cappadocia
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Our hostel, like most in the area, was part cave with very thick rock walls-- which was great as Cappadoccia is a helluva lot colder than where we'd been on the coast. Although we were exhausted we forced ourselves to get a move on right away, we only had three days planned here and had to squeeze as much in as possible. So after just a brief nap we got the hiking boots on and made our way to the Open Air Museum. The museum, only a few k's out of Goreme, is a collection of cave dwellings and underground churches, one of the most famous sites in central Turkey. The complex contains more than 30 carved-from-rock churches, some having superb frescoes inside, dating from the 9th century to the 11th century. Unfortunately most of the beautiful paintings had been vandalized at some point, with the faces and in particular the eyes of Jesus and the Saints scratched out. It was a pretty eerie sight to see. I did some research on who may have done this at some point in history but found nothing. Some internet sites hypothesised that throughout the Ottoman period the Christian frescoes were accepted by the dominant Muslim culture, however the eyes were deemed unacceptable due to the myth of the evil eye, but no-one knows for sure.
After walking around in the hot sun after zero sleep needless to say we were zombie-like, but still had big plans to wake up early the next day to catch the sunrise and balloons taking off. So we organised a scooter to get us up to 'white hill', which over looked the valleys of Cappadoccia and provided an awesome viewing point to see the hundred colourful balloons take off.
Bleary eyed we somehow managed to respond to Scotts alarm going off at 5:15am. We rugged up as best we could and took off on the dodgy scooter. We were the first up on the hill, well the first humans anyway. There were three friendly dogs who had also gotten up early to admire the view. It took a lot of effort and self control to get out of bed so early that day, but we are so very glad we did. It was awesome seeing the bizarre landscape and valleys in the first light, with the huge balloons like some kind of alien life form out of a John Wyndham novel. Like giant glow worms waking up they would become illuminated with every burst of hot air, nestled in the nooks and crannies of this incredible landscape. We took about a million photos...
Bleary eyed we somehow managed to respond to Scotts alarm going off at 5:15am. We rugged up as best we could and took off on the dodgy scooter. We were the first up on the hill, well the first humans anyway. There were three friendly dogs who had also gotten up early to admire the view. It took a lot of effort and self control to get out of bed so early that day, but we are so very glad we did. It was awesome seeing the bizarre landscape and valleys in the first light, with the huge balloons like some kind of alien life form out of a John Wyndham novel. Like giant glow worms waking up they would become illuminated with every burst of hot air, nestled in the nooks and crannies of this incredible landscape. We took about a million photos...
underground city
After this early start our plan was to use the not-so-sturdy scooter to get 40kms to the most famous underground city. First up though, a hearty breakfast was in order.
When we'd first arrived off the bus we'd been greeted by a big friendly Turkish mama who we soon discovered cooked the best menemen in Turkey. Menemen is basically turkish style scrambled eggs, still the perfect amount of runny, with plenty of spices, chilli and butter cooked in a clay pot or pan. Holy moly they are delish... hearty and hot they are the perfect start to a chilly morning. |
So after fresh white bread dipped in menemen to die for we felt energised enough to hit the road by scooter yet again!
Cappadocia has several underground cities that were used by early Christians as hiding places before Christianity became an accepted religion. The underground city we visited was the biggest of the lot stretching 8 floors down into the earth! It fit 5,000 people, but up to 10,000 at a pinch if marauding armies were on the way. The underground city reminded us very much of those ant farms you have as a kid, with tunnels stretching in all directions, maze like. The cool thing about these cities is that the early Christians didn’t just build rooms and hallways, they also dug out stables for horses, wine cellars, a jail for naughty people, churches, schools, it was really a full city underground. They also developed vast defence networks of traps throughout the many levels. These traps are very creative, including large round stones to block selected passages, a bit Asterix and Oberlix. It was very cool to climb down the passageways and into the deep depths of the earth, but I have to admit I felt claustrophobic almost immediately. It was a relief to emerge into sunlight again. |
october 1st: hot air balloon ride
Being in Cappadoccia we had to go on a hot air balloon ride, if we were ever going to do it it had to be here! Plus, we figured it would be a good way to celebrate our "pre-anniversary"... we've decided on October 1st 2014 as our wedding date :) So it was going to be a romantic way to celebrate, or, if we died in a horrific fireball hot air balloon explosion at least we'd be going together on an ironically sad date for our families to remember forever.
Luckily the latter did not happen! We enjoyed another beautiful very early morning, with a wonderful and experienced Turkish pilot dipping and weaving us through fairy chimneys and rock churches carved into cliffsides. After we safely touched down in the middle of a field we all had a glass of bubbly to mark the occasion and we each got a certificate for being an "Active Participant".
Luckily the latter did not happen! We enjoyed another beautiful very early morning, with a wonderful and experienced Turkish pilot dipping and weaving us through fairy chimneys and rock churches carved into cliffsides. After we safely touched down in the middle of a field we all had a glass of bubbly to mark the occasion and we each got a certificate for being an "Active Participant".
So after surviving the hot air balloon ride the rest of our final day in Cappadoccia was spent exploring the fairy chimneys and beautiful hills of the area. We caught the local bus to the next town and walked up and down some very steep hills exploring all the old rooms and churches that had been carved into them. Because of Cappadoccias extreme climate, the rocks have eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. My favourite was a stand of mushroom rocks; like enoki all upright with little caps on.
We expected to be able to hitchhike back with no worries, Turks are renowned for giving lifts, but we had no such luck so had to trudge back into town. We had a little bit of time before we had to head to the airport so we treated ourselves to dinner on a rooftop and took in our last sunset over Cappadoccia. Scott ordered the regions specialty, which is meat cooked in a sealed clay pot that they then crack in front of you. Scott was quite impressed with the showmanship.
We expected to be able to hitchhike back with no worries, Turks are renowned for giving lifts, but we had no such luck so had to trudge back into town. We had a little bit of time before we had to head to the airport so we treated ourselves to dinner on a rooftop and took in our last sunset over Cappadoccia. Scott ordered the regions specialty, which is meat cooked in a sealed clay pot that they then crack in front of you. Scott was quite impressed with the showmanship.
goodbye cappadoccia, goodbye turkey!
After another big day we were exhausted, and had a midnight flight to look forward to, getting us back into Istanbul at around 2am. It was a full-on few days in this amazing place, we did not really ever get over our tiredness from the bus ride in - but it was absolutely worth it! Cappadoccia really is a must do for Turkey and we loved exploring this incredible place. Truly unlike anywhere else!
It was a special place to finish up our adventures in Turkey. How we've fallen in love with this country. We both agree, we knew we'd like Turkey a lot, but never expected to love it this much! Turks have delighted us every step of the way, and been warm and welcoming our whole trip. And the food, oh the food... Scott has even put on weight and for someone with a metabolism like his that is really saying something. Even Turkey's dogs brought us so much joy, and we will never forget our little Dusty. We've got a few days left in Istanbul to sort ourselves out before heading into the final leg of our year... SE Asia here we come!
... Bye bye Turkey! Miss you already! We will return..... love us xo
It was a special place to finish up our adventures in Turkey. How we've fallen in love with this country. We both agree, we knew we'd like Turkey a lot, but never expected to love it this much! Turks have delighted us every step of the way, and been warm and welcoming our whole trip. And the food, oh the food... Scott has even put on weight and for someone with a metabolism like his that is really saying something. Even Turkey's dogs brought us so much joy, and we will never forget our little Dusty. We've got a few days left in Istanbul to sort ourselves out before heading into the final leg of our year... SE Asia here we come!
... Bye bye Turkey! Miss you already! We will return..... love us xo