Marvelous Turkey & The Aegean Coast

We arrived in Istanbul in the early morning and after all the routines, such as getting our visa, finding our luggage, and finding each other, we proceeded to our hotel in Sultanahmet area of Old Istanbul.  Our hotel was only minutes away from everything you want to see in Istanbul:  the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, and the Grand Bazaar. Upon our arrival, we took some time to recuperate from our long journey, but by evening we were ready to hit the town.  We walked to a beautiful restaurant nearby, Imbat, with a panoramic view of the Bosporus and the city lights.  The food was delicious, the service impeccable, the wine unforgettable, and we were off to a great start!

The next day we walked to the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market and got lost in this labyrinth of over 4,000 shops first opened in 1461. A couple of people wondered off to walk by the river and get a feel for this amazing city.  In the afternoon, we were picked up by our guide, Hakan, for a private tour of the Bosporus.  After a short drive, we boarded a ferry and cruised up the strait passing beautiful mansions, famous monuments, and enjoying the view of two continents. After the river ride, we rode a cable car up a hill for an incredible view and drank Turkish coffee at  Pierre Loti Cafe.  The day ended with dinner at a trendy riverside restaurant, Assk Cafe, which was definitely the place to be on a Friday night. 

On Saturday, we met our guide, Hakan, and toured the Hippodrome, the beautiful Topkapi Palace, strategically perched on a hill overlooking the Bosporus, the famous Blue Mosque set opposite the Hagia Sophia in Sultanahmet Square, which we visited next.  Lastly, we visited the enormous "sunken" underground cistern across from the Hagia Sophia.  In the evening, we witnessed the Whirling Dervishes.  During this ceremony, dervishes spin around and around, in a trance-like state, ostensibly getting closer to God with their movements. The night ended with a spectacular dinner at the currently voted best restaurant in Istanbul in the Marmara Hotel, Mikla. 

On our final day in Istanbul, some of us visited Princess Islands and enjoyed the beautiful beachside villages. Others spent the day shopping and sightseeing in Taksim Square.  This modern side of Istanbul is replete with fine restaurants, boutiques, and in the evening, the place comes alive with its myriad of nightclubs and street performers.  We had dinner in one of the popular restaurants in that area and stayed for some nighttime fun and dancing.

Monday morning, Day five, we took an early flight to Izmir, picked up our rental car, and began our exploration of the Aegean Coast.  On our way to Kusadasi, we stopped at Sirince Village looking for a hidden gem, the Nisanyan Elver Hotel tucked high on a hill overlooking the town of Selcuk. Our adventurous spirit was highly rewarded when we arrived at the resort and were invited to have a home cooked lunch, starting with freshly baked bread.  This lunch became one of the highlights of our trip, and the olives we devoured will never be forgotten. We met a friendly guide who had just dropped off some customers in the hotel.  He very nicely offered to drive us down the steep hill and invited us to visit his cousin's rug shop just in town.  One of our travelers, Amy, got a good deal on a beautiful Turkish rug. After our lunch and shopping break, we continued our scenic drive until our arrival at LaVista Hotel in Kusadasi.  To say we were pleasantly surprised with this chic boutique hotel is an understatement.  We were welcomed with fresh blend of juices and quickly escorted to our modern and comfortable rooms, each with a balcony overlooking the ocean.  The one thing we will always remember is watching picture perfect sunsets while lounging in the warm waters of the infinity pool.  We will also treasure the kind and professional staff, as well as, the delicious food of the poolside terrace restaurant with a wonderful ocean view. The following day in Kusadasi, some travelers chose to visit Ephesus, while others decided on Pammukale.  When we returned to the hotel, once again, we gathered at our favorite spot. There is nothing more desirable than an infinity pool with a majestic sunset view to relax after a long day of sightseeing!

