Frances D. - Florida
August 21, 2005

Dear Rina,
 
Thank you for everything you did to make our trip to Turkey so wonderful. Sorry to have taken so long to send you this much deserved thank you. Everything went very smoothly and the itinerary was perfect!

When we saw you in Istanbul we told you how much we had enjoyed our visit to Cappadocia, our day trip by car to Hattusas and Yazilikaya, and our memorable our 10th anniversary dinner at the Old Greek House.

We loved Istanbul and hope to return for a longer visit. The Daphne was definitely worth changing our itinerary for. Bulent gave a good tour of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and surrounding areas and we were glad to have him for a guide. We also enjoyed our free time in Istanbul, especially the Bosphorus cruise (we did find a boat per your suggestion) and the Egyptian Spice Market.

The big question mark on our trip had been the visit to Troy. I wasn't sure that it was going to be worth two days of our trip to visit, but Keith definitely wanted it to be a part of our itinerary. To begin with, the bus tour package that you booked for us was perfect.. We were especially happy that the transfer to the bus station was included, as the traffic leaving the city was horrible and the bus station was quite a way out of town. We enjoyed the bus trips from Istanbul to Canakkale and from Canakkale to Kusadasi. The buses were clean, the rides were very relaxing and enjoyable and the time went by
quickly. We still can't get over the fact that they each had an attendant to serve refreshments -- much different from bus travel in the U.S.! The connections were very easy and everyone was very helpful. Upon arriving in Canakkale, we were greeted by name as we walked into our hotel (Helen), and were made to feel very welcome. We had enough time to walk around town, see the Trojan horse used in the movie "Troy" and have dinner. Our group tour of Troy the next morning was very interesting and well worth the visit. Keith and I were very pleased with the tour and with our guide. Special thanks for arranging this part of our trip.

We were with a great group for our Ephesus tour. Our guide was very nice, and he even added a side trip to Sirince when our tour should have been over.

We enjoyed our stay at the Kismet. Our room was very large, with 2 balconies. Contrary to Frommer's description, we did not think it was
"showing its age" and everyone was helpful. We are glad we did not book a tour for our last day in Turkey. Instead, we spent a nice, leisurely day in Kusadasi, already thinking about where we would want to visit on our next trip to Turkey! I know that long after the historical facts and dates heard on our tours fade from my memory, I will remember the kind and friendly people we met.

Thanks again, Rina, for making our trip so easy! We will let you know when we are planning our next trip to Turkey, hopefully within the next few years.

Sincerely,
 
Frances D.

 P.S. I recently returned from visiting my mom. Of course I took our photograph album (complete with itinerary, pictures and brochures). The album brought back memories of her 6 week trip to Turkey with my dad. It was very special looking at our pictures and then seeing pictures my Dad had taken in Turkey 15 years ago!