Penwick Summer Trip
Pack your trunk and check your passports, because it's time for the 2026 Penwick summer trip!This summer, Penwick students will be travelling to Esikkent, the hidden magical city beneath Istanbul, Turkey.
Built below the streets of Istanbul, Esikkent is a city of warm stone and lantern-lit terraces. At the centre of it all stands the Janus Gate, one of the most important magical sites in the eastern Mediterranean, and the reason Esikkent is also known as the Threshold City.
The IC Trip Dates are from July 13th to July 24th.
Read about Esikkent here!
Read about the history of the Janus Gate here!
Read about the history of Veela courts here!
Getting There
Students will have two options for travelling to Istanbul.
Those who prefer the magical route may travel with Professor Malik. This group will travel by cabinent, meeting at Penwick and arriving directly in the Upper District of Esikkent.
As Professor Forrest teaches Non-Wizarding Perspectives, she has offered a second way to arrive: Muggle airplane. Any student who chooses the Muggle flight option will receive 10% extra credit on their semester grade, a great opportunity for overachievers and slackers alike!
There is an optional thread for those who choose to travel by airplane HERE
The Twenty Year Refrain OM
While in Esikkent, students will have the opportunity to witness the Twenty-Year Refrain on July 19th, a rare diplomatic and cultural ceremony connected to the Janus Gate.
This will be the main event of the trip and will take place during the Twenty-Year Refrain, a cultural and historic event that happens in the city once a generation.
If you participate in the OM, please aim to post about once per week if you can. Staff may skip or move around inactive characters after roughly a week so the thread can continue moving.
The OM will be posted on July 6th.
Other Trip Threads
Of course, you do not need to join the OM to participate in the trip!
Please feel free to write your own threads in Esikkent and Istanbul during the trip dates. These can include shopping, sightseeing, visiting cafés, exploring the districts, and more.