The morning of Day seven, immediately after breakfast, we drove to Bodrum,  the St. Tropez of the Aegean Coast.  We arrived mid-morning and checked in to our Bohemian, boutique hotel, Su Hotel. We had plenty of time to discover this beautiful, lively town and witness some of its historic sites. Ana and Tania enjoyed a wonderful lunch in La Casita, a family owned restaurant sitting a hilltop with a fabulous view.  In the afternoon, a couple of us enjoyed the sunset navigating the waters of the Gökova Gulf on a beautiful private wooden sailboat.  After swimming in these crystal clear waters, we were treated to some local, red wine and a delicious fruit platter.  In the evening, we met with the rest of the group and enjoyed another amazing dinner in a seaside restaurant, where we chose the type, size, and preparation method of our just caught fish and some delicious sides.

On day eight we left very early en route to Fethiye/OluDeniz, where the beautiful Mediterranean waters begin. On our way, we stopped at Dalyan for a private tour of the Lycian tombs hidden in the rock formations bordering the river. Our captain took us to Iztuzu (Turtle) Beach, which has miles of fine golden sands and crystal blue waters surrounded by majestic mountains. Before arriving at the beach, we stopped to see some fisherman, who for a small contribution will use crabs to lure big turtles for the tourists to see. I don't think any of us will ever forget the time we spent playing and relaxing in this breathtaking beach.

We arrived at our hotel, Yacht Boutique Hotel, by early afternoon. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised by our venue, a chic hotel overlooking the marina.  Some of the travelers decided to stay around the pool and relax until dinnertime and others took a water taxi ride to Cadis Beach to watch the sunset.  Dinner was at one of the many restaurants found in the marina boardwalk. 

The next day, our travelers chose different activities ranging from a visit to the Greek island of Rhodes, paragliding, relaxing at one of the many beautiful beaches in the area, and a private boat trip to Butterfly Valley and Blue Cave. Oludeniz is a fabulous place for extreme sports and beach activities.  Anything you want to do, you can probably find it in Fethiye and/or Oludeniz.  We came together for dinner at Jade's, a beachfront restaurant with a fabulous terrace and terrific food and drinks.  After dinner, we sat around these cushiony sofas and shared a hookah, while reminiscing our experiences of the day. 

Day ten, after breakfast, we began the last stretch of our trip driving to Antalya. We had a little time to visit the Old City and the harbor area as we shared a lunch overlooking the sea.  We flew from Antalya to  Cappadocia arriving in the evening and checked in to the Sultan Cave Suites Hotel, a highly rated hotel featured in Conde Nast as the place to stay in Cappadocia.  We were certainly not disappointed by the accommodations, the service, the food, and most of all the breathtaking views.

 The following day was a free day allowing the travelers to choose from a number of activities, such as hiking, ATV tours, horseback riding, biking, etc.  Some of us did the ATV as well as the horseback riding, while others spent the day hiking and discovering the natural beauty of Cappadocia by foot.  Our farewell dinner was at Ziggy Cafe & Restaurant, a great restaurant at the nearby village of Urgup. We sat at the top terrace overlooking this beautiful village and enjoyed a nine course dinner of Turkish traditional dishes accompanied by a great bottle of local wine. 

Our grand finale on Day twelve was waking up at 4 am to be picked up at our hotel and taken to a field to watch our air balloons inflate in anticipation for our sunrise flight.  Shortly after 5:20 am, we climbed aboard our balloons and took off simultaneously with dozens of others, filling the sky with beautiful colors.  We flew for about 50 kilometers and landed in an open field just on the other side of a hill.  The landing was very exciting, as our captain prepared and warned us for a rough one because of windy conditions.  Our faces told the story of excitement and fear as we hit the ground and rocked from side to side feeling like we would flip at any time. Needless to say, we did not flip and no one was hurt.  We were given a diploma and shared a champagne toast for our safe landing.

The rest of the day allowed some free time to do last minute shopping, revisiting some well liked sites, or having a Turkish Bath at a hammam spa. There are no words to describe this spa treatment, laying on a warm marble stone while you are scrubbed, covered in warm soapy foam, rinsed with perfectly hot water, and massaged until bliss. The Turkish Bath was followed by a 30 minutes glorious massage and a facial mask.  Everyone needs to experience it. Around 5 pm, we were picked up by our shuttle and driven to the airport for our return flight to Istanbul.

