CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY - LAND OF THE FAIRY CHIMNEYS

At the end of our Regent Seven Seas Black Sea adventure, we have opted to travel with our travel agent, Ngaire Keene, and some of her other clients to an area in central Turkey called Cappadocia.  The area is a popular tourist destination, as it has many areas with unique geological, historic, and cultural features.

We were picked up in Istanbul by our guide for the next three days, Nahide.  She narrates the way from the port to the airport, pointing out sites and telling us a bit about Istanbul.  There are fourteen of us going to Cappadocia, including Ken and Ngaire.  At the airport, we board a plane for Kayseri which is the closest airport to the region.  The flight is about an hour and half, so we are on our way to the hotel by 2:00 or so.

We first see the volcano looming on the horizon as we depart Kyseri.  That is just a touch of the amazing natural wonders we are about to see....















As we get further from Kyseri, we start to see some amazing formations.  We are all snapping photos through the bus windows, thinking that this is our only chance to see the formations.  Little did we know that there will be many, many more opportunities to photograph these incredible wonders!

Sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams and ignimbrite deposits that erupted from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 to 3 million years ago, during the late Miocene to Pliocene epochs, underlie the Cappadocia region. The rocks of Cappadocia near Göreme eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. People of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out houses, churches, and monasteries from the soft rocks of volcanic deposits. 

We arrive at The Museum Hotel -- a boutique hotel in Cappadocia that is built up out of the ancient ruins.  It has a unique location with panoramic views of the surrounding valleys.  Every room is different and they do not have numbers, only names.  Ours is "Oriental" and since there are no signs indicating which room is which, I can only hope we can remember our way back!  The hotel grounds are a maze of walkways and stairs.  

They pride themselves on staying close to nature, so there is a variety of animal life around including unusual pigeons (pretty ones -- really!), dogs, cats and turtles.

The grounds of the hotel are really beautiful....

Check in at the lobby.  There are artifacts all over the hotel, thus "Museum" Hotel.

This is laid-back wildlife!

Part of the wildlife.....

And the views are spectacular!

Our room was in an actual restored cave, thought to have been a place for livestock (no smart comments, please!)

This is the Turkish-style living area -- or, rather, lounging area!

This little nook is where it is thought they used to tie up the livestock.....

Touring in the afternoon brings lots of photo opportunities.We begin to see the many different formations formed as a result of volcanic eruptions occurring in the region.  The eruptions formed a large tableland from the volcanic ash and debris and together with the erosion of the Kizilirmak River and wind over ten thousands of years there appeared the chimney rocks which are a wonder of nature.

This may look like sand, but it is actually very hard, like cement.

Be sure to look for the people in this photo so you can get the sense of scale.  There are many apricot trees here and the fruit are so wonderfully sweet!

These are grape vines.  Because of the winds, they grow on the ground and not on trellis.

Here you can see one of the doors from the caves.  On the left, a portion of the wall has broken away in one of the many earthquakes in the area, so the inside is visible.

They call this formation the Camel.  See it?

Looks like a rabbit to me!

And, of course, there are markets everywhere!

This is the "family" formation.  Father, mother and child.

We went to a small village for a bit of a wander.  Must be interesting living in the shadow of this former village!

Dinner at the hotel was lovely.  Here is my beef shank.....

Yum!

 Ngaire loves her tea, but Turkish tea is served in a glass!  A bit too hot to handle -- unless you have a handy napkin!!!

The next morning starts VERY EARLY.  We are awakened at 3:30 a.m. and picked up at the hotel at 4:00 a.m. by the people from Atmosfer Balloons to go for our hot air balloon ride! We are taken for a light breakfast and coffee to wake us up, but we are all too excited to be sleepy!  Our assigned pilot is Donatas, a young man from Lithuania.  It turns out that he is very skilled at handling a balloon -- lucky us!  (In fact, he was headed to Minneapolis th enext week for the world championships for balloon piloting.)  

