After an early breakfast we will take an early flight down to Izmir. Upon arrival, we will head to the Ancient City of Ephesus found in the town of Selcuk. Ephesus is probably the best combination of Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilizations and some of the best preserved ruins in the world. See the Fountains of Trojan, Polio, the Temples of Hadrian and Domition, the Private Houses and the very impressive Library of Celsius not to mention the Great Theatre with capacity of 24,000 spectators. Prepare to be amazed!
Lunch will be at a local winery where we will be tasting their reserve wines along with lunch prepared by their chef, who also uses produce from their own gardens.
Yedibilgeler Vinyards - Yedi Bilgeler (the Seven Sages Winery) incorporates a winery, hotel, and restaurant in one complex. You will experience a very fine example of a boutique winery and have the chance to see the production area with its tanks, and the storage cellars with oak barrels and bottled wines.
During and after lunch, a very special person, Frances Ergen, will accompany us. Frances is an English lady who has lived in Selcuk for many years and speaks fluent Turkish. She is an expert on textiles and works with village women to preserve their handwork skills such as Oya, Turkish needle lace. After lunch, Frances will also accompany us to visit Can Carpet. This is an atelier located in Camlik village. Here, we will learn about the art of extracting colors from plants and roots to dye wool.
We are then heading to Eskidoganbey Village. This our guides Janan Sozen hometown and we be where we will reside for the rest of our program, inside the elegantly decorated stone houses.
Dinner will be in the Olive House Garden, where all the food will be prepared with the local ingredients and special recipes.
(B, L, D)
