Turkey by Land & by Sea: Ancient Mysteries of the Heart To be announced: Turkey by Land To be announced: Turkey by Sea Join us for one or both trip segments! Led by: Dr. Sheri Rosenthal Author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Toltec Wisdom, Banish Mind Spam! & WITH Forgiveness - Are You Ready?

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Turkey possesses one of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes of Middle East/Asia. cultural influences criss-crossed through this country creating an unusual and rich history. On this journey we will explore both the incredible architecture: from the Byzantine Haghia Sofia (Church of the Divine Wisdom) to the phantasmagoric rock formations of Capadoccia - and from the powerful spiritual traditions of the Whirling Dervishes and the Sufis in Konya to the Goddess sites of Artemis at Ephesus.

Some of the other wonderful sites we will be visiting will be the famous Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, and the ancient cities of Perge and Olympos. By boat we will explore some of the lesser known sites of Lydae, Caunos, Loryma and Knidos.

In addition to a wonderful exploration by land, we will also explore the quiet coves and isolated ruins along the Turquoise coast by gulet - our private sailing boat. Here we will relax and slow our pace and connect with the energy of this beautiful land. We will look forward to morning strolls amongst the ruins of past civilizations while back on board the crew prepares our lunch. The table, under the shade of an awning, is laden with Turkish specialties; tempting vegetable dishes, colorful salads and freshly caught fish. The bread, baked in a stone oven, arrives by row boat from a village ashore. Then while we rest in the sun, our boat will set sail for our next harbor.

As is typical for a Journeys of the Spirit retreat, you will experience class time daily, time for sharing with the group, reflection and meditation time, and one-on-one personal time with your group leader (along with fun and shopping time too of course!). It is our intent that you return home with an open heart and mind along with the tools you need to make the changes in your life you desire.

Turkey by Land

Day 1 - (-/-/d) ISTANBUL -We leave the US today and meet in Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul and transfer to our hotel in the historic Sultanahmet district. In the evening we settle in and have a lovely dinner at our hotel. After dinner we gather together as a group and get to know each other and share our intent for our week together.

Day 2- (b/-/-) BLUE MOSQUE/HAGIA SOPHIA/CHORA CHURCH - A full day tour of the city including the Blue Mosque, the Church of Hagia Sophia and the Chora Church.

Day 3 (b/l/d) KAYSERI/CAPADOCCIA - An early morning flight from Istanbul to Kayseri in the fascinating Capadoccia region, a magical landscape of volcanic rock formations and pinnacles. During these three days you will visit aspects of the bizarre and surreal landscape of Capadoccia, Christian churches and homes carved into the soft volcanic deposits, rock chimneys caused by erosion, Goreme Open Air Museum, Zelve Valley, Ortahysar, Sooanly and Uchysar villages - all with striking examples of rock hewn churches and underground cities where Christians fled from invaders. Today visit Zelve Valley and Pasabag Valley. Late afternoon move to Uchisar for a breath-taking panorama of the region from Uchisar Castle. We overnight in cave hotel where the rooms are carved into the soft volcanic rock.

Day 4 (b/-/d) GOREME VALLEY - (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Pigeon Valley and Red Valley. Ortahisar Castle and Ethnographic Museum. Whirling Dervishes show at an old caravanserai.

Day 5 (b/l/d) IHLARA CANYON/KARBALLA - Walk in the Ihlara Canyon, see the little rock-cut churches, cave dwellings built onto the walls of the valley. Lunch by Melendiz River which runs through the canyon. Following lunch drive to Guzelyurt, known as Karballa, which is an evacuated Greek village in the beginning of 20th century and is still intact. See St. George’s Church dating back to the 6th century AD, and enjoy late afternoon by a nearby crater-lake. Overnight Capadoccia. Lunch will be served at restaurant by the river. Dinner will be arranged accordingly.

Day 6- (b/-/d) KONYA - Drive to Konya (approx. 3 hours). Konya is the home of the Whirling Dervishes who follow the faith of Mevlana, visit the Mevlana Museum, Karatay medrese and Ince Minare - overnight Konya. We would hope to be able to arrange for you to see the Whirling Dervishes. Overnight Konya.

Day 7- (b/-/-) PERGE/ASPENDOS - Drive to the coast through the Taurus mountains and lakes area seeing the magnificent theaters of Perge and Aspendos en route. The ruins of Olympos are hidden from the sea behind a sandy beach and rocks. They have hardly been touched and are overgrown, making the visitor feel he is the first to discover them. The eternal flame of the Chimera burns in the mountains above. Stay in bungalows on the beach. This is a long day, the road distance excluding stops at sites is approximately 6 hours but worth it for the glimpse of inland Turkey and rural life.