Once more, we arrived at the Senatus Hotel around 10:30 pm on our last evening in Turkey. A few travelers rushed to catch the subway to do last minute shopping of Turkish delights and sweets (lots of baklava).  After a good but short night's sleep, we departed in the early morning to the airport where we shared our goodbyes with lots of hugs, and flew home to our families and friends.

Turkey was full of surprises and it exceeded all our expectations. We knew we would experience history and great architecture, but we got so much more. The people were friendly and eager to help, the roads nicely kept and well signed making it easy to travel from place to place, the streets clean, the food delicious, the wine delightful, and the scenery not to be forgotten. I know that this trip has ranked this marvelous country high on my list of places to visit. Turkey will remain in our hearts for many years to come, for we have had the time of our lives.  Words cannot justly describe what we have experienced in the past twelve days. It is definitely worth coming back and we hope you join us when we do!

A Vacation for The Soul

Sometimes words just don't do justice to describe the beauty of an experience! As you can see from some of our photographs, the Feminine Soul Trip to France was an aesthetically pleasing journey for the heart, mind, eyes, and soul.

Visiting a Winery in Saint Emilion

Chateau flowers in bloom

Making dinner in our private villa from items we picked up that morning at the local farmer's market

Private lunch at a chateau with the wine maker and her family

Our private pool outside of our villa

One of many gorgeous medieval towns nearby

Buying cheese for our train ride from an artisan cheese maker

Seeing the sparkle of the Eiffel Tower at night

Feminine Soul Trip: Day One

"All Journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." -Martin Buber

After hours of travel on planes, trains, and automobiles we made it to the Chateau in South West France. Our driver, Frederic, educated us on the wines of the region during the drive and when we arrived at the Chateau we were warmly greeted by Rainer, the manager. He uncorked some fabulous champagne for us and we toasted with our glasses. Our life coach, Jane Deknatel, met us and we drank in the lovely surroundings and nibbled on crudite. After a quick freshening, we met for dinner and indulged in an 8 course meal. It was, without a doubt, some of the best food that any of us have ever tasted. The stars sparkled above as the candelabra near our table illuminated our dinning experience. We laughed, we smiled, and we experienced happiness together. It was a magical evening and we all look forward to what is yet to come.

France Awaits

"The soul has greater need of the ideal than the real. It is by the real that we exist, it is by the ideal that we live." 

- Victor Hugo

Feminine Soul Trip to France

All Images by SarahWauterlek Photography

Soon to be living the ideal in France this May 24-30, 2012. We anxiously await what is in store for our travelers! From private dining at a restaurant that was recently written up with rave reviews in Bon Appetite magazine, to life coach sessions with Jane Deknatel, to an eight course wine paired dinner in a French chateau, to wine tasting with a French wine maker outside of a castle, to a show at the Moulin Rouge, and much more, there is nothing but luxury and relaxation to experience!

Ceci est la vie

Last day in Hyderabad. Last day in India.

Today we awoke tired but satisfied as yesterday we managed to visit the Charminar, the Chow Mohalla Palace, Birlar Mandir, shop for bangles, ride throughout the city in auto rickshaws (or tuk tuks as some people call them), and enjoy a full Indian meal next to Hussainsager Lake to end the evening with spicy mouths and full bellies.

After breakfast in our hotel dining room overlooking the lake and the city of Hyderabad, we met our driver, Mohammed. We were driven to the Pushpagiri Eye Institute where we were warmly greeted by Vijay, the Course Administrator, as well as our guide for the day. We hopped into their van and were driven to one of the many slums of the city. As we unloaded from the vehicle, our eyes widened as we attempted to take in all that we saw. Hundreds of tent-like shacks constructed out of mud and found objects made up an entire community of thousands. Pushapagiri had put up a camp for 15 days in the area to examine and prescribe surgery and/or glasses to those in need. It is difficult to describe the experience of meeting these beautiful and kind people and seeing the way in which they live. At one point, I was introduced to a young girl named Sarahita who was blind at birth. She shook my hand and expressed her gratitude in meeting me. My eyes filled with tears as I hugged her and told her the pleasure was all mine. As we walked through the slums, we took pictures of the children who giggled with pleasure when we would show them their image on our camera screens. We also took pictures of the doctors who have given their time and skill to serve the less fortunate. They are truly heroes.

