 5,000-seat Roman amphitheater, Byzantine Basilica, and well-preserved Roman baths. Then we’ll continue by water taxi up river to the colorful town of Dalyan, which has a delicious goat milk ice cream stand, among other cafes and shops. We end our afternoon with a mud bath, plastering ourselves and one another with refreshing, mineral-rich mud. After rinsing with a cold shower, we’ll proceed to dip in the hot pool. Your skin will thank you. Finally, we’ll return to the gulets, moored in a secluded cove, and onto another delicious dinner. There will be no formal writing class during this day of exploration; we’ll practice sensory observation on-the-go.

Cruising the Turquoise Coast: Hiking the Turkish Countryside to the Ruins of Lydae (B, L, D) Cruising by boat, we’re able to skip the built-up places and head for less crowded, off-the-beaten-path destinations. Today, we’ll drop anchor in a small bay, take a dinghy to shore, and embark on a 3-mile walk on a winding mule path to the Roman ruins at Lydae. We will meander past hilltop ruins before heading down to an ancient cistern that is still in use. This is not a track most tourists tread, and the only people we're likely to encounter are the local shepherd and his family, who embody Turkish hospitality, serving tea and honey from their farm. Our path now skirts through woodlands, down a gorge with stunning views of the sea below as we descend to Manastir Bay and our boats. We’ll have lunch on board and then have our writing class, followed by free time to swim, relax, and sketch before gathering for another wonderful dinner on the gulet.

Cruising the Turquoise Coast: Exploring Fethiye Bay (B, L, D) This morning we’ll start with a morning writing workshop. Then we’ll head to shore for a walk on a coastal goat path. We’ll hike for 3 miles through rocks and trees with gorgeous views of the many islands that dot Fethiye Bay, descending to another small cove and returning to our boat. We’ll have time to swim, nap or paint before another wonderful dinner, perhaps grilled fish, mezes, and fresh fruit.

Cruising the Turquoise Coast: Hiking by the Gocek Islands (B, L, D) Today is our last hiking day, an out-and-back trail, seven miles round trip, the longest of the trip. If you’d rather have more time to write and sketch, you can head back early (after a few miles or only a few steps) or spend the day relaxing aboard the gulet. If you choose the longer hike, we will walk among lavender, rockrose bushes, and juniper, climbing on a wide track to a ridge overlooking the whole of Fethiye Bay and the famous Gocek islands. The magnificent vistas display many of the places we've walked previously. Returning to our boat we'll motor a short way before dropping anchor for the night.

Cruising the Turquoise Coast: The Ghost Village of Kayaköy (B, L, D) We journey inland today. Our first stop will be the Lycian ruins at Tlos. With a well-preserved amphitheater, multiple churches, and precious few visitors, it is a wonderful place to explore. When we are done wandering, we’ll visit the ghost village of Kayaköy, the setting for the book Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernièrs. Believed by locals to be haunted, Kayaköy was a mixed village of Christians and Muslims until the 1920s when Greece and Turkey agreed on a program of "population exchange." We'll learn more about this tumultuous history and its legacy in the region. We'll have lunch here in an authentic local restaurant located next to the ruins. Tonight is our last night on the boat, and we'll share a final farewell feast, toasting Anne and the crew and all that we have experienced together.

Travel Day to Istanbul (B, D) We transfer to the Dalaman airport for our flight to Istanbul. We will have our final writing session and wrap-up our sketch book before savoring our final dinner together.

Home or On to Your Next Adventure (B)
You are free to leave anytime today. If you are headed home, you'll be departing from Istanbul. This is also where we'll catch our flight to Kayseri for the Cappadocia extension trip.