Cappadocia is one of the most popular balloon tour centers of the world and is visited every year by hundred thousands of tourists coming from very part of the world.

As we arrive at the balloon launching area, we see many, many balloons being readied for flight.  We are ready for the fun to begin!

A nearby balloon takes flight!

Ours is getting close!

 Climbing in to the balloon is very tricky.  See the open areas in the side of the basket in the photo above?  That is where you have to put your feet to climb in.  Our group promised not to take any photos of our entrances -- it was really comical, but not a pretty site!!!

Donatas making last-minutes preparations.

The area is starting to fill with balloons in a rainbow of colors.

Ready to go!  Could our smiles get any bigger?!!  (Remember, it is about 5:30 a.m.!)

Grapevines on the ground just as we take off.

The colors in the rock are gorgeous.

Viewing the caves from this vantage point is very interesting.

Morning, July 14, 2012

This village was inhabited until very recently when the area was hit by an earthquake.  The Turkish government made the people move out and they built the new village you can see on the left with the red roofs.

Higher and higher!

Kissing shadows...

We are still up, but some have started to land.

I was fascinated by the designs in the sand around the grapevines.

Here is our truck and trailer waiting for Donatas to radio the position of our landing.

We have landed ON THE TRAILER!  WOW!  The balloon inflated.....

Now he opens the center so the balloon can come down.

One of the workers starting to ground the balloon

Everyone helps get the air out!

That was great!!!!

Yes, Donatas landed it right on the trailer.  Nearby, another group makes a successful landing.

And some bubbly is a must after a successful flight!

Breakfast of champions!

We are presented with our flight certificates.

Still smiling!!!!

 Back to the hotel by 8:00 a.m. in time for...breakfast!

This is the hill where our hotel is located.

 

Touring started again at 10:30, when we headed to more photo opportunities and a special tour of the underground city of Derinkuyu.  The first Christians escaped from the persecution of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century BC and came to the Cappadocia region.  They founded the underground cities as hiding places before Christianity became an accepted religion. The gates in to the cities were made in such a way that they could not be easily observed and the Christians could escape from the persecution of the Roman soldiers.  They lived in the underground cities for long times without being able to go out.  There are provision rooms, ventilation chimneys, wine production places, churches, abbeys, water wells, toilets and meeting rooms.

The underground cities have vast defense networks of traps throughout their many levels. These traps are very creative, including such devices as large round stones to block doors and holes in the ceiling through which the defenders may drop spears. These defense systems were mainly used against the Romans. The tunnel system also was made to have corridors large enough only for one person at a time, therefore thwarting the Roman fighting strategy of moving in groups, which was not possible to do in the thin corridors making it easy to pick them off if they entered. 

A ventilation hole for the underground city.

The first chamber of the city -- probably for livestock.  The black on the walls is from the oil lamps used to light the area.

The first tunnel between rooms.  Not only is it narrow, but you have to stoop to get through.  (Think "duck walk")  At this point, I bailed out since I have claustrophobia, but Fred continued!

Sign on the wall says "Winery"

You can see the red wine stains on the vat and wall.

One of the round stones used to obstruct the entrance.

Ventilation hole

Here is another shot of a round stone to roll across entrance.

Our next stop was a big treat!  We went to the city of Avanos, the center of terra cotta works of art since 3000 BC.   Avanos is perched on the banks for the Kizilirmak River, where much of the raw material comes from for the production of ceramics.  We went to CEC Pottery, the home of GALIP KORUKCU, a ceramic master.  He is the fourth generation of his family to run this studio, not only making pottery but hosting workshops and lectures.  He has done much for the preservation of the traditional style of Turkish handicrafts by participating in various fairs both in Turkey and abroad.  He and his wife, Lilian, have devoted themselves to the culture of ceramic art and share the knowledge with guests to Cec Pottery by offering workshops and arranging courses for the new generation so as to preserve this beautiful handicraft for future generations.

