Month: August 2014

Göreme is full of intriguing geological formations and stone houses. We flew over them, we toured them… we slept in them.

We couldn’t resist the chance to stay at a cave hotel, and this one turned out to have an interesting history.

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Despite a teeny, tiny mix-up at the end of our stay (in which our airport shuttle didn’t show up and one of the hotel staffers didn’t give a crap and passersby tried to help us but couldn’t and another more caring hotel staffer did help us and got us a cab and we were so late in leaving that the cabbie drove like a bat out of hell to the airport and thankfully drove safely enough that we didn’t die in a firey crash and got us to the airport just in time to go through no fewer than three security checks and step onto the plane moments before they closed the door), we enjoyed our time sleeping in a cave.

Historical, geological, even biblical (Acts 2:9), the Cappadocia region is endlessly intriguing at ground level.

Just wait until you see it from the sky.

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Hot air balloon rides over Cappadocia (Kapadokya in Turkish) have become so popular that the government limits the number of takeoffs per day… to one hundred. After missing our chance to soar in Albuquerque, we were thrilled to finally take flight. Can’t wait to go again!

Istanbul was a treat- so much to see, so easy to get around. But it’s time to trade these streets…

for these streets…

The Cappadocia region is one of the main reasons Turkey has been on my list for so long. Soaring geologic structures with centuries-old dwellings cut into sheer rock faces- get me there!

We got there, by plane (impoverished 20-year-old backpackers take the bus and lose a day), choosing the city of Göreme as our home base. How convenient: this is where the Open Air Museum is located, showcasing a handful of the volcanic rock formations that eroded over the centuries to create so-called fairy chimneys, which somehow beckoned to the natives, “Hey, carve a house/church/monastery in me!” I couldn’t help but think of Tatooine.

There aren’t many trees in a field full of fairy chimneys, so we were feeling toasty after a couple Open Air hours. Luckily, pomegranate juice is readily-available, and it doesn’t get any fresher.

Think those fairy chimneys look cool? Just wait until you see them from the air… in our next post.