2016 Study Abroad
Grand Tour of Turkey
"Turkey: The Bridge between East and West--
Discovering the Interconnectedness of Islam and Christianity"
(15 Days)
Istanbul, Troy, Pergamon, Kusadasi, Ephesus, Pamukkale,
Antalya, Konya, Göreme, and Cappadocia
Departure Date: May 27, 2016
***Tour Cancelled: Due to Security Concerns
To sign up for this tour, visit my tour website at:
Itinerary
Day 1
Overnight Flight to Istanbul
Day 2
Arrival in Turkey-Istanbul
Enjoy a free day. Istanbul is one of the world's only cities that spans two continents.
Enjoy a welcome dinner with the Tour Director and group.
Day 3
Istanbul
Visit the city's Hippodrome, the breathtaking Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and
Hagia Sophia. Enjoy a free evening for dinner
Day 4
Canakkale via Troy
Journey to Troy from Istanbul including a ferry across the Dardanelles Strait. Enjoy a
sightseeing tour of Troy, the legendary city at the heart of Homer's Illiad. Later, make you
way along the Aegean coast to Canakkale, a town coveted in centuries past for its strategic
location at eh entrance to the Dardanelles.
Day 5
Ephesus Region via Pergamon
Travel south along the Aegean coast to Pergamon. Take a cable
car to the top of the Acropolis and then continue on to Ephesus region
a historic area on Turkey's west coast near Kusadsi.
Day 6
Ephesus
Also visit the old town of Ephesus, one of the Mediterranean region's
best-preserved ancient Greek cities. See the Library of Celsius, the
Temple of Hadrian and the Great Theatre.
Visit the sacred site of Ephesus Travel to the last home of
the Virgin Mother Mary.
Day 7
Pamukkale via Sirince
Travel to the town of Sirince for a
firsthand look at quaint village town. Enjoy the wines and pastries
and olive oil. Arrive later in Pamukkale.
Day 8
Pamukkale
Enjoy this popular spa town during Roman times. Visit the city's famous
travertines--petrified waterfalls of white stone pocked by natural basins
filled with warm mineral water.
Journey to well-preserved ruins of Hierapolis nearby. Hierapolis was established as a
thermal spa at the end of the 2nd centry B.C., and the ruins of baths, temples and
other Greek monuments can be seen at the site.
Enjoy a free afternoon to soak in the Pamukkale hot springs or join an
optional excursion to Aphrodisias. In the late first century B.C.,
the Roman Empire granted autonomy to the city that honored Aphrodite,
goddess of love. Aprhrodisias' ancient sculptors created works of stunning
beauty out of the glowing marble they found in the nearby mountains,
and many of these treasures can be seen today.
Day 9
Antalya
Explore the Antalya Museum, an enormous complex housing nearly 30,000
antiquities. Continue on to the ruins of Hadrian's Gate. According to legend
the Queen of Sheba passed through this arch during her journety to
visit with King Solomon.
Day 10
Free Day in Antalya
Enjoy a free day in this premier seaside resort town.
Join the excursion to the ancient sites of Aspendos and Perge in the afternoon.
Perge was a new town for Greek colonists and one of the most successful.
Perge prospered under the patronage of Alexander the Great.
The ancient remains of this city are extensive. You will get the opportunity to
explore the Great Theatre, the ruined Hellenistic Gates,
Roman baths and an impressive stadium.
Later visit the Roman theater at Aspendos, a center of classical drama
in the first century A.D.
Day 11
Cappadocia via Konya
The Home of Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes
Cross the Taurus Mountains to visit the mystical center of Konya,
where you will find the spiritual home of Sufism and
the Whirling Dervishes. Tour the Mevlana Museum where Rumi is buried.
Continue on to Cappadocia and its unearthly rock formations. Enjoy a free evening in
Cappadocia or enjoy a perfomance of the Whirling Dervishes after dinner.
This Sufi Muslim sect ws founded in the 13th century by Melvana Rumi.
They were named after their elaborate dance-like ritual, which honors the
movement of the Earth. You will see a performance and hear a lecture.
Day 12
Göreme and Avanos
Tour the Göreme open air museum, comprising beautifully frescoed rock churches
dating back to the fourth century. Continue to the towns of Pasabag,
a bustling trading center, and Avanos, where the local economy thrives
on the production of pottery created from the distinctive red
clay of the Kizilirmak River.
