KANSAS CITY, KAN. --- In 1999, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s annual Spring Trip Abroad was to Turkey. Because it was so well received, it is being offered again next April 11.
“It was the first of 25 trips I’ve made and still remains right at the top of the list,” says Alan Hoskins, trip organizer. “It’s absolutely fascinating. It is said there are more Roman artifacts in Turkey than in Rome; more Greek artifacts than Athens; and more Christianity than any place but Jerusalem.”The trip is also the biggest bargain cost-wise of any trip on the market - $3,219 for 15 days round trip from Kansas City including 11 three-course dinners and a daily breakfast buffet. The price is for double occupancy; single rooms are available for an additional $360.
Highlights include Istanbul, one of the most interesting cities in the world and the only city spanning two continents; historic Troy and Ephesus; Antalya on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea; the Goreme Open Air Museum; and the amazing Cappadocia and the Underground City.
The tour will begin in Istanbul where travelers will visit the breathtaking Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia.From there, travelers will go to Troy and its fabled Trojan Horse; travel the Aegean coast to the Dardanelles Strait; and visit the Acropolis in Pergamon.
Day six will be particularly memorable - Ephesus, one of Turkey’s best preserved classical cities with the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the Great Theatre, where the Apostle Paul was stoned and is still in use today.
The day will also include a visit to the house where the Virgin Mary was said to have spent her final days.Further stops will be made at the Temple of Appolo in Didyma; the popular spa town of Pamukkale and its petrified waterfalls of white stone; the thermal spa and hot springs of Pamukkale; and two days in Antalya, Turkey’s premier seaside resort city, the Antalya Museum and the ruins of Hadrian’s Gate where the Queen of Sheba passed through on her journey to see King Solomon.
An opportunity to see the mystical Whirling Dervishes will be offered in Konya followed by a visit to the Goreme Open Air Museum and its magnificent frescoed rock churches dating back to the fourth century and Cappadocia and the Ozkonak Underground City.
The tour will conclude back in Istanbul and a chance to visit the Grand Bazaar featuring 3,000 shops under one roof.
For shoppers, the bargains are both enormous and endless, not only in the Grand Bazaar but throughout the entire trip.Some optional excursions are also offered along with a two-day extension in Istanbul. In addition to round trip air, daily breakfast and 11 dinners, the $3,219 cost includes lodging, multilingual tour director, professional local guides and entrance fees to select sites.
However, early signup is advised to assure no increase in price.
Brochures with full itineraries are available and can be requested by contacting Alan Hoskins at 913-288-7158 or by e-mail at ahoskins@kckcc.edu.