Day 8- (b/-/-) OLYMPOS - M walk along the beach to visit the ruins of Olympos which are hidden from the sea behind a sandy beach and rocks. They have hardly been touched and are overgrown, making the visitor feel he is the first to discover them. In the late afternoon walk to the eternal flame of the Chimera that burns in the mountains above. Overnight Olympos. Lunch and dinner on own.

Turkey by Sea
Day 9- (b/-/-) MYRA/KALKAN/XANTHOS/GOCEK/TERSANE/AGA LIMANI - Visit the pigeon hole tombs and Roman theater at Myra and the Church of St Nicholas (Santa Claus) at Demre. Take the coast road to Kalkan a charming little town whose quaint narrow streets wind up from the harbor. The balconies of some of the Ottoman houses almost touch each other across alleyways and bougainvillea climbs everywhere. Visit the sites of Xanthos, Letoon and Patara en route to Gocek. Board yacht in Gocek for our cruise to Bodrum over the next 6 days. On our cruise today we will see: Gocek - a former fishing village which has grown into a thriving yachting center while still retaining its charm. The surrounding mountains are beautiful. Strolling is very popular here, along the waterfront with pretty gardens and plenty of attractive bars and very good restaurants to stop for refreshment. Then we visit Tersane - the largest island in the Bay of Fethiye. The name means dockyard and the creek was used by the Ottoman fleet during the Second World War. The Byzantine ruins on the shore include a church and derelict houses abandoned by the Greek population in 1924 after the Greek War of Independence. Lastly, we will visit Aga Limani - at the entrance to the Bay of Fethiye, a beautiful bay of twelve islands. From Aga Limani it is possible to walk to the ancient site of Lydae where there are Roman and Byzantine ruins. For those of you would are not joining us for the gulet journey we will say our good-byes for a safe trip knowing we have made lasting friendships. You folks will overnight in Gocek and then will fly from the Dalaman Airport in morning back to Istanbul for your international flights. Those folks who are joining us only for the gulet portion of our journey will be flying into the Dalaman Airport from Istanbul and will join us on the boat.

Day 10- (b/l/d) EKINCIK - Today we explore Ekincik, a picturesque bay with red cliffs and steep wooded slopes. From here it is possible to take a small river boat to visit Dalyan and the ruins of Caunos. The shallow bottom river boats can cross the sand bar where the Dalyan river delta meets the sea. Here the long sandy beach is protected as a breeding ground for the Loggerhead turtle. The river delta winds through reed beds with the occasional rustic fish trap. A short walk from the shore are the ruins of ancient Caunos where the Medieval fort stands guard over the amphitheatre and Roman baths which are both fairly intact. Upstream the spectacular 4th Century Lycian rock tombs come into view carved into the cliff face like temples. Further on the delta opens up into Koycegiz Lake where there are thermal pools and the opportunity to take a mud bath, supposed to cure many ills.

Day 11- (b/l/d) BOZUKKALE/BOZBURUN - Today we will have the opportunity to see Bozukkale; in this large bay the ancient ruins of Loryma are scattered all around together with a citadel of Hellenistic origin. A walk along the walls of the acropolis affords beautiful views of the bay. The harbor was in use during Roman and Byzantine times and by the Knights of Rhodes.

Day 12- (b/l/d) SELIMIYE/DIRSEK BUKU - Today we do some exploring within a long inlet, on one side of the cape are the underwater remains of an ancient quay.

Day 13- (b/l/d) BENCIK/DATCA - Today we visit two interesting places. First Bencik, where the landscape here is red and rocky, covered in pine. This is the narrowest part of the peninsula and, threatened by the Persians the locals planned to dig a channel through the rock to make it into an island. They were dissuaded when the Oracle at Delphi advised that if it was meant to an island Zeus would have made it so. Then Datca, a small pretty harbor, sleepy during the day but some of the bars along the quay become very lively at night. This is a good place to shop for Turkish carpets and jewelery.

Day 14- (b/l/d) PALAMUT/KNIDOS - PALAMUT - the small harbor is surrounded by bare rocky slopes with a green valley below. It is a relaxed place where foreign yachtsmen have been known to "go native". The water is crystal clear and there is a sandy beach. KNIDOS - the anchorage is what was the ancient harbor, ruins of temples and theaters are scattered about the slopes. In ancient times it was well known for its naked green statue of Aphrodite, said to bring good fortune to sailors. The ruins date from Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods and have been little excavated.

