Slavic Cultures and Languages

**Backabush is heading back to Turkiye for the Easter holidays on another exciting trip exploring the enchanting landscape of Cappadocia.** Cost from £499. Nights - 5. Group size - 18. Cave Hotel Accommodation. The rocky valleys surrounding the town of Goreme in Cappadocia have been sculpted by the wind and rain over many thousands of years to create a truly unique geological landscape of intricate folds. This area is famous for it's distinctive tufas or 'fairy chimneys' as well as the many ancient cave dwellings, pigeon houses, canyons and of course the vast numbers of hot air balloons that fill the dawn skies each day. We have booked the exclusive use of one of Goreme's traditionally styled cave hotels, with bedrooms that are partly set back into the rock. We have options for shared rooms, private rooms and some larger, luxury private rooms with jacuzzi baths. Our hotel has all the amenities that you would expect, with en-suite rooms and a generous breakfast served each day. There is also an outdoor terrace seating area that overlooks the town, the perfect spot to view the balloon fights each morning. Shared (mixed gender) 4 bed room - £499 Shared twin room - £589 Private room - £699 Deluxe private room - £749 Our plan is to spend the Easter weekend around Goreme with 3 full hiking days to explore the surrounding valleys and villages. We will also have 1 rest day so we have the chance to take an optional hot air balloon ride and spend a bit more time checking out the town of Goreme and the famous frescos at the Open Air Museum. **Highlights of our suggested hiking itinerary include:** * Red Valley & Rose Valley, a dreamy landscape in a beautiful crimson colour. * Love Valley & Honey Valley. Love valley has some of the most iconic, and also phallic, fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, hence the name. * Pigeon Valley & the Uschisar Castle, littered with rock cut dovecotes and an intriguing castle perched on the highest point in the region with panoramic views. * Zelve Valley & Goreme Open Air Museum - The museum covers a large area with over 30 rock cut churches from the 9th century onwards complete with frescoes. * Derinkuyu underground city & the Ihlara Valley, visit an underground city built as a Christian shelter during the Byzantine wars and the only lush green valley in Cappadocia nourished by the Melendiz river. **DIFFICULTY** On this trip will be hiking up to 10 miles each day on rough trails. Although we will not be hiking up any mountains there will still be some moderate ascents and descents so a good level of fitness is required. **WHAT IS INCLUDED:** * 5 nights cave hotel accommodation (various room options available) * All breakfasts * 3 hiking days guided by an experienced local hiking guide * Airport transfers and minibus transport to/from the hikes * One trip organiser * Financial protection in accordance with the Package Travel Law 1992. **WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:** * Lunches and evening meals (There are many local restaurants to choose from around our hotel) * Flights (See below) * Entrance fees into the sites (Ihlara Valley, Open Air Museum, Uchisar Castle, Underground city) * Optional hot air balloon excursion **RECOMMEDED FLIGHTS:** Our airport transfers will be organised to meet these flights, if you choose to book alternative travel to Cappadocia then you will need to meet us at our hotel in Goreme, which is reletively straight forward as shuttle busses connect Kayseri Airport to Goreme regularly. It is also possible to fly from several other UK Airports to Istanbul and then catch the same group connecting flight from Istanbul to take advantage of the the airport tranfers. Outbound - Thursday 2 April Turkish Airlines - TK1982 & TK2020 (connection in Istanbul) Departs LGW London Gatwick 10:55 Arrives ASR Kayseri 19:55 Return - Tuesday 7 April Turkish Airlines - TK2013 & TK1997 (connection in Istanbul) Departs ASR Kayseri 10:45 Arrives LGW London Gatwick 16:15 **HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP:** To confirm your place on this trip use internet banking **your RSVP is not enough to reserve a space on this trip**. Please use **CAPPADOCIA** as your payment reference. The account details are: Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS Sort Code: 090127 Account Number: 22440622 The following "terms and conditions" apply to all trip reservations: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ngc5A61k76qb6HGMeTK96AVaXn0565yPS9p42IPzIy8/](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ngc5A61k76qb6HGMeTK96AVaXn0565yPS9p42IPzIy8/edit?usp=sharing) Only payment secures your place. **Please email backabushxplorers@yahoo.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you**. Thanks. :) **IMPORTANT NOTES** VISA - Please check if you need a visa to travel to Cappadocia. Turkey is NOT within the Shengen zone. It is your responsibility to obtain all necessary documents, including visa.

We meet to learn and practice American Sign Language and to grow our familiarity with Deaf culture. Facilitated by hearing folks (with a connection to a professional interpreter) using Deaf-created content. People of all ASL skill levels are welcome! As we learn, we hope to connect more with the Deaf community in Central Ohio. Join us as you're able! Come regularly or just once - whatever you're looking for! Each meetup will explore different topics related to ASL/Deaf culture, and will feature time to practice conversation with one another. Just bring yourself and a willingness to learn!

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who enjoy talking to people from other countries, and those who would like to discuss international travel and culture, and who enjoy getting together for good conversations."

Pay attention! We’re delaying a week for those of you who may be on Spring break and/or celebrating the holiday. Ok, no pancakes, but waffles-a-plenty. Join the local UX and Digital Design community for a casual monthly breakfast. Look for us upstairs!

Hey Everyone! Let's meet at Belle's Bread Bakery and Cafe. There is lots of free parking and easy access to the cafe and many shops and restaurants as well. This is a great way to meet new and old friends while chatting about life and practicing English language speaking skills. All are welcome and encouraged to join us anytime between 11am and 1pm. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

While some are still meeting online, this is an in person event. Please note that we have attendees of all levels of speaking, including some native speakers. All are welcome! Also, as we meet at the same time and place each week, many don’t RSVP on the app, so we will likely have more attendees than noted here. Note: if you are asked to pay and upgrade the Meetup app, this is not necessary. You can ignore this and still attend our meetings.

The aim of this group is to get together and practice our German. Doesn’t matter if are a beginner or a native speaker. The goal is to speak and improve our German. Everyone is welcome! If the weather is good, look for us in the Biergarten. Pro Tip: Get there before 6:00 for happy hour pricing.

**Latest Dojo Location!** **Knotty Pine Brewing** 1765 W 3rd Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead. We're looking for speakers for our Monthly Meetups! Fill out the form if you are interested in presenting to the Python Community. https://forms.gle/ehSfUAC2WgR34Crq9