Turkey Research

November 21:
I've been doing some research on where to go in Turkey, and my wife and I have finally planned out our travel itinerary.

December 15th: We leave at 11:55 AM from the Austin-Bergstrom Airport and fly to Chicago on American Airlines. We arrive in Chicago at 2:30. Then we leave Chicago at 5 PM on Turkish Airlines.

December 16th: We arrive at 11:45 AM in Istanbul and stay at the Best Western The President Hotel in the presidential suite until December 19th. I was checking review about this hotel, and people said it was even better than some five-star hotels they had been to! While we are here in Istanbul, we will want to see the Blue Mosque, a famous Muslim place of worship, and Hagia Sophia, a church converted into a museum.

December 19th: On this day we fly to Ankara on Turkish Airlines again. There are two other domestic airlines called Istanbul Airlines and Onur Airlines, but Turkish seems to be the most convenient. We leave at 9 AM and arrive at 10 AM. We stay at the Best Western 2000 Ornek Hotel here in Ankara because it is located near the train and coach stations and Ankara's famous historical castle, which we will undoubtedly see. We will also probably see Lake Karagol and the Museum of Anatolian Civilization.

December 25th: On this day we leave Ankara and take an Ulusoy bus straight from Ankara to Izmir. From here, we plan to rent a car and drive down to Selcuk, a small town to the south to see the rural lifestyle. This will just be a day trip. We will drive back to Izmir in the evening and stay at the Hilton Izmir until December 29th.

December 29th: Our flight back from Izmir to Austin is about the same as the one to Istanbul. We leave Izmir at 8:00 PM, change planes in Istanbul and Chicago, and get in to Austin at about 8:30 PM on the 30th.