Day 15- (b/-/d) BODRUM - Today we will disembark from our wonderful gulet and visit the bohemian town of Bodrum. It's frenetic night life goes on until the early hours. The harbor is dominated by the spectacular Castle of St Peter with tranquil gardens and well laid out Museum of Underwater Archaeology. It has good restaurants and bars and plenty of shopping opportunities, including a weekly market. We will also visit the amazing site of Ephesus with its Temple of Hadrian, Celsus Library and amphitheater, up the mountain road is the House of the Virgin Mary, now a small church dedicated to her in beautiful surroundings. The small museum in Selcuk has interesting pieces taken from the site. Overnight in a nearby restored Greek village surrounded by vineyards.

Day 16- (-/-/-) ISTANBUL/HOME - Drive to Izmir Airport (approx. 1 hour 20 mins) for our flight to Istanbul and home. We say our last goodbyes, hugs and kisses as we prepare to take our new dream of heaven back to our lives!

This schedule is tentative! Due to the remote areas we are traveling to, weather, bad roads and other unseen obstacles may cause us to make changes in the schedule or to visit different sites. We understand that if this happens we were not meant to be where we were planning to go!

Daily breakfast is included in this program - all meals are noted next to each day in parentheses on the itinerary above. Non-included lunches and dinners may need to be paid for in cash so plan accordingly. All spiritual teachings, admission fees to the ruins, museums and sites are included. Other non-included items would be spa services, souvenir shopping and optional services not included in our itinerary! All tips for the drivers, guides, yacht crew, and bell-boys are included. Tips for the maids are not-included (we suggest planning on leaving $1.00 per day). All ground transportation in Turkey is included on this journey from the time we arrive at our hotel in Istanbul. Your roundtrip domestic air flights from Istanbul to Kayseri (Cappadocia) and from Izmir to Istanbul or from Dalaman back to Istanbul (for those of you who are not participating in the yacht trip) are included.

Please note, I suggest making sure your international flight to Turkey arrives no later than 3:00 pm on May 15th (that means leaving home on May 14th for many folks) and then you have the option of obtaining an international flight home late in the day on the 30th or if your flight departs early in the morning, you will need to plan for an additional non-included night in Istanbul.

The actual schedule of spiritual teachings and what we will be doing day to day is not published. This is because we teach by channeling spirit which comes in the moment. Every day will be a magical experience for all of us, teachers included! Keep you heart and mind open to the experience life brings us.

2009 trip cost for the land segment alone is: $4335.00 USD per person double occupancy. 2009 trip cost for the sea segment as an extension is: $1835.00 USD per person double occupancy. 2009 trip cost for the sea segment as a solo journey is: to be announced USD per person double occupancy. The single supplement for the land potion of the journey is $705.00 USD. The single supplement for the sea portion of the journey as an extension is $705.00 USD. The single supplement for the sea portion of the journey as a solo trip is to be announced. Please note: The journey prices are based on the exchange rate of the Euro as it is June 2008. If the Euro should become stronger in relation to the Dollar, we will need to make a slight adjustment in the trip pricing.

A deposit of $500.00 is preferred by: February 15th, 2009. Final payment is due: March 15th, 2009. Any cancellation made in writing before March 15th, 2009 will result in a cancellation fee of $200.00. Any cancellation made between March 15, 2009 and April 15th, 2009 will result in a cancellation fee of $500.00. Any cancellation made after: April 15th, 2009 up to the date of departure will result in total loss of deposit ($500.00) and any monies that have been paid to Turkey that are now non-refundable.

Trip cancellation insurance is recommended to cover such issues. We reserve the right to cancel the trip if it is not meeting the trip minimum. Please know that I am happy to create a monthly payment plan - if that works better for you! Just email me and we can charge a specific amount monthly to your credit card.

You may print each form separately, or download all 7 forms at the same time and then print them from your computer. All the documents are in Adobe PDF format. If you don't have Acrobat Reader in your computer (most people do), please go to CLICK HERE to download it. You will find all the information regarding this journey that you could possibly want on these forms. Enjoy!

Dear Spiritual Traveler
Don't Forget Me List!
Statement of Health
Trip Application
Limitation of Liability
Release of Liability
Terms & Conditions
Download ALL forms (not available)

These are a few books that I feel will help you prepare for your upcoming journey. Please enjoy these recommendations. If you have any of your own, let me know and I will consider posting them! If you click on the book itself it will link you to Amazon.com.

Having experienced many Spiritual Journeys, it is nice to have all the information you might need before you go! I have included a list of online resources that will prove to be useful as you plan and prepare for your next Spiritual Journey. Simply choose a link from the drop down menu below and the corresponding website will open in its own window making it easy for you to return to this site and continue your exploration.

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