Talking Turkey

Caught between east and west

DESTINATION
Turkey – Istanbul, Kusadasi, Ephesus, Konya, Kas, Bodrum, Antayla, Cappadocia and Ankara

DATES
April 24–May 9, 2009 (15 nights)

READINGS
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, selected poetry by Rumi and Orhan Pamuk’s Snow

Description/Itinerary
Turkey is the only country in the world to sit astride two continents, a unique position that has given rise to a culture where European aspirations and Asian traditions comfortably coexist.

The legacies of the Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Christian Apostles, Byzantines, Ottoman Turks, and the other civilizations that have called this land home have made Turkey a vast outdoor museum full of beautiful, intriguing sites, and a culture steeped in a diverse history. Today Turkey is undertaking yet another massive political reform in an effort to achieve full membership in the European Union.

We will discuss the literature of this fabled land to help us better understand its soul, its aspirations and its conflicts. Our readings will include Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, selected works by 13th century Persian mystic, Rumi, and Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk’s novel Snow, a work that tackles the tensions that Turkey faces today between east and west, ancient and modern.

We will travel through Turkey’s complex history and splendid scenery and experience its hospitality in Istanbul, Kusadasi, Ephesus, Konya, Kas, Bodrum, Antayla, Cappadocia and Ankara. Along the way, we will savour the abundance of its fields, farms, orchards, flocks and fishing boats as Turkish chefs take full advantage of this bounty.

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Leader
David Schmitt lives in Evanston, Illinois and is an architect who makes his living helping others create a meaningful built environments. What he really enjoys though is searching and helping others search for meaning in texts. Having led Shared Inquiry discussions for nearly two decades, he is very excited to explore Turkey, where east literally meets west, where Christian and Muslim histories intersect dramatically, and a historically rich land collides with a vibrantly modern, yet somehow also pre-modern, country.

Accommodatiation
Various boutique hotels, 16 nights

Fees
Price: $5300 Cdn
Single Supplement: $900 Cdn

Fee includes books, accommodation, two meals a day, discussions, walking tours, talks, excursions and admissions.

Non Refundable Deposit:
$500 CDN due at registration