After a grueling, cold, wet, dismal day in Istanbul, I boarded this rather un-luxurious overnight bus that took me to Cappodocia (where I thought it would be spectacularly warm...boy, was I wrong). I must report though, they were so very accommodating and stopped at 4 am when I just had to pee. In addition, the heat was blasting all night, so I was toasty warm (for once in my trip).
Side note: many of the images you are going to see seem, in retrospect, rather repetitive. Keep in mind that this is a photo journal for me and though it might not appear to be different from one image to the next (because, frankly, it's not), the scenery in this region was spectacular. I should probably present the pictures more artfully, but it makes the most sense to just lump them all together like this. I do hope you can appreciate that this area of Turkey is the SOLE reason I decided to travel here, so I hope you can see the beauty that I did.
Sunrise over the Cappodocia plains at about 6 am.
If you are longing to read some history about the region, this site offers an in-depth account of the volcanic eruptions that shaped it all.
I took a little walk around the town and up a huuuuge hill that overlooked it all...
Alas, two empty chairs. I really wanted to sit in them with my special someone :(
Popped into this restaurant for a Turkish specialty: red lentil soup. This little guy joined me ;)
On my second day in Cappadocia, I boarded this van-bus for the big tour that has become quite popular with backpackers: the Ihlara Valley Tour.
We started off at Pigeon Valley
A look back at Goreme
Back in the touring van, our lovely Turkish tour guide taught us a brief history of the area and its people.
First stop: the Underground City.
It was in this underground city that I conquered one of my worst fears: the fear of becoming trapped in a tunnel. We walked 70 metres down incredibly narrow and short "hallways" (for lack of a better term), consoled only by the promise that we would be in and out of there in one hour. It was remarkable. And somehow, I made it.
Turks are known for their carpets. As perhaps expected, I was enthralled with all of the colours around me as soon as I got out of the giant hole in the ground.
The sky, the mountains, and the ground all blurred in together after a few minutes on the bus.
...that is until we saw this cattle crossing ;)
We started our hike in the Ihlara Valley...
...witnessed a few sunny bursts
...and watched three little guys traipse across a bridge. No big deal.
We stopped for lunch at a riverside (creekside?) restaurant, dined under a thatched roof at a long table, and enjoyed Turkish tea in the little huts across the wooden bridges...
The stories of the people you meet on vacation are always amazing. The gal on the left was training to be a cantor (her brother is pictured below, right), and the woman on the right and her pastor husband (below left) were there from Virginia.
The solid land mass that spans the left and centre of the picture is one of the volcanoes that helped to shape this region. Three volcanoes in the shape of a tree-angle, as our tour guide pronounced it, erupted at the same time, leaving in their midst lava and ash, creating this intricate and unique landscape. It was really amazing.
Our last stop of the tour was to an old monastery. This place was thought to be inhabited in the first few CENTURIES. Now you know I'm not much for history, but it's pretty amazing that all of these structures have been around for nearly two thousand years. Take a peek...
The cathedral (seriously? Two thousand years?)
Our tour guide and another traveler, hanging out on the giant fairy chimneys...
The small holes in the centre of the picture are pigeon houses. People used to collect feces from pigeons and use it as fertilizer. Imagine how fertile Toronto soil would be if we did that?
The sunsets were spectacular, trumped only by the sunrises.
On my last day in Cappadocia, a fellow backpacker and I traveled to Goreme Open Air Museum, the site of, "refectory monasteries, placed side-by-side, each with its own fantastic church." (Info courtesy of goreme.com). It dates back to the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries, so though markedly newer than what we saw on the tour the previous day, it is still much older than many of the buildings I've seen in my travels.
Dining table, fit for 40-50 people, allegedly ;) (see the orbs, Mom?)
Lo and behold, as we were about to leave, we popped into the Apple Church and came across Basa, my tour guide from yesterday! Along with her was the elderly Japanese gentleman (right) who apparently plays for the Japanese Senior Tennis Team. Sure.
So just to give you an idea of the temperature (it was 5 degrees this day), I bought a woolen shawl that wrapped around me twice, a pair of wool gloves, and borrowed this jacket just to be able to handle this hike. Not at ALL what I was anticipating, but beautiful, nonetheless. Don't you love the jeans-and-running shoe combination? The things we do for warmth.
That night, the day before my birthday, I took a two-hour sunset horseback ride up in Avanos. It was magical. I thought the time went by as perhaps time should: not slowly; not quickly. It was perfect.
Back at the farm, this little face was waiting for us. What a sweet way to end a fabulous day. I realize I haven't been on a horse since I was kicked by a horse. Kind of a big deal, right?
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