turkey | Our Adventures

Thirty million years ago, volcanic eruptions deposited massive amounts of ash and mud upon the area now known as Cappadocia, Turkey. Through the years erosion has shaped the area into an other-worldly landscape. From the earliest time of man, cave dwellers have lived here. Entire cities were built underground, some 11 levels deep into the ground able to accommodate thousands of people. Monasteries and churches were carved into the ground…the altars and seats chiseled from the stone. Some are intricately painted. Christians hid from Roman soldiers. The history of this area is astonishing. If you are interested in reading more, see HERE

Flying Over Cappadocia
There are over 25 balloon companies here and at any one time 100 balloons can be seen floating over Cappadocia. We booked a hot air balloon flight with Butterfly Balloons. We lucked out and grabbed a spot for an extra long flight in a little smaller basket….it was just us, Kevin, an oil and gas engineer from Scotland, Sylvia, a flight attendant from Indonesia (Singapore Airlines), and Max, a Doctor of Philosophy from Russia, and of course Bozlak, our pilot. We were picked up bright and early (4:25 am), given a light breakfast, and ferried to our balloon. We got there just before they turned the burners on. We scurried into the balloon, received our safety talk, and lifted off into a clear blue Cappadocia morning. I cannot find the words to describe the landscape of Cappadocia so instead of trying I’ll add a lot of pictures. At one point during our flight, we entered Love Valley, and just as we descended down among the Fairy Chimneys, Kevin handed me his phone and asked if I would man the video. He got down on one knee, pulled out a diamond engagement ring and asked Sylvia to marry him. She accepted!!!! Pretty cool. Our balloon continued to soar well past the others and finally landed in a wheat field, and get this, Bozlak touched down right on the trailer, I mean RIGHT on the trailer…AMAZING!!!!

We helped to deflate the balloon and then had the traditional champagne toast, but in addition, it was Sylvia’s birthday and Kevin arranged for a birthday cake (does that guy get brownie points or what!!!!) We were all rather giddy after the flight….a time to remember to be sure.