Golden Istanbul Tour:

This is a special tour including some of the most unique places in the city but also which are difficult to visit on your own. The tour will take you to the roots of historic Istanbul with visit to the monuments of Byzantine and Ottoman cultural heritage. As the places of visit are all located out of the touristic centers, you will also have the chance to visit the current daily local life.

The first stop is Suleymaniye Mosque was built on the order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and constructed by the great Ottoman architect Sinan. The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in 1557.The mosque is modeled in part on the style of a Byzantine basilica, particularly the Hagia Sophia, which was perhaps a conscious move on the part of the sultan to create a continuity and a symbolic connection with the city's past. Driving along the city walls will end at one of the oldest and most important churches in the city - The Church of Chora - representing fascinating wall paintings which tell the life of Christ in an historical order. Even though the building itself being small, the meaning was great for Byzantines as being founded at the borders of the city and welcoming the visitors. Today the environment is restored and this is a good place to spend time with local artisans and wooden houses.

After the church, we will have a tea-coffee break at one of the most splendid spots of Istanbul with a beautiful view over the Golden Horn - Pierre Loti Hill. Than you will again start drive but that time along the shores of Golden Horn through the towns Fener and Balat which are the old Greek and Jewish living sites. Fener Orthodox Patriarchate is located in the area as well.

After lunch, Our next destination will be the Dolmabahce Palace the last residence for Ottoman Sultans with 365 rooms and 22 saloons. Famous with the great collection of European antiquity, furniture and 4.5 tons chandelier. This will be our last stop after visit we will drive back to your hotel. End of the tour.

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‪#‎Chora‬ Museum is covered with mosaics depicting the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary.

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Turkish Coffee Readings:

Turkish coffee reading is a very popular ritual in the countries that favour this type of coffee.

You can check it out, either for fun or serious approach.

Here you will find everything you need to know about the way that the professionals approach the matter.

Using the correct utensils helps a lot in the creation of sharp unquestionable symbols.

Relax and enjoy your coffee. And who knows, maybe you hold your future without knowing it…

Turkish Coffee Readings – Coffee Grounds with Value

Turkish coffee reading is a practice for interpreting residual coffee grounds in the cup and on the saucer. It started in Turkey in the 16th century.

Nowadays, tasseography (or tasseomancy) is the academic term for Turkish coffee fortune telling.

This type of coffee leaves thick, muddy sediment at the bottom of the cup.

If you swirl the cup and turn it upside down the grounds will fall down. They will leave some patterns on the surface of the cup.

There are a lot of people who believe in coffee cup reading. The images and shapes created in the coffee ground have predictable future happening meanings.

Coffee grounds’ meaning became available after decoding certain shapes that people started seeing in their cups. An expert Turkish coffee fortune teller can see special icons that suggest symbols which they relate to certain events.

General rules that cover the basics of Turkish coffee reading:
You shouldn’t interpret your own cup. (If you will do it just for practicing symbol learning, it’s OK).

You don’t give the same cup to a different reader to double check the given reading. Have in mind that most of the professionals perform “whole impression” and not just cup reading symbols.
Turkish cup fortune telling always starts from the cup’s handle. You move from right to left if the person is right-handed or left to right for left-handed …

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If you are visiting Turkey, and have been convinced to try our national soups, here are a few suggestions of flavours and recipes to try

Turkish Bridal Soup: Ezogelin Çorbasi:

Known as the soup of Ezo the bride, this flavour has a rather sad love story attached to its humble roots. The story says that Ezo was an incredibly beautiful woman who lived in the southeastern Gaziantep region in the early 20th century. Despite her goddess looks, love was never easy for her and her first marriage failed after her husband had an affair and her second marriage took her across the border to live in Syria. Homesick for many years, she died in the 1950s after bearing nine children, but her story and recipe at this point had become a legend and the soup is a soothing comfort for brides and their uncertainty for their future. Traditionally made from lentils, what sets this soup apart is the addition of bulgar and cayenne pepper and paprika as ingredients rather than garnishes.

Lentil Soup: Mercimek Çorbasi:
By far, one of the most popular soups consumed by Turks is lentil and for vegetarian travellers, this is a hearty meal because traditional Turkish restaurants serve it in abundance with small side salads and cheese bread. A small sprinkling of garlic pepper, chilli flakes, and/or melted butter is perfect to drizzle as a garnish and add a little extra kick to your taste buds. According to the traditional recipe, the lentils are soaked overnight and cooked for a long time to make it smooth in texture, although modern Turkish housewives favour the ease of a hand blender instead.
Highland Meadows Soup: Yayla Çorbasi:
This soup that might not be to everyone's liking is a strange regional cuisine from the Black Sea region of Turkey, an area that is highly green in landscapes and mountainous, hence giving it the nickname as the highland meadows of Turkey. In this area, traditional farming methods are still used and dairy products are fresh which is ideal since a staple ingredient of this dish is yoghurt. Also including rice and one egg yolk, melted butter and chilli flakes are sprinkled over the top as a garnish but also to add diversity to the range of tastes.

