Tour 1

TOUR 1 : BYZANTINE HIGHLIGHTS & SPICY SHOPPING
(15^th April 2010 – Tour for accompanying person)

(09h00 – 15h30) Today after breakfast guests will be transferred by coach to the city where guests will start the discovery of Istanbul with the Hippodrome Square (*) and the St-Sophia Church (**).After visits guests will continue to an experience of the magnificent Rutkish spices at the Spice Bazaar (***).  

(*) The Roman Emperor Septimus Severus constructed the first version in the 3rd century AD. Later Con­stantine the Great, founder of Constantinople, developed it into an arena with long grand­stands on both sides and a seating capacity of 100,000. Then it became the scene of chariot races and was the centre of Byzantine civic and –sometimes- political life till it was abandoned in the early Middle Ages. Unfor­tunately little remains today as the stones and marbles were used as quarries to build the Süleymanye and Blue Mosques during the Ottoman period. Today it houses three ancient monuments: the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine.

(**) The St-Sophia Church -church of Holy Wisdom- (Closed on Mondays) is undoubtedly one of the greatest buildings in the world, built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian to surpass every other building ever erected to the glory of God and to proclaim forever the great­ness of the Empire. In an effort to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire, Justinian adorned it with gold mosaics and the most precious marbles from all parts of his empire. It took 10,000 worker­s and five years to turn it into one of the great architec­tural wonders of Byzantine construction skill. St-Sophia was early Christendom's biggest church and with its 52 m high dome remained the lar­gest in the world for a thousand years only to be surpassed by St-Paul's of London, St-Peter's of Rome and the Milan Cathedral. After the conquest of the city in 1453, Mehmet the Conqueror altered it into a mosque and in 1934 Atatürk transformed it into a museum.

(*) The Spice Bazaar (closed on Sundays) is situated by the Galata Bridge and is part of the nearby Yeni Mosque complex. Its history goes back to the middle of the 17th century when it opened as an herb & spice bazaar. Today in addition to spices, a veritable feast awaits your senses: drapery, pure olive oil soaps, pastirma (cured spiced beef), sucuk (spicy beef sausage), caviar, pickles, jam and floral scents -such as lilac, violet and jasmine which are bottled and sold here- all tempt the curious visitor. Some shops are piled with pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, figs, plums, mulberries, apricots grapes and even dried aubergines, while others specialise in tea and coffee only. Roots, barks and leaves used in herbal remedies are on sale as a reminder of the days before western medicine became the accepted norm. With the air full of fragrances of the Orient, the irresistible temptation is simply to wander in the passageways where mounds of black peppercorns, paprika, black pepper, saffron, henna, dried sage, rosemary and rose hips are on display.

After the sightseeing lunch will be served at a kebap house for a typical local experience. Guests will taste simple yet tasteful Turkish Kebap dishes in an unrivalled location.

 
COSTING
Per person   : 79.- € 

Included in the Costings:

• Transfers mentioned in the above programme by appropriate transportation vehicle (minibus, midibus or coach)
  
• Entrance fees to the mentioned sites in the programme given above
  
• Local guide during sightseeing
  
• Lunch
  
• VAT for each service
  
• Service charge

Excluded from the Costings:

• Any kind of beverages during lunch
  
• Travel insurance
  
• Out of the pocket expenses

Please note that all private tours will be realized in case participation will be over 5 guests. EventUsta reserves the right to any change in the programme given above, without any prior notice.

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