We realize that we have been relatively quiet as of late, mostly due to our recent move across the country to Baltimore. We have finally settled in as we near the six-month milestone and an actual adventure has been long overdue. We have scheduled a trip to Turkey and Bulgaria that leaves this coming Thursday and we are extremely excited to be on the road once again. As is fairly typical, we are planning on making the most of our time and seeing as much as possible, but we will take a few days to unwind a little bit while we’re on the west coast of Turkey near the beaches. Our itinerary is roughly as follows:
Seven days in Kusadasi, Turkey where we will visit Ephesus, Pergamom and Asklepan, as well as Apjotdisias and Pamukkale. It is an area rich with historic sites and beautiful scenery, so we can’t wait to spend some time exploring. It is also where we will take advantage of some much needed relaxation.
Three days in Istanbul where we will see all of the historic sites of the old town area, including the palace and the Blue Mosque. We have also scheduled a food and spice market tour that we are looking forward to as well. Needless to say, we will be enjoying as much local food as possible, but this will provide us some cultural background as well.
Finally, we will spend four days in Sofia, Bulgaria where we have a tour to the historic towns of Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa. Then we have a wine tasting at the Rila Monastery followed by a city tour of Sofia on our final day before returning home. The total trip will last sixteen days and we are truly looking forward to sharing everything that we see and do during the trip.
That sounds fabulous! Safe and happy travels – can’t wait to read about the trip!
Sounds wonderful. I look forward to your posts. Our family hosted an exchange student from Turkey right before the pandemic. We’d like to visit her in Istanbul but want to see more of the area than just the big city so your trip is more than intriguing.
That must have been a great experience. We are looking forward to the trip and seeing as much of the country as we can. It is actually a short and inexpensive flight from Istanbul to Ephesus.
I have fond memories of Istanbul, a city to know in Europe. I have been to the different places you mention in Bulgaria, Plovdiv has indeed more historical heritage than Sodia. The monastery of Rila deserves to be visited quietly, there is a whole atmosphere to grasp. Enjoy your European tour.
Have the best time – we’ve just got back from Istanbul 🙂