Postponed due to Covid-19
Turkey Textiles & Handcrafts Tour
1- 16 September 2020
retreat|recreate is delighted to offer this 16 day/15 night women’s tour exploring Turkey through the lens of its textiles and handcrafts.
Turkey has had a rich and eventful history with various empires and cultural influences (due to it being a stopover along the Silk Road) each leaving their mark and shaping its culture, cuisine, architecture and aesthetics, not to mention its superb textiles and handcrafts – the jewel in the Turkish crown and the focus of our wonderful 16 day adventure!
Our itinerary takes us on a journey from vibrant, cosmopolitan cities to picturesque hill-side villages, from world famous monuments to ancient ruins, from the azure waters of the Mediterranean to the distinctive rock formations of Cappadocia, from colourful handcraft bazaars to the serenity of the mesmerizing dervish ritual. We’ll learn about the fabulous handcrafts for which Turkey is known including carpets, kilims, embroidery, ebru, lacework, silk, felt, weaving and ceramics.
Participate in FIVE hands-on handcraft activities: create your own marbled masterpiece using ancient ebru techniques, craft a pair of earrings with a community of displaced Syrian women who are trying to re-build their lives, learn how to tie ‘Turkish knots’ with the women at a carpet weaving co-op, embroider a traditional village scarf while cruising on the Mediterranean and take a whole-day felting workshop with a master felt-maker and dyer.
Engage with local artisans and craftspeople, be inspired by historical designs and motifs, marvel at superb craftsmanship, be in awe of ancient sites and architecture, gasp at stunning landscapes and experience wonderful traditional culture and generous Turkish hospitality.
This exciting textile adventure is not to be missed! We’d love you to join us!
Price:
- Twin share: To be confirmed
- Single supplement: To be confirmed
- Note: 2022 prices are yet to be confirmed. Please expect a price increase as tour operators, suppliers and venues will impose their annual price increase as well as expenses related to additional Covid-related measures.
Inclusions:
- 16 days/15 nights accommodation
- Arrival airport transfer
- 15 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners (drinks not included)
- Transport: private coach, boat, commuter ferry, domestic flight, taxi as per the itinerary
- Hands-on handcraft workshops and activities as per the itinerary
- Entrance to museums, galleries, studios and excursion venues as per the itinerary
- Services of a local English-speaking tour leader and retreat|recreate host
Exclusions:
- International airfares
- Travel insurance
- Early check in or late check out
- Departure transfers
- Personal spending (souvenirs, phone, laundry etc)
- Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary
- Activities marked as optional
- Tips
Things to note:
- The tour comprises 16 days/15 nights. The itinerary is a full one to ensure value for money, however some free periods are built in. The opportunity exists to extend your trip by extra nights at our hotel in Istanbul before, and/or after the tour;
- Transport is by private air-conditioned coach, commuter ferry, gulet, taxi, tram and a domestic flight;
- Cultural, environmental and economically sustainable travel is important to us. To this end, we: engage local guides; partner with a wholesale tour operator whose values align with ours; patronise organisations and co-operatives that return all profits directly to their local community; support fair trade and non-government organisations providing vocational training, experience and rehabilitation to disadvantaged groups and communities, particularly those that empower women and girls to earn an income through the production of traditional handcrafts.
- Is this trip right for you? Please carefully and realistically consider your mobility and fitness levels to determine if this trip is right for you. Participants need to be able to navigate arrival and departure airports without personal assistance, carry their luggage for short distances, embark and disembark coaches, trains, and boats without assistance, manage flights of stairs without assistance, stand for periods of time in galleries and museums, undertake walking tours including walking on uneven ground and possibly in warm to hot weather.
- The hands-on handcraft activities included in this itinerary are not formal classes with trained teachers. They’re more about genuine person to person interactions, cultural exchange and learning directly from authentic, traditional artisans at their work place, village or home, in their own style;
- our maximum group size on this trip is 14 women;
- retreat|recreate’s tour groups comprise women from all over the globe and embrace all ages (over 18), ethnicities, orientations and personalities. Flexibility and a sense of humour are essential when travelling as part of a group.
To request the Information Pack (itinerary, bookings form etc) for this tour or register an Expression of Interest (EOI) for any of our other tours, please email us via the contact page.
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