Cabbage Soup: Lahana Çorbası:
Another favourite of the Black sea regional cuisine, Cabbage soup may seem like a boring alternative, but for vegetarians especially, it is one of the tastiest soups thanks to the addition of beans to diversify the taste. Again, traditionally garnished, with paprika and melted butter, you may not see this option on the menu of most local soup kitchens, but it is worth looking on Google for the recipe if you want warming, hearty meals in winter.

Sheep's Head Soup: Kelle Paça Çorbasi:
Travellers from the western world, who long ago, discarded any traditions of making use of every bit of meat, may originally bulk at the idea of eating sheep’s head in a steaming broth, yet it is not as disturbing as it sounds. Originally stemming from the Middle East, this soup is a hot favourite especially for the late night revellers after a drinking session. In the southeastern district of Gaziantep, soup kitchens displaying the head skeleton of a sheep in a window also make a roaring trade from this flavour. The tongue or meat from the shinbones can also be used but is incredibly tender because of the extended boiling time and when combined with the other ingredients of hot chilli flakes, garlic puree and oregano, this soup provides quite a kick.

Tripe Soup: Iskembe Çorbasi:
Once known to the western world as poor man's food, tripe is still highly favoured throughout Turkey and often appears on menus of most soup kitchens. Recipe versions differ from region to region but it is generally agreed that because of the subtle taste of the tripe, a heavy garnish of chilli flakes and garlic is essential for this dish.

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FACTS ABOUT TURKEY:
1. Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, or Kapalı Çarşı, dates to 1455 and was established shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Over the centuries it has grown into a warren of 61 streets lined by more than 3,000 shops and currently occupies a nearly incomprehensible 333,000 square feet. You’ll never possibly be able to explore it all, but that doesn’t keep people from trying — according to Travel + Leisure, the Grand Bazaar was the world’s #1 attraction in 2014, drawing over 91 million people.
2. The signature Ottoman treat is tavuk göğsü, or chicken breast pudding. It’s a strange blend of boiled chicken, milk, and sugar, dusted with cinnamon. And it’s delicious. Look for it on menus across the country.
3. Saint Nicholas was born far from the North Pole, in Patara. And he’s not the only saint with connections to Turkey — the Virgin Mary’s resting place could be near Ephesus, while Saint Paul was from Tarsus in the south. Other Biblical figures include the Prophet Abraham, born in Şanlıurfa. And after the deluge, Noah may have run his ark aground at Mount Ararat.
4. İztuzu Beach, just west of Fethiye, is a major breeding ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle. The turtles arrive between May and October, climbing ashore at the exact site of their birth to lay a new generation of eggs. The beach sees around 300 nests dug each year, and government regulations have succeeded in balancing tourism with the need to protect and conserve this precious natural resource. Just down the coast, Patara is the longest beach on the Mediterranean (12 miles of pristine white sand dunes).
5. It’s uncertain where the first tulips were grown, but what is known is that the Ottomans popularized the flower and facilitated their introduction to Europe. A simultaneous export? Tulipmania. The seeds of the world’s first speculative bubble were sown when a Flemish ambassador to the 16th-century court of Süleyman the Magnificent brought back the bulbous flowers to Holland. Other commodities for which Europe owes a debt of gratitude to Turkey are coffee and cherries.
6. The spectacle of two bulky men stripped to the waist, doused with olive oil, and grappling under the hot Thracian sun is a 654-year-old sporting tradition and sight to behold. Camel wrestling tournaments, held throughout the Aegean region in the winter, and bull wrestling near the Black Sea, are also popular.
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“It is not down in any map; true places never are.” – Herman Melville

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Stations of the Cross                                                                                                               1

The 14 Stations of the Cross represent events from Jesus’ passion and death. At each station we use our senses and our imagination to reflect prayerfully upon Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.

1. Jesus Is Condemned to Death.
Pontius Pilate condemns Jesus to death.

2. Jesus Takes Up His Cross.
Jesus willingly accepts and patiently bears his cross.

3. Jesus Falls the First Time. 
Weakened by torments and by loss of blood, Jesus falls beneath his cross.

4. Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother. 
Jesus meets his mother, Mary, who is filled with grief.

5. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross. 
Soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross.

6. Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus. 
Veronica steps through the crowd to wipe the face of Jesus.

7. Jesus Falls a Second Time. 
Jesus falls beneath the weight of the cross a second time.

8. Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem. 
Jesus tells the women to weep not for him but for themselves and for their children.

9. Jesus Falls the Third Time. 
Weakened almost to the point of death, Jesus falls a third time.

10. Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments.
The soldiers strip Jesus of his garments, treating him as a common criminal.

11. Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross. 
Jesus’ hands and feet are nailed to the cross.

12. Jesus Dies on the Cross. 
After suffering greatly on the cross, Jesus bows his head and dies.

13. Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross. 
The lifeless body of Jesus is tenderly placed in the arms of Mary, his mother.

14. Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb. 
Jesus’ disciples place his body in the tomb.

The closing prayer—sometimes included as a 15th station—reflects on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Stations of the Cross                                                                                                               1

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