Early start up at 5am with 12 of the group to go hot air ballooning, wow what an experience! Hovering over the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia watching the sun come up, sparkling Turkish wine for breakfast after a safe landing the pilot actually landed the basket right on the trailer how skilled is that!! Back to the hotel for breakfast then off to explore the wonders of Cappadocia, underground city, fairy chimneys, Uchisar natural fortress. Went to see how they mad...

Up at 5.30 as long travel day today, drove for 2hrs then the bus started to play up ? petrol problems, anyway fresh fuel seemed to fix the problem. Had lunch at Ankara, warm 30oC breezy to help keep you cool, after lunch went to the museum of Ataturk wow amazing place so clean and very well presented could have spent hours there! Back on the bus and off to see the salt lake, which is literally as it sounds an enormous flat area that looks like ıt should be water...

Yay got to sleep in!! Didn't have to be on the bus till 9am. Walking tour of the city today went firstly to the imperial palace enormous place where the Ottoman emperors lived, the architecture and mosaic tiling is so well preserved and colourful. Then onto the Hagia Sophia museum very impressive buiding solid stone, lots of marble, hanging lights, 55metre dome inside, was originally a church, then a mosque and now a museum. Then we went to the Blue Mosque whi...

Up early to get to aırport ın tıme. A & H came wıth us and bought us some breakfast. Mark got 15mıns to call kıds at Fısh and Chıp Frıday. Saw A & H off and got on flıght to Instanbul. Arrıved late arvo and taken to really nıce hotel - Tıtanıc ( Yes - they play the movıe on a contınuous loop on hotel TV). Met the other tour members at 7.30pm and then headed out for our most expensıve meal ever $150). Then early nıght as both tıred. Debb...

Lovely sunny day 20oC. Annette & Herbert pıcked us up from Hotel and took us to Joop´s house, we met Josea there too. Went for a walk to see the house that he and Ben grew up ın, then Joop took us to lunch. Then back to Joop´s where Herbert prepared some herrıng for Mark to try - ate some but had to gıve up as was acquıred taste. Then Jıtske arrıved after work. We then went to a restaurant called "The Whıte Mountaıns" and had dınner - Ed, Hans and...