In Cappadocia we will focus on the very particular culture and foods of Anatolia. We’ll begin with a visit to an ecological farm and then continue with cooking in a home with village women .They will show us how to make gozleme , stuffed vine leaves and manti, a traditional dish whose heritage stretches back in to the Central Asian origins of modern Turkey. Lunch will be in the home of your hosts with her family , grand sons and everybody. Then we will introduce you to the lunar landscape of Cappadocia at Dervent Valley, and we head on to Zelvee Open Air Museum, which is one of the earliest inhabited and latest abandoned monastic settlements of Cappadocia. Seeing the best examples of the fairy chimneys at Pasabag Fairy Chimneys Valley, we drive further to Avanos. From here you will stop at Avanos, a centre of terracotta art since 2,000 BC, for a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. Then we will try our hands at it under the supervision of a master potter. Before dinner you will stop at a Winery. This is the biggest and oldest winery (since 1943) of Cappadocia. We will have a detailed tour of the winery while tasting their local wines. The Öküzgözü-Bogazkere combinations (grapes native to Turkey) are quite promising.The family-operated winery is located underground, carved in natural rock. This natural cellar also provides excellent storage conditions for the wine. Today dinner will be at Ziggy’s restaurant with Cappadocian wine.

Accommodation: Kale Konak Hotel
Meals : (B, L, D)

Early morning optional balloon ride - transfer to the balloon launching site to meet the balloon crew. The gentle and stable wind conditions are ideal during the first few hours of the day in Cappadocia. It is also the ideal time for photography, with splendid colours and contrasts. The deep canyons and gentle winds carry you over places that could never be reached except by balloon. After flying over Cappadocia for about one hour, you will land to an awaiting champagne breakfast!
Today you will visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum to see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia. These are found in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings dating from as early as the 10th century. For lunch you will try making pide –Turkish flat bread. You will then explore  the underground city of Kaymakli, one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements.
Then while sipping your Turkish Tea or coffee you will enjoy a demonstration and explanation of Turkish carpet making techniques, symbols and different types of carpets. Dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Kale Konak Hotel
Meals : (B, L, D)

Your guide will pick you up at 9:00am. You will visit St. Sophia, the church of the Divine Wisdom, the Blue Mosque, a 17th century mosque that dominates the skyline of Istanbul and the Byzantine Underground Cistern. For lunch you will taste delicious kofte- meatballs at a specialized restaurant operating since 1920.
After lunch you will visit the magnificent Topkapi Palace, the residence of the sultans for almost three centuries. Last, you will continue to explore ninety-two streets of the famous Grand Bazaar.
You will then proceed to your  Hands on Turkish cooking class at an authentic Turkish  home. In the evening you will enjoy dinner and taste what you have cooked. You will have dinner at a Turkish home and enjoy wholesome home cooked specialties. A truly unique opportunity to experience Turkish hospitality and local home life.

Accommodation: Blue House Hotel
Meals : (B, L, D)

Today we will visit  the Gulluoglu Baklava Factory in Karakoy. We will tour  the area where the baklava dough is rolled out, and watch baklava production. We will then taste various kinds of Baklava along with Turkish coffee.
Then  you will tour the Spice Bazaar with our culinary specialist and stop at shops for tastings. The bazaar is often referred to as the "Egyptian Market" due to the fact that spices used to come to the market from India and Southeast Asia via Egypt. Despite the fact that the bazaar is becoming more touristy, there is still plenty to discover for the "foodie." We will stop at shops tasting and discovering some typically Turkish delicacies.
You will then get on board a local ferry and disembark on the Asian side of Istanbul. After visiting some specialty shops walking through the colorful market of Kadiköy –an open air street market, very different from the Spice Market and more in tune with the way most Istanbullus cook and eat. Lunch will be served at one of Turkey’s foremost cooks restaurant. The chef  is devoted in letting the world know about the glorious food of his homeland. The ingredients used in the dishes travel from South Eastern Anatolia to arrive at your plate in Istanbul: aromatic red pepper, pistachios,chickpeas, olive oil and pomegranate molasses.  After lunch we will take ferry back to the European side.
Restaurant suggestions will be given for your dinner on own.

Accommodation: Blue House Hotel
Meals : (B, L)