Day 13
Cappadocia
Enjoy a free morning to explore Cappadocia. Take the helium balloon ride to see
Cappadocia from the air.
Join an optional excursion to the Ozkonak Underground City, where you will learn
about the mysterious story behind this ancient subterranean complex.
The underground city consists of 8 floors, 4 of which are open to visitors and includes
a church, a stable, wineries, kitchens and more.
Take flight back to Istanbul.
Day 14
Istanbul
Enjoy a free day to explore Istanbul and sites that were not on our itinerary.
Take the optional excursion cruise of the Bosphorus Straits. This is the boundary
between European Turkey and Asian Turkey that connects the Black Sea
with the Sea of Marmara. On your way, you will stop to visit the famous
Egyptian bazaar, known as the Spice Market. fter the cruise, sit down to a
lunch of Turkish specialities.
Join us for a farewell dinner.
Day 15
Depart for Home
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Reservation Information
The deposit per person is $300 due at the time of reservation.
The final payment date is 70 days prior to departure.
Single rooms are on a request basis only and you pay an extra amount.
Insurance brochure is attached. We recommend purchasing insurance.
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Download Brochure, Optional Excursions,Price Quote and Insurance Information Below!
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Tour Overview
On this tour, we will be exploring the history and culture of Turkey. We will specifically
investigate why Turkey is considered the bridge between east and west; and the linkages
of Islam to Christianity. We will discover why the Turkish people adored the Christian
biblical scholars of the past and their relationship with Christianity. Further, for those
studying psychology, we will explore contributors to the field of psychology and
psychological theory. We will specifically explore the psychology of Sufism.
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Study Requirements
Pre-Tour Study Questions
In preparation for our pre-tour orientation meetings, students are asked to write a brief one page paper on:
1. What do you expect to learn on tour?
2. How do you think this tour will contribute to your overall understanding of Turkish culture and society? \
3. What is your specific study question for this tour?
Pre-Tour Online Study
Participants will be required to visit at least 10 online related learning links on the course website
in preparation for the study abroad tour. Links are available on the course website at: www.psyking.net
and on the EF College Study Tours Division web site. On the EF website, students can also find PBS
and other related links, suggested readings, suggested movies and more. They can read destination profiles,
tips on packing for the tour, money and currency, and travel smart sections.
On-Tour Study Questions
In addition to crafting your own related study question, students are asked to address the following
questions, while on tour, culminating in a summary reaction paper at the conclusion of the tour.
1. Can Turkey bridge the gap between Islam and the and west?
2. Why is Turkey considered a bridge between religions?
3. What has been the rich history and relationship between Turkey and biblical scholars of Christianity?
4. What biblical scholars lived or traveled to Turkey?
5. In your opinion and from your study and observations, what are the interconnected cultural similarities?
What are the cultural differences as compared to the United States?
6. Based on your observations combined with lectures from your tour guides and educators, describe what
you found most interesting and significant about Turkish society and culture on all levels?
7. What are Turkey's specific contributions to the field of psychology?
8. Describe your individual study tour question and provide your response to it.
Develop Summary Reflection Paper at Conclusion of Tour
Students will be required to develop a summary report of their travel, answering the specific study tour questions, along with their own specified question upon completion of the tour.
Other Requirements and Study Tour Information
Students will participate in many half-day orientation meetings during the spring semester and
prior to the departure date of the trip. Students are also required to purchase travel journals and travel books on countries to be visited.
At orientation, students are provided with a comprehensive packet of information which includes country
profiles, tips for traveling abroad, maps, U.S. State Department Guidelines and profiles, CIA Fact Book
profiles, Center for Disease Control alerts, Embassy Consular Information Sheets, flight information and
baggage requirements, customs requirements, pertinent fact sheets and maps on countries, and more.
Students also view video presentations of the countries to be visited during meetings.
As indicated, during the study tour, participants will keep a written and photographic journal of their
travel and experiences. Upon arrival abroad, our study tour group joins 2-3 small groups from other colleges and universities, in the U.S., Alaska, Puerto Rico, and other surrounding territories. Students interface with guest educators serving as lecturers and licensed tour guides during the day for the sites visited. They also interact with the on site Tour Director who travels and stays with the group 24 hours a day. Tour directorscomprise educators taking the summer to travel and direct tours. They are highly trained in their professionsand are usually from the country visited; they also are bilingual and speak the language(s) of the countriesvisited.
