Beautiful Houses

Destination #8:  More Cappadocia

The village of Derinkuyu itself is underwhelming but it holds many surprises.  A name meaning deep well is a first clue.  Then a narrow tunnel 60 feet deep into the bowels of the earth is the second.  This expansive underground city – 8 levels of stables, chapels, storage rooms, wells and living spaces – is all carved into the soft “tuff” rock.  Again there was little time to linger; most of us were happy to retrace our steps up and out of that rather forbidding atmosphere.  We couldn’t imagine how life must have been (& smelled) back in the days of occupancy when 20,000 people shared these tiny spaces.  And worse, there was no electrical lighting! 

Light is a bit of an issue too, even for modern cameras

Our final stop for the day was the Disneyesque kale in Uchisar.  This tall cone-shaped rock, riddled with tunnels and steps, is topped by a Byzantine fortress, albeit rather a small one.  The view from the top however is a must do.  The sweeping views over the Cappadocian valleys made every single step up to the top worthwhile….

View of Uchisar's kale from below

View over Cappadocia Valley & Mt Erciyes (snow capped)
in background from the top of the kale in Uchisar

Our second day in Goreme was spent doing crafty things.  Firstly, we had an introduction to the mysteries of Turkish (& other) carpets.  The industry is well known for its “strong-arm selling tactics” (not only in Turkey), so our lesson from Kiwi Ruth (Tribal Collections) proved most interesting.  Mind you, it was rather hard to concentrate as lush carpet after lush carpet was swept at our feet for inspection.  The Cap’n sweated and fingered his worry beads.  Luckily GS had very little room left in her 20kg luggage allowance so he worried needlessly…almost. 

Ruth, oh so happy at work

From weaving to pottery, we bussed into Avanos to visit the workshop and gallery of world famous pottery master, Mr “Einstein” Galip.  Avanos is famous for its red clay and potters have been working the clay deposits for centuries.  Following a quick pottery making demo on traditional wooden kickwheels, we were herded into the underground gallery to view some rather stunning pieces of work, mostly in a traditional style.  Now the Cap’n really started having palpitations, not eased in the slightest by frenzied worry bead massaging. 

OK, so no pottery, but perhaps GS might sneak one of these birdhouses into our luggage

Back in Goreme, GS shopped for last minute goodies while the Cap’n, ever practical, had a haircut and Turkish massage. Too soon it was time to pack and get ready for our overnight bus trip back to Istanbul.  Yes folks, a 12 hour bus trip, with dark ages wifi connectivity and shocking seats.  But we made it!  Debussing at Harem Otogar, then running for a ferry to Eminonu (near to our hotel) made for a quick trip farewell to our friendly fellow travellers.  It had been a wonderful introduction to Turkey and some of the experiences we had were exceptional.

Spoilt for choice (carpets, not cars! )

Beautiful Horses

Destination #8: Cappadocia

Ballooning is a must do to really understand the landscape

Cappadocia is one of those “must see” places in Turkey.  We arrived in Goreme with enough daylight to agree that the surroundings (rock formations and cave dwellings) were truly amazing.  Of course, it is also the land of tourist opportunity, so after arriving at a punishing schedule (not only for us but also our guide) we set off to familiarise ourselves with the town.  It really wasn’t that difficult, the town is not that big, but as always acres of tribal carpets, glinting silver jewellery and colourful souvenirs lined every street making it difficult to get our bearings. Well, maybe not the Cap’n…. But make it back to our hotel we must; we had a hot date with a balloon pilot early next morning.

This was a big balloon to fill

Yes, even the ageing Motleys signed up for this opportunity, never having drifted noiselessly through the skies at daybreak.  The experience was amazing!  We were speechless, which is just as well.  Others in our basket held a school reunion of sorts, which let us to wonder how much of this incredible scenery they really took in.  Back on the ground we toasted our flight with Turkish champagne (lemon fizz), posed for photos with the pilot & ground crew then headed back to our hotel in time for breakfast.

Clearly, we were not alone...

Who was nervous?  Just a little chilly up there in the heavens

Back on earth, our next challenge was a walking tour of, the Goreme Open Air Museum, a large collection of rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  As always, it is best to see these places early before the serious crowd swell sets in.  We initially visited two chapels, St Basil and then Apple Church.  The 11&12 c frescoes were amazing…(have we used amazing enough?).  Monks & hermits (of the Christian variety) inhabited the area as early as the 4 c AD. 

Some of the older cave homes

We then were given some free time to explore this warren of highly decorated caves.  We