Coordination meeting in Turkey - 4 to 12 October 2013

Days 1 and 2

ISTANBUL, a city of contrasts!

 


 
We arrived in Istanbul, with praise and very positive comments from our students, still ringing in our ears.

The places that can be visited in Istanbul are so incredible and so magnificent, that it is hard to choose a favourite. We loved the Blue Mosque and Haiga Sophia, the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar, Suleiman's Mosque and  the Topkapi Palace. Beauty has no beginning and no end in Istanbul and the crowded streets and squares, the modern and the old, the people and the mild weather, the food stalls everywhere, the noise and the lively pace of the day will accompany you like the song of the Muhecin in this marvellous city. 

DAY 3

Goreme, paradise in the heart of Capadoccia.

For our second part of the trip, we were taken to Goreme, a beautiful trouristic town in the heart of the Capadoccia. We were lodged in one of the most beautiful hotels we had ever stayed at, the STONE HOUSE CAVE HOTEL. In Turkey, hospitality is legendary, but in this hotel they go a step beyond. The staff are so helpful and so kind, that not only you feel at home as soon as you walk through the door, but you also feel genuinely welcome. We had a room fit for a sultan. 
That day we could wander around and prepare for our meeting the next day. 

DAY 4 -  ACIGOL, our destination.  

The school in Acigol was waiting. We visited it, exchanged presents and planned the day.

  

Then we went on to visit the local educational authorities end the Major of the town. 

We went for lunch with the school teachers and then set off to a lovely valley of intrincate rock formations, which was breathtaking.   

Ihlara Vadisi

Drinking Chai on the river with a bunch of very noisy ducks.

That night we wre in for a great surprise! Turkish dinner and dances!

 

DAY 5 - AVANOS  AND UGRUP 

One of the most amazing places in the Capadoccia was the Open Air Museum, which you can visit on foot and where you can really get a taste of what living in caves really meant.
 


Exploring the vast compound was one of the best planned activities of the whole trip. 


We found the caved churches wonderful and the whole compound stunning. 

 

DAY 6 - Capadoccia (Kaymakh) The underground city

Early morning start to go to one of the main attractions in Capadoccia: the Underground City; the place where the Turkish people have hidden from enemies, made their wine and kept their nourishment for centuries before modern times. An impressive labirynth of tunnels, rooms and corridors that extend underneath the modern city. Unfortunaltely we were not allowed to take photos.

Later in the day we went to UGRUP to buy delicacies in the shops to take back with us. 

In the evening we were taken out to dinner in a beautiful restaurant. Farewells were said and we danced to Turkish and Spanish traditional music.