We will experience the history, language, and culture of Turkey's varied civilizations, both ancient and modern, so bring your curiosity and friendliness, and be prepared to record your thoughts and observations in a journal!

Beginning in Istanbul, we travel by private bus accompanied by a licensed bilingual guide. Here we explore the Covered Bazaar, the Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, the Cistern, and the Military Museum.

After three days in Istanbul, our journey takes us along the shores of the Sea of Marmara, with a stop at Gallipoli (Gelibolu) and overnight at Canakkale. We visit the ancient cities of Troy, Pergamum, and Ephesus as we continue down the Aegean coast to Izmir.

From Izmir we journey to Afrodisias and Heriapolis, then spend the night at the thermal baths at Pamukkale.

In both Istanbul and Izmir students will have the opportunity to visit a Turkish high school and spend some time with the students in their homes. These visits proved to be the highlight of previous projects.

To prepare for our journey, we learned a few expressions in Turkish and sampled tasty Turkish treats when Mr. Giuseppe Dragonetti visited with our group at the beginning of March (photos below).

Here is a broad outline of where we will be:

Sunday, March 13 --Turkish Airlines non-stop flight to Istanbul
Monday-Wednesday --stay in Istanbul
Thursday --go to Canakkale
Friday-Saturday --Izmir
Sunday --Denizli
Monday --stay with families in Odemis
Tuesday --Izmir
Wednesday, March 23 --fly back to O'Hare