From the slums we returned to the clinic for a tour of the facility. It was a beautiful building that is run by those who give of their time and talents. It is all paid for by the generosity of others and a little seems to go a long way. 10,000 Indian Rupees pays for the complete surgery procedure for 10 individuals. This includes transportation to the hospital from the slums, the surgery, boarding and food for two nights, medicine and transportation back. Amazing as 10,000INR is the equivalent of about $200 US dollars. It challenged us all to think about what we could give up in order to potentially help give sight to the poor and blind.

And so, we end today knowing that we return to the states tomorrow morning. It is with mixed emotion that we return home. We are grateful for the experience and we will treasure the memories that were made on this journey.

Hyderabad

"And the smile that is worth the praises of earth is the smile that shines through tears."
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Today we shed tears of joy.

As our van pulled up outside the orphanage on the outskirts of Hyderabad, we noticed the children sitting quietly outside working on their homework. Amit, the man in charge of our visit, kindly informed us about the children and the orphanage itself. They currently house and take care of twenty two children. All of them are either single or double orphaned, and all of are living with HIV. They are received by the organization through the police or by the parents or relatives who can no longer care for them. One boy was found abandoned outside of a church by a Priest. He was one year old at the time and was expected to live only a few months. He was incredibly weak and had behavior problems. It has now been years and he is intelligent, strong, and happy. In fact, all of the children appeared happy. We were introduced to the children, the young female teacher and the two older women who help run the small home. The organization cannot afford rent in the city which is why they are in the outskirts of Hyderabad where rent is about $200 USD a month. They currently have to turn away children because they don't have any more room and so they desire to build a larger building. I asked Amit what this would cost and he thought about 30 or 40 Lakhs which is the equivalent of about $70,000 USD. Hmmm....what it would it take to be able to raise this much money from those we know in the states? Could we buy a home for these children?

The children performed a few songs in English for us. Although their English was spotty, their happiness was clearly communicated. We passed out toys and school supplies to them and the gratitude that they expressed touched all of our hearts. Such small gifts brought such smiles. I looked around and felt pure joy when noticing the smiles on the faces of our travelers, as well as, on each precious little face. The joy and contentment that we experienced during our time with these children is what, perhaps, we all long for most in life. We were privileged to spent this time with these beautiful children who have challenged us to live more fully.

Since our visit we have had discussions about what we can do to help build the orphanage. Plans are in the making for a fundraiser in LA. Keep your eyes open for updates on this. We would love to have you there! We also encourage you to perhaps have your own fundraiser where you live.

"I am only one, but I am one. I can not do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, By the grace of God, I will do." --Edward Everett Hale

Kabini to Bengaluru to Hyderabad

February 26, 2012

We awake to the morning refreshed after a lovely evening the night prior. We had ended our day yesterday with an afternoon vehicle safari in which various wildlife, including a tiger, was spotted. Perhaps just as exciting as spotting the tiger, was watching our fellow safari participates yell in excitement. As the sun set, we traveled by boat upon the quiet river waters to our lodging. We watched a tribal dance and then ate a delicious bbq dinner under the stars.

Today was a day of travel. After another spicy breakfast (you simply must like spice to enjoy the food here), we set off by car to Bangalore. Along the way we stopped at a couple of temples and took pictures. For lunch, we asked our driver to take us to a local spot that he likes. As we entered the small, dark restaurant we were met with many stares. As the only non-Indians in the place, we stood out. Our driver ordered for us and we ate as he did...with our hands. We smiled and laughed and he stared at us in confusion.

From Bangalore we took a flight to Hyderabad where a driver met us to take us to our hotel. We checked in to our new, modern hotel and walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The lake close by was quiet and as we looked out over it, we watched as a large lantern floated in the sky. The night was peaceful and serene. We await our Hyderabad adventures.