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I took a 3-week tour of eastern Turkey and the Black Sea area, April 22-May 14, ’02, with Treasures of Turkey, now known as Treasures of Travel (Box 714, Edmonds, WA 98020; phone 800/572-0526 or 425/775-2250, fax 425/771-6723). Including one domestic flight and a boat cruise to Akdamar Island in Van, the land cost of the trip was $2,800 plus a $525 single supplement. (In 2004 this tour, for 26 days, starts at $2,400, with the single supplement $480.)
We first became aware of Martin Reeve’s Normandy Safaris (57 Raley Rd., Locks Heath, Southampton S031 6PB, U.K.; phone 01489-576081, e-mail info@normandysafaris.co.uk or visit www.normandysafaris.co.uk) from a reader’s recommendation in ITN (Nov. ’02, pg. 79).
For a visit to South Africa, Oct. 7-21, ’03, we took one of the Reality Tours of Global Exchange (2017 Mission St., Ste. 303, San Francisco, CA 94110; phone 415/255-7296 or visit www.globalexchange.org). The land cost of the trip was $2,500 and included all breakfasts and most dinners.
In 1985 I traveled to India and found it to be one of the most exotic, fascinating and diverse cultures I had ever seen. Eighteen years and 24 countries later I traveled again to India — and found it to be one of the most exotic, fascinating and diverse cultures I had ever seen.
A friend and I went on a 30-day tour of Turkey in July ’03 with Cultural Folk Tours International (5631 Lincoln Ave., Ste. B, Cypress, CA 90630; phone 800/935-8875 or visit www.boraozkok.com).
The total cost, including the flight from San Antonio to Istanbul and return, was $5,720 per person plus travel insurance. We were given a $250 deduction because we paid in full in January.
Our party of four took a delightful, somewhat “different,” 9-day trip to the Scottish islands, particularly the Shetlands and the Orkneys, followed by a 7-day trip that included the Isles of Jura, Colonsay, Gigha, Arran and the Mull of Kintyre.
Our trip was handled by Classique Tours (8 Underwood Rd., Paisley, PA3 1TD, Scotland; phone + 44 [0] 141 889 4050, fax + 44 [0] 141 848 7616 or visit www.classique tours.co.uk).
After a careful selection of cities in eastern Turkey that would provide a mix of ancient civilizations, Roman ruins and Islamic traditions, I contacted six companies found in ITN and chose Asia Minor Travel & Tours (6919 W. Broward Blvd., PMB 259, Plantation, FL 33317; phone 800/532-2938 or visit www.asiaminortours.com).
by Larry Taylor, Fullerton, CA
To celebrate an anniversary or a spouse’s birthday while traveling overseas, have you ever decided to hang the expense and really “splurge” on a meal? We asked those of you who did so — and found that it was worth every euro, pound or whatever — to write in about the experience.
In addition to the name of the restaurant and its address or location, we asked you to tell us when you went, the approximate price of the meal and what made it so great. We also wanted to know if there were any special dishes you’d recommend, particular tables to sit at, etc.
