Day two, my compatriots had decided to go dawn air ballooning. I, in a fit of romanticism, decided to save air ballooning for another day . . . thinking that it might be nice to have a few things up my sleeve to look forward to. But, nobody said I couldn't get up and watch, so at 5:15am my alarm went off, and I was off trekking up the hill to find a good location to hopefully watch my friends come over the horizon, bringing the morning sun with them. Three large stray dogs decided to accompany me, and I warily enjoyed their presence, so long as they kept their distance. Not only did my friends arrive (I presume--it was hard to see more than large patterns on the balloons) . . . but dozens of balloons filled the sky, lit pink with early morning rays. Mount Erciyes also looked beautiful, pale purple in the distance.
After sitting on the hilltop, enjoying the dawn, I decided to go back to the fancy hotel, have a bubble bath and a nap before my friends arrived back for breakfast. This is definitely the most swanky place I've stayed in so far, and probably will stay in for many years. Cut into the hillside, it was partially cave dwelling and partially beautiful new hotel designed to match the stone of the original portions. With a massive bed, and dark wood furniture, all to myself, I felt like a princess. I even wore those ridiculous slippers you get.
After my friends returned, and we had a lovely breakfast on the terrace, we had more sightseeing to do. With only two days to pack all of this into, there was very little time to just sit, so breakfast was pretty special. And we were off, exploring a valley that had been used for raising pigeons. The pigeon houses are cut into the rock faces in massive numbers, and were raised as a source of food and fertilizer. Some roosts are still maintained, but with the rise of mass production of chemical fertilizers, many have since been abandoned. The hike was lovely, although a little hot, and with the sky an incredible blue, there were beautiful contrasts against the rock outcrops. As usual, we stopped for tea, sitting under the shade of a rock wall, on beautifully coloured cushions.
After exploring the outside, it was on to my favourite experience in Cappadocia. The underground cities. While talked about as cities, they were actually most likely used as short-term (a month?) shelters during moments of invasion, warfare, and strife. Passageways twisted and turned, and the only link to above ground were these narrow vertical shafts, aerating the vast network of tunnels. The "city" that we went to was called Kaymakli, and our guide informed us that it is probable that the Hittites first dug out caves here at about 1200BC. However, our lovely guide tended to talk in couched terms, using "in my opinion" far more often than made me comfortable. Perhaps something to read up on. There was some consensus on the main use and time period of these caves, however, being used by Christians to escape the Arab invasions in the 7th and 8th centuries.
On our tour we went down four levels of chambers and tunnels before re-emerging. There are 8 floors dug into the ground, but tourists only have access to the top four. We got to see living quarters, cooking areas, storage rooms, an air shaft, and many many passageways. Katie, Michelle, and I enjoyed being the young'uns on this tour (unusual for us these days), and may or may not have gotten into "trouble" for being slow, wandering off, giggling, and taking too many pictures. The tour was a mite frustrating at this stage, because I would have enjoyed spending much more time at this location, and felt quite rushed and constrained by the group. Recommendation: do this tour on your own, or with a private tour guide who can give you the personalized experience you wish for.
As usual, on the way out of a tour, they lead you past the shops. One last opportunity to buy scarfs or jewellery or carvings or those ever-present Turkish Evil Eyes (they call them this, but they're really to ward off evil spirits, however they kind of creep me out). There was even an Evil Eye tree.
One last look out over the city, and we were finished with our tour and off to the airport.
And then we were on the plane, whirlwind over. Back to France for me, and on to the States for my friends. What a great trip. Thanks, Katie and Michelle (and Steve!).
ps. Skaar, have you emailed that hot air balloon guide yet? :)
After sitting on the hilltop, enjoying the dawn, I decided to go back to the fancy hotel, have a bubble bath and a nap before my friends arrived back for breakfast. This is definitely the most swanky place I've stayed in so far, and probably will stay in for many years. Cut into the hillside, it was partially cave dwelling and partially beautiful new hotel designed to match the stone of the original portions. With a massive bed, and dark wood furniture, all to myself, I felt like a princess. I even wore those ridiculous slippers you get.
After my friends returned, and we had a lovely breakfast on the terrace, we had more sightseeing to do. With only two days to pack all of this into, there was very little time to just sit, so breakfast was pretty special. And we were off, exploring a valley that had been used for raising pigeons. The pigeon houses are cut into the rock faces in massive numbers, and were raised as a source of food and fertilizer. Some roosts are still maintained, but with the rise of mass production of chemical fertilizers, many have since been abandoned. The hike was lovely, although a little hot, and with the sky an incredible blue, there were beautiful contrasts against the rock outcrops. As usual, we stopped for tea, sitting under the shade of a rock wall, on beautifully coloured cushions.
After exploring the outside, it was on to my favourite experience in Cappadocia. The underground cities. While talked about as cities, they were actually most likely used as short-term (a month?) shelters during moments of invasion, warfare, and strife. Passageways twisted and turned, and the only link to above ground were these narrow vertical shafts, aerating the vast network of tunnels. The "city" that we went to was called Kaymakli, and our guide informed us that it is probable that the Hittites first dug out caves here at about 1200BC. However, our lovely guide tended to talk in couched terms, using "in my opinion" far more often than made me comfortable. Perhaps something to read up on. There was some consensus on the main use and time period of these caves, however, being used by Christians to escape the Arab invasions in the 7th and 8th centuries.
On our tour we went down four levels of chambers and tunnels before re-emerging. There are 8 floors dug into the ground, but tourists only have access to the top four. We got to see living quarters, cooking areas, storage rooms, an air shaft, and many many passageways. Katie, Michelle, and I enjoyed being the young'uns on this tour (unusual for us these days), and may or may not have gotten into "trouble" for being slow, wandering off, giggling, and taking too many pictures. The tour was a mite frustrating at this stage, because I would have enjoyed spending much more time at this location, and felt quite rushed and constrained by the group. Recommendation: do this tour on your own, or with a private tour guide who can give you the personalized experience you wish for.
As usual, on the way out of a tour, they lead you past the shops. One last opportunity to buy scarfs or jewellery or carvings or those ever-present Turkish Evil Eyes (they call them this, but they're really to ward off evil spirits, however they kind of creep me out). There was even an Evil Eye tree.
One last look out over the city, and we were finished with our tour and off to the airport.
And then we were on the plane, whirlwind over. Back to France for me, and on to the States for my friends. What a great trip. Thanks, Katie and Michelle (and Steve!).
ps. Skaar, have you emailed that hot air balloon guide yet? :)
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