Our tour started in the production room where Master Galip himself gave us a demonstration of thrown pottery.  Using a pottery wheel propelled by his feet, he masterfully crafted a tea pot, including a perfectly fitted lit, right before our eyes.

Master Galip is introduced to our group.  Looks kinda like a crazy Einstein, doesn't he?!!!

Our group gathering around the Master.  (Thanks, Ken, for the photo.)

At the wheel

There is a real sparkle in his eyes...

This is what we call "self-propelled"

After the demonstration, we toured the rest of the production area, seeing how the design is painted on followed by the application of the colors.  The detail is quite amazing.  From there we, of course, went to the showroom.  Two areas -- one where there are pieces created by the Master himself, and then the area with pieces made by his students.

Well, I know we keep saying we have too much "stuff"...but could not resist.  We purchased this vase for our new home in Florida.  We have perfect place.....and, of course, it is signed by Master Galip himself.

We go back to the hotel for a quiet afternoon.  Since we got up so early, Fred and I opt for a nap before dinner.  When we finally come out of our room, we find that the rest of the group has been gathered in the outdoor lounge area rehashing the days events and the cruise.

 Sunset is approaching and the views around the hotel just keep getting better and better!

Ngaire contemplating...who knows what!

The lovely dining room even includes a harpist to entertain, setting a very romantic mood in the room.

Jerry and Peggy Wolf

Mary and George Duva

Ken and Ngaire Hutyra

After a good night's sleep we are off for a half-day of touring.  At breakfast we see a lone balloon still floating around in the distance.

I just could not resist just a few more hotel photos...bear with me!

More wildlife waiting outside our room!

Another of the hotel mascots.

 Today we are going to  Göreme and visit the Open Air Museum.  Cappadocia was one of the most important places in the spreading of the Christian religion.   The Cappadocian Fathers of the 4th century were integral to much of early Christian philosophy.  This area became a monastic center in 300 -- 1200 AD.

Houses and churches were carved into the rocks and the illustrated history can still be seen today.  The complex contains more than 30 of these churches and chapels, some having superb frescoes inside, dating from the ninth century to the eleventh century.  Unfortunately, you cannot take photos, but trust me, these drawings of early Christian history are amazing.  You see color drawings of the events surrounding the birth of Christ, his miracles and the history stops just short of the resurrection.

Another balloon hanging around!

Again past earthquakes have opened up these areas so they are readily seen from outside.

Having seen the inside of these churches, cracks like this one make me really sad.  The next earthquake could take this whole side of the structure away...

"Hello down there, Freddy!!!!!"

These were very steep steps, but worth the trip!

It was very hot while we were there.  You can see other tour groups gathering in the shade!

This church had the most fabulous frescos.  The colors were very vivid, with lots of blue.

 Ngaire insisted that we had to have Turkish ice cream.  (That's what I love -- someone to tell me I must eat ice cream!)  What is Turkish ice cream, you say?  It is called "DONDURMA". and contains no cream or eggs.  According to Wikipedia, "Two qualities distinguish Turkish ice cream: texture and resistance to melting. Inclusion of the thickening agents salep, a flour made from the root of the Early Purple Orchid, and mastic, a resin that imparts chewiness."

Dondurma is commonly sold from both street vendor's carts and store fronts where the mixture is churned regularly with long-handled paddles to keep it workable. Vendors often tease the customer by serving the ice cream cone on a stick, and then taking away the dondurma with the stick and rotating it around, before finally giving it to the customer.

Mine was chocolate, and Fred's was vanilla.  Did I forget to say it was delicious?!!!  Thanks, Ngaire!

Back to the hotel one last time to pack and check out.  Our tour of this breathtaking area is ending way too soon! 

Bac to Kayseri and our flight back to Istanbul.  Nahide was a wonderful guide -- I don't think there is anything she does not know!  She was great fun and we would recommend her to anyone wanting to travel in Turkey.

In our opinion, Cappadocia is a must destination!

Thanks to the Internet and several sources for some of the historical data!!!