One cold day last January, Dayna Teehan entered the ‘Free Flight Friday’ competition on 98FM…and Won!
Her prize? An All-expenses paid Trip to Turkey, courtesy of Turkish Airlines and The Travel Broker.
So how did she get on? We caught up with Dayna to find out.
“I have to say, from the moment we got on the Turkish airlines flight, to when we got home, everything was great. We boarded the plane and there was a pillow, blanket and earphones on each seat, so we just sat back, enjoyed our meal, a couple of drinks, some Turkish delights and watched a movie.
Before we knew it we were landing in Istanbul.”
The next morning, Dayna and her partner Jonathan were treated to a City Tour of Historical Istanbul, starting off at the Hippodome – a symbol of Constantinople’s classical Byzantine origins.
“Our hotel; The Plaza, was beautiful with an amazing view of Istanbul from the 12th floor. Our driver picked us up and we spent the whole day seeing the sights around the city. The Hippodome, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi palace; where all the Ottoman Sultans lived. Then we finished the day strolling around the Grand Bazaar, which is just an amazing place.”
Day 3 of their Trip to Turkey saw them leave their hotel early after breakfast, and travel to Gallipoli; one of the most famous battlesites of World War 1.
“We spent a couple of hours walking around the battlefields and learning all about the history behind Gallipoli. We saw Brighton beach, ANZAC cove and all the war memorials. It was very good, really interesting”
That evening they crossed the Dardanelles and arrived at their 5 star hotel.
“The hotel was out of this world - Total luxury. We had a delicious dinner and started looking forward to the next day, because we were going to Troy!
The following morning, after breakfast, Dayna and Jonathan headed off to the legendary city of Troy – mythological home to Helen of Troy, the battle between Achilles and Paris and a certain Trojan horse!
“Troy was Amazing, we got to walk around the ancient ruins and then, after lunch, we went on a boat trip and did a bit of swimming, before heading back to Istanbul”
Day 5 saw the couple visit Istanbul’s famous Spice market and then cross the Bosphorus Bridge to visit the Asian side of the city.
“We got a boat across the river that separates Istanbul and where Europe and Asia meet. We saw a beautiful palace that’s preserved exactly as it was 150 years ago. Then we drove to the highest point of Istanbul to look at the view. Stunning!”
The next day, after some last minute souvenir shopping, they flew out of Istanbul airport, back to Dublin.
“The whole trip from start to finish was brilliant - the hotel staff, the guides and drivers. I’d like to say a big thanks to 98FM, the Travel Broker and Turkish Airlines for this trip – I’d 100% recommend them and definitely fly with them again.”