At dinner, students spend time in dialogue with the professor discussing the events of the day and what
was learned and experienced. This time also is spent planning the next day's itinerary of sites to be visited
in our free time; that is, sites not on the itinerary.
Students also get the opportunity to experience the culture of the country through concerts, theater and
more. When time permits, concerts, theater, and other events are scheduled in advance.
Study tour participants receive perks and awards from Go Ahead-EF Educational Tours, such as, backpacks, luggage tags, travel journals and a $20 international telephone calling card to contact home and family frequently. Students also receive a certificate of completion for study abroad.
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Suggested Discussion Topics for your Travel Journal
• The cities, towns, and sites you visited.
• Things you encountered for the first time.
• Interactions and conversations with people native to the Country.
• Similarities and differences between your country and the country you are visiting.
• Describe a foreign custom or tradition that is different from your usual way of life.
• How the tour staff and your guides are impacting your learning.
• How your travels and what you have experienced impacts your understanding of global issues, the importance of creating world peace, human rights, and the concept of building a world community.
• Any comments you can make on culture and behavior, values, customs, characteristics of people.
• What are the differences in art and architecture?
• What are the most popular newspapers and news shows? Movies? News stories?
• Compare the transportation system in the country you are visiting with that of the U.S.?
• Who are the famous world scholars that reside in this country? What significant contributions
have they made?
• Pick a scholar or artist from the places you visited and describe the highlights of their career.
• For those studying psychology, who are the important psychological scientists residing in these
countries that have contributed to the body of knowledge in the field?
• What particular insights and leadership skills are you taking back home with you as a result of
your study abroad.
• How has your perception of your home or culture, or of the people you know, changed during
the tour?
• What was your favorite or memorable time or experience on the tour?
• What will you now do differently upon your return home?
• How will you contribute to your college, family, city, country and world?
IMPORTANT TRAVEL LINKS
(Get Exchange Rates)
Related Learning Links-Turkey
Straddling the border of Europe and Asia, Turkey‘s largest city is home to a rich culture that
reflects its split personality. Here are our top five things to do in this storied urban center.
Ephesus was a city of scholars and teachers. There were many homes of the wealthy. The
Library of Celsius was the 3rd largest library in the ancient world. Much teaching happened
in Ephesus. This was the home of Luke, Paul and John. The Apostle Paul wrote the book of
Ephesians. The Gospel of John was also written here. John lived here most of his life. Ephesus
was a Roman city. It is considered the pagan sister city of Jerusalem. The Temple of Artemis
is one of the 7 Wonders of the World.The Greek Goddess Artemis was the daughter of Zeus.
According to predominant Christian tradition, Mary was brought to Ephesus by the Apostle
John after the Resurrection of Christ and lived out her days there. This is based mainly on the
traditional belief that John came to Ephesus (see St. John's Basilica) combined with the biblical
statement that Jesus consigned her to John's care (John 19:26-27).
Kusadasi, one of Turkey's principle holiday resorts, offers an excellent environment for an
unforgettable holiday. Situated on the west coast of Turkey- 90km south of Izmir, Kusadasi,
is reputed for one of the most attractive city of the Aegean, as it is close to the important
historical sites including Ephesus, Didyma, Priene, Miletos-the principals of ancient times,
and ideal for sightseers.
View Videos
Ancient History of Hierapolis, Pamukkale, Turkey
Central Turkey
Eastern Turkey
Flavors of Turkey
History of Turkey
Istanbul
Istanbul-City Guide
Istanbul-The Dream City
Izmir, Turkey
Konya, Turkey: Home of Mevlana and Dervishes
Kusadasi, Turkey
Travel Around Turkey in 5.5 Minutes
The Wonders of Turkey
The Sufi Whirling Dervishes of Istanbul
The Turkish Riviera
Things to Do in Istanbul
Turkey
Turkey: Home of Ephesus
Turkey: Home of Turkish Cuisine
Turkey--Paradise on Earth!
Western Turkey
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