Turkey-The Bridge Between East and West (Day 5)

 

Day 5:Ballooning, hiking and more churches

4 am came way too soon. Outside, it was a crisp 37°F. For the Floridians among us—and Jeri, who does not require a Florida address to object to cold weather—this called for multiple layers. We were also concerned that it might be considerably colder aloft, where requesting an extra blanket would presumably be more complicated.

After a quick pre-breakfast breakfast, we headed to the launch site. We kept the meal light out of consideration for the balloon, which was about to be asked to lift a substantial number of tourists.

Apparently, every tourist in Turkey had selected this particular morning to go ballooning. More than 100 balloons were going up. The sky was preparing for rush hour.

We piled into our basket with about 20 or so new friends, had a briefing from the pilot and copilot (just in case). We really liked having a copilot. When your aircraft is essentially a basket, backup personnel seem like a worthwhile feature.

They demonstrated the landing position and had us practice it. This was reassuring in the way that learning where the lifeboats are is reassuring: useful information that you would prefer not to need.

Twenty people in a basket initially brought back memories of our Yotel room. The sardine theme was developing nicely. But before we could give the matter much further thought, we were airborne, at which point stepping outside to reconsider was no longer a practical option.

  

All kidding aside, the basket was spacious, and the flight was extraordinary.

Balloons stretched as far as we could see, floating above a landscape that already looked as though someone had invented it. For a while, even the early wake-up seemed like a reasonable idea. That is how good it was.

The hour plus flight passed quickly and as the pilot brought us back to earth, we were remembering the landings of our other balloon adventures, all of which required that crash position. Here, the pilot gently set the basket down on its trailer without so much as a bump.  I guess these guys know what they are doing. I have parked cars less accurately.

After mimosas nd a ballooning certificate, we returned to the hotel by minivan, a much more pedestrian mode of travel.

A quick shower and hobbit breakfast later, 

and we were off again for a hike and trail Cappadocian BBQ. Oğuzhan led us on a 6-mile hike in the Rose-Red Valley that was, at times, challenging but took us through areas of fairy chimneys and past a wide variety of fruits including wild grapes, quince, apples, oleaster (not to be confused with the poisonous oleander-I hope) and almonds and walnuts. . It was like walking through a grocery store that had refused to install level floors.

At about mile 4 we stopped at a trailside rest stop where Oğuzhan started a fire with wood that he collected and he grilled local Cappadocian beef sausage that he brought. Some people bring trail mix on a hike. Oğuzhan brings a restaurant.

The sandwiches were enormous and though delicious (but then anything tastes great cooked out on the trail), none of us could finish. Halvah completed the feast.Apparently, halvah occupies a separate compartment in the stomach.

Before leaving, we hiked up a steep slope to an ancient church in the rock face.  Jeri and Molly decided to sit this one out. demonstrating an admirable ability to distinguish between an interesting opportunity and an unnecessary hill.

The rest of us went up, carrying both our enthusiasm for history and a considerable amount of sausage.

We then wattled the rest of the way back to the van.

After another ancient church stop (Holly Cross Rock Church).  Our church count was progressing impressively. Whatever else we might miss in Cappadocia, it was unlikely to be churches.

We finished the day with a visit to Pasabagi Fairy Chimney park.

By now, all we needed was dinner and bed. Yes, dinner. Despite the two breakfasts, the enormous sausage sandwiches, and the halvah, we remained committed to observing the traditional meal schedule.

We grabbed a pizza at an upscale Italian restaurant next to our hotel and crashed. Tomorrow, we tour some more and then return to Istanbul for an overnight at the sardine can. Which leaves us with the great unresolved question of the trip: Do we spend the extra €20 for a bigger room?

After today’s meals, the decision may be settled by geometry.

 

Turkey-The Bridge Between East and West (Day 4)

 Day 4: Transfer Neveshir (Cappadocia)

We began the day by prying ourselves out of our Yotel standard room, a process that would have been easier had we been packed in olive oil. At check-in, the extra €20 for an upgraded room had seemed unnecessary. By morning, it sounded like a reasonable investment in the ability to turn around without first consulting your spouse.

Once released from the sardine can, we caught an early flight from Istanbul to Nevşehir, where Oguzan, the guide who had arranged our Turkey trip, met us at the airport.

Nevşehir’s airport was a refreshing change from Istanbul and the other megaports. It was just a tad bigger than the airport in Lebanon—New Hampshire, that is, not the country. Here was an airport you could navigate without provisions, a compass, and a support team.

The Cappadocia region is much quieter and rural than Istanbul. it lies 350 miles east-southeast of Istanbul as the crow flies. Its economy, now, relies primarily on agriculture and tourism, but in ancient times it was an important rest stop for trade routes to Asia. Cappadocia’s human history includes Hittite, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. It became a Roman province in  17 AD and later formed part of the Byzantine Empire. Under the Seljuks, trade routes across the region were served by  fortified inns where travelling merchants and their animals could rest. These were essentially highway hotels with better defenses and somewhere to park your camel.

We began our explore of Cappadocia with a visit to a beautiful example of Fairy Chimney houses in Uchisar. These rock pillars, similar to the hoodoos we find in the southwestern U.S., began with volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Thick deposits of ash and other volcanic material settled across the region, forming layers of rock, including a relatively soft stone called tuff. Over time, flowing water, wind and weathering carved these layers into valleys, cones and towers. The distinctive mushroom shapes form where a harder cap of rock protects the softer material beneath it. As the surrounding rock wears away, a pillar remains, sometimes looking as though it is wearing an oversized stone hat. Volcanoes supplied the building materials; the weather handled the design.

The result reminded us of the Once-ler’s house in Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax. Then people went a step further and carved homes into these improbable formations. After our night at Yotel, the idea of enlarging a room by removing part of a mountain had considerable appeal.

On to Goreme, a UNESCO protected site.  Cappadocia also became an important centre of Christianity. Christian monastic communities are believed to have occupied chambers carved into the rock from around the fourth century. Over the following centuries, they created churches, chapels, and monasteries, some decorated with remarkably colourful biblical paintings. The churches around Göreme preserve outstanding examples of Byzantine religious art. 

In an attempt to see the entire region in one day, we then took a hike to some additional hoodoos that Oguzan particularly liked.  We had not planned on hiking, so our footwear had been selected with airport terminals in mind. The hillside had other requirements.

Nevertheless, we made it. Back at the bottom, Oguzan treated us to fresh walnuts—a lovely reward for our unexpected exertion. We were learning that in Cappadocia, even the snacks might involve an elevation gain.

As the sun was setting, we stopped to visit Albert Einstein.

At least, that was the initial impression. This was actually his doppelgänger, Galip Körükçü, an extraordinary master ceramicist. The resemblance was striking, although his particular genius involves clay.

 We were treated to a demonstration by one of his proteges on shaping a traditional Hittite wine flask

and then to a demonstration on how not to do it by yours truly.

                                                   

We were tempted to make a purchase, but after spending a small fortune in the Spice Market yesterday, we were still feeling the sting and left empty handed.  This was an impressive display of financial restraint, although our previous triumph in that department had been declining the €20 room upgrade. Our judgment was clearly not beyond question.

Finally, after a VERY long day of travel, sight-seeing, and hiking, and briefly setting back the art of pottery, we arrived at our cave hotel, the Eyes of Cappadocia.  Here, instead of being able to take a shower while in our bed, we were able to get in our 10,000 steps just going to the bathroom at night. Unfortunately, we only had time for a few hours of shut-eye.  We are leaving for ballooning at 4 am tomorrow morning   

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