JOURNEYS Client Services Director Florine Herendeen presents a photo blog chronicling her trip to Turkey with son Michael and a JOURNEYS group of fun-loving families with teens.

The Turkish flag sits atop houses, monuments, and various buildings throughout Turkey. It’s bright red color serves as a great contrast to the surroundings.
Michael and I posing in front of Hagia Sophia. The church was originally erected by the Greek Orthodox church. It later became a Roman Catholic church, eventually a mosque and most recently opened as a museum in 1931.
This underground cistern is just one of several hundreds found below the city of Istanbul. They were originally designed to provide water to the city.
Michael enjoying one of the many street side Turkish restaurants in Istanbul. Michael and I liked people watching over a cup of apple tea or Turkish coffee.
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul is an amazing and beautiful piece of architecture. It also was one of Michael’s trip highlights.
We enjoyed our overnight in a cozy cave room in Cappadocia at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel. It was a luxurious treat!
Very early morning ballooning in Cappadocia. A once in a lifetime experience. Get a close up view of the magical fairy chimneys.
JOURNEYS traveler, Heidi, had great fun with the hands on pottery making in Cappadocia. The class is taught by master potter, Chez Galip.
Michael, Chez and guide Omer posing with Michael’s finished product. Sorry, Michael, but a future in making pottery is not likely in your future but it sure was fun giving it a try.
What a great visit in the home of our guide, Omer’s family in Cappadocia. Pictured is his mom, sister, niece and nephew.
Visit the beautiful ancient Greek city of Ephesus. Stand among the ruins and picture it in centuries past with a population of 250,000 people.
Our group in front of the masterpiece library at Ephesus. Breathtaking.
We spent 3 days sailing on the Turquoise Coast on a gulet. A gulet is a traditional design of a 2 or 3 masted wooden sailing vessel. Here is one of the crew hosting the sails.
Michael kayaking along the Turkish coast. The blue waters are so clear you can see all the way to the bottom. It was a great place to relax and unwind after several days of sightseeing in Turkey.
Ahead lies the port of Marmaris and the end of our sailing days. Do I really have to go back to work?
This mother and son team approached our gulet to sell us traditional “gozlemes” or Turkish crepes. There were limitless combinations of stuffings, including nutella and banana, cheese and meats, various vegetables, and more. Needless to say, we did not go hungry…
We stayed with a local family in the village of Ikiztas toward the end of our trip. Turkish hospitality really showed me what warm, kind, and thoughtful people make up this great country.
Omer with a local thinker in Ikiztas village. The men congregate at the tea house to solve all the world’s problems (good luck, guys). Thank you for an amazing trip, Omer!