TRIP COST: $3,635 per person, double occupancy Plus a $500 donation to IFAM. $450 single supplement

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

With an emphasis on the folk art traditions of Cuba, we will have a very in depth and personal exposure to some of the country’s leading artists.  We will experience the rich cultural fabric of this dynamic city which is undergoing significant change, while at the same time retaining an atmosphere of days gone by. We will be treated to private dance and musical performances, lectures, and studio visits.  Our evenings will find us dining in the finest of Havana’s restaurants in a city that is enjoying a culinary renaissance.

We will have a private tour of the fabulous new art center, Fabrica de Arte Cubano, where art, music and theater are all presented in a cutting edge environment.  On our way to Ernest Hemingway’s estate, Finca Vigia, we’ll cross Havana’s bay by ferry boat to the town of Regla, with its long tradition of Santeria.  In the evening, we’ll travel down the Malecon, Havana’s iconic seawall, in our own fleet of 1950’s classic cars.  Finally, we will spend a full day in the gorgeous Valle de Viñales in the westernmost province of Pinar del Rio. Known for its striking beauty, this is the tobacco growing region of the country, where the lush landscape captivates all who visit.

To secure a spot or for more trip information, please contact Peggy Gaustad at canyonpots@aol.com or (505) 310-1356, and click here to read an abbreviated trip itinerary.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Join IFAM Associate Producer Josh Schrei and local Provençal arts experts for ten days exploring the vibrant arts and markets of Provence. We’ll start off with two days in Nice, where we’ll visit the acclaimed Chagall and Matisse museums and stay at the exquisite Palais de la Mediterranee. Then we’ll head to the heart of Provençe for a week of market hopping and arts exploration in Aix and Saint Remy. Join us as we visit quaint medieval towns and pay homage to a varied regional arts tradition that includes ceramics, traditional basket weaving, fabric design, printmaking, glassblowing and more. We’ll also celebrate the culinary treasures of the region, as we sample local olive oils, cheeses, wines, and chocolates. After a long year, this fabulous getaway will be a welcome treat for the senses.

Trip 1: May 12 – 21, 2023 Itinerary

To secure a spot or for more trip information, please contact Josh Schrei at josh.schrei@gmail.com or (505) 919-9530.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Join Dr. Jane Abbott of Tapestry Tours on this special tour. She earned her undergraduate degree in Greece, lived there for several years, and speaks Greek. She has taken many groups over the years to all areas of Greece, including many spectacular mountain retreats, the best of 2000 islands, storied traditional villages, places suspended in time, and to see genuine art from a country that has been producing it for centuries, and finally, to enjoy famed, astonishing cuisine that visitors yearn for.

To secure a spot or for more trip information, please contact Jane Abbott at abbott.jh@gmail.com or 719-210-1575.

TRIP COST: $5,480 double occupancy $650 – single supplement. Includes a $500 donation to IFAM. Space is limited

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Spend 4 nights in the historic center of Mexico City at the newly opened Hotel Zócolo Central from where we’ll explore all that this extraordinary city has to offer in terms of museums, murals, folk art and food.
• Behind the scenes visit to the folk art collections of the Museo de Arte Popular and Fomento Cultural Banamex in the glorious Palacio Iturbe.
• A wonderful morning on the canals of Xochilmilco where will be serenaded by mariachis, followed by an afternoon at the
  famous Bazaar Sabado in San Angel.
• A two day, one night excursion to the State of Mexico visiting the picturesque weaving town of Malinalco, famous for their finely made rebozos, the iconic Mexican shawl.
• Returning to the city, we will spend our last 2 nights in Coyoacán, a municipality of Mexico City which has retained much of its village like atmosphere. Here we will visit the exquisite home of IFAM artist, Carla Fernandez, and her contemporary artist husband, Pedro Reyes.
• Our farewell dinner will be a magical private evening at the Museo Casa Azul, the former home, and now museum, dedicated to the life of Frida Kahlo.

To secure a spot or for more trip information, please contact Peggy Gaustad at canyonpots@aol.com, (505) 310-1356, and click here to read an abbreviated trip itinerary.

TRIP COST: $$9190 Per Person + $500 donation to IFAM, Sharing; $1750 Single Supplement
Based on 10 Travelers, or a Surcharge will Apply. Space is limited.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Savor the ancient city of Sultanahmet, touring the Byzantine hippodrome with the Egyptian obelisk and serpentine column where chariots once raced in the 17th Century, the extraordinary Hagia Sophia (also known as the Blue Mosque) and the Cistern, both built in the 6th Century, as well as the Grand Bazaar, a labyrinth of almost 4000 shops (!), visiting local artists along the way.
  Tour the Topkapi Palace & Harem, a grand residence of Ottoman sultans for some 400 years that is now a museum, with nearby stops at the colorful Spice Market filled with local spices and Turkish delights. See the 16th Century Rustem Pasha mosque with its exquisite Ottoman tiles.
• Explore the cavern-architecture and honeycomb hills of Cappadocia, visiting the Goreme Valley and see evidence of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period. Discover dwellings, troglodyte villages and underground towns date back to the 4th Century. Watch local potters who still work in the caves at Avanos Village. Perhaps take a magical hot-air balloon ride over the “fairy chimneys” before later partaking in a wine tasting in Urgup, a region famous for its red and white wines.
• Galavant through Gaziantep taking in the various sights and arts of this southeastern province. Here you’ll visit the Zeugma Mosaics Museum to see one of the best and largest Roman mosaics in the world. The bazaars and streets here are full of surprises and tradition at every turn. Take a walking tour to see copper, mother of pearl, glass, and jewelry artists.
• Relax in Halfeti, a “Slow City “and later stop in Gobekli Tepe, the 12,000 year old site that is home to one of the world’s first temples. In Sanliurfa walk to Balikligol, known in Jewish and Islamic history as the place where Nimrod threw the Prophet Abraham into a fire, and then visit the astounding Archaeology and Mosaic Museum with the oldest-known life-size human sculpture.
• Wander in wonder at the old Pera neighborhood spying 18th and 19th century Art Nouveau buildings. Enjoy a traditional Turkish coffee or black tea at Caffe Pierre Loti while taking in views of the Golden Horn, the old harbor of the city. Visit 16th century Suleyman’s mosque, the largest Ottoman mosque in Istanbul.
• And of course meet incredible folk artists at stops all along the way – from IFAM artists like the Anatolian Artisans coop and Mehmet Cetinkaya renowned for his textile expertise, to other Turkish rug/kilim weavers, potters, sculptors, jewelers, and more!

  Average to moderate fitness level is needed as travelers will be asked to hike on uneven surfaces like cobblestones, city hills, stairs without handrails, slippery trails, often with limited or no access to elevators.

To secure a spot or for more trip information, please contact Ahdina Zunkel of BJ Adventures, Inc. at ahdina@bjadventures.com or (505) 466-2289.

BJ Adventures, Inc. is customized travel to over 90 countries since 1989. For more information, click here.