While in Cappadocia we stayed in the quaint village of Goreme. Years ago Goreme was just a working village where people farmed the land and raised sheep. The rooms, carved into the fairy chimneys centuries prior, served as homes for the people and barns for livestock. There were no balloons, but occasional backpackers would wander through to view the unique landscape. One person, Mr. Ali Yavuz, decided to turn one of his barns into a guesthouse for weary travelers. It was a hit, and soon others followed suit and the town transformed overnight, much like Leavenworth. Mr. Yavuz little guest house has now evolved into a 47 room hotel, the Kelebek Special Cave Hotel. The room we stayed in used to be Mr. Yavuz’s ancestral home. Another room once served as a chapel, another a barn, a storeroom, the others all unique, all carved from the stone. Now cave hotels are everywhere, as well as cave restaurants and shops. Carpet stores, cafes, souvenir shops now line the main streets. While tourism has replaced farming, Goreme is still a quaint little village. Men, escaping the noon-time sun, can be found sitting under grape arbors playing backgammon or dominos. Invitations are tossed at you to sit and enjoy a Turkish Coffee or some hot apple tea. Life still moves at a slower pace, much like the balloons passing in front of our balcony as we sipped our morning coffee.

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LOVE VALLEY

Yesterday in the balloon we floated above Love Valley. Today we hiked the trail that meanders through the gorge. About a quarter mile into the hike, our journey was interrupted when two dogs, a man on horseback and his herd of sheep crossed in front of us…we quickly recorded our “encounter”
All That Grass and Sheep in the Road
Once the road was clear, our hike resumed. The road/trail wove between small farms with apricot, apple and pear trees. Here and there were small plots filled with grapes, melons, squash and onions, all ripening in the warm Cappadocia sun. Our path made a sudden turn to the right and smack dab in front of us we encountered our first Fairy Chimney. Standing approximately forty feet tall, it served as a sentry guarding the others behind him. Soon we were in a forest of fairy chimneys, all standing erect and tall. These “chimneys” are phallic in appearance (thus the name Love Valley) although Heidi and I both agreed a better name might have been “Viagra Valley”. Found a land tortoise near the base of one of the chimneys…cute little critter. At one point we hiked high on a hillside and looked out to the horizon. If you took away the fairy chimneys, the area could easily be mistaken for Eastern Washington. All in all a great 4 mile hike.

Goreme Open Air Museum
We have soared above Cappadocia, hiked among the Fairy Chimneys, today we go underground. We visited the Goreme Open Air Museum. Here we found dwellings of people who lived here centuries ago. Deep into the hillsides were carved homes and churches. In other areas of Cappadocia, entire cities have been found underground, some going 11 levels deep and holding up to 3500 people. Stables, store rooms, communal rooms, kitchens, churches…were all carved into the stone. While most of this area is sedimentary stone, I cannot for the life of me comprehend how these rooms were carved. Some of these were constructed before the advent of metal. At the Open Air Museum, we saw the artistic genius of these early inhabitants. The thinking and planning that went into creating these places of worship is mind boggling. Brightly painted frescoes still adorn much of the interior, protected from the sun, wind, and rain/snow. Prior to this area becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was open to anyone who happened to wander by. Unfortunately, vandals defaced many of the faces depicted on the frescos. While the caves protected the artistic treasures from the elements, they could not stop thoughtless people.

We leave Cappadocia with another rug and memories that will last a lifetime. We soared like the birds and tunnelled underground. We are thinking we need to come back to Turkey. There are miles and miles of trails to be hiked. We missed the Travertine Pools of Pamukkale, the ancient city of Ephesus, the Sümela Monastery carved into a hillside, and the breath-taking Turkish beaches on the Mediterranean. We head to Greece tomorrow. We can only hope we will find the same level of hospitality and kindness that we found here in Turkey.

Geri döneceğiz…..we will return.