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The scope of this tour is to make a deep
introduction in the history of Istanbul through wine and other
tastes. We divide the two first days into Byzantine and Ottoman
themes and besides discovering the historical trasures of both
civilizations we take lunch and dinner in restaurant specialized for
their cuisines. Among the wines to taste we have those with
Papazkarası grape produced in Byzantine monasteries once upon a
time, moskhatos mentioned by Herodotes, wines of Troy mentioned by
Homeros in İliad and Odyssea as well as wines produced with the wine
grapes of Mesopotamia, Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
DAY 1 :
Arrival and check in the hotel
DAY 2: BYZANTINE TREASURES AND FLAVORS
Our day starts with the discovery of Byzantine Monuments of Istanbul
. The Church of
Pammacharistos (Fethiye Camii), The Acquaducts Of Valens, Saint
Sophia and The
Underground Cistern are among the Byzantine sites that we discover.
The lunch will take
place in a local restaurant where we will taste some Byzantine
specialties.
The menu will be based on some byzantine recipes applied to
contemporary Turkish cuisine.
Wines at lunch will be those made with the grapes also known in
byzantine times
In the afternoon our Byzantine exploration of the city will continue
with the Church of Saint Saviour in Chora which is also considered
as one of the jewels of
Byzantine art and architecture of the late period. We will then
proceed to fortification walls of Constantinople built in 5th
century by Theodosius the 2nd.
We attend to a seminar on ‘Byzantine History of Wine’
Dinner will take place in an old byzantine cistern and will be
composed of
specialties known from byzantine times.
Wines to taste are those produced with the byzantine grapes still
cultivated today in
Turkey
DAY 3 : OTTOMAN TREASURES AND FLAVORS
Full day reserved to Ottoman monuments of Istanbul. We will discover
the buildings of the
classical period, not only the mosques but also bazaars. We will
start with the Blue Mosque
and The Topkapı Palace where ottoman sultans lived 350 years. After
visiting the
Mosque of Suleymaniye we will take lunch in a local restaurant with
a typically ottoman
menu.
In the afternoon we will stroll in Eminonu area. We will visit the
Rustempaşa Mosque which is decorated with the best examples of Iznik
tiles.
Dinner will be served in a restaurant known for the traditional
dishes.
Overnight in Istanbul.
DAY 4 : MARKETS OF ISTANBUL & COOKING CLASS
We explore the local markets of Istanbul. We go to see Egyptian
Bazaar also known as Spice
Market, We will go to taste Pastirm at one of the specialized stores,we
visit the Egyptian Bazaar and walk in the streets of Tahtakale, the
center of the business activity both in old and
present times,we taste Turkish Coffee in a typical shop established
at the location of the first coffee houseestablished in Istanbul in
16th century.
We then purchase the necessary ingredients for our cooking class and
we move towards thr
culinary school.The session will be guided by one of most
experienced cooks of Turkey. At lunch we taste our own dish. In the
afternoon we discover Taksim area and Istiklal Street
We attend to the seminar ‘History of Wine in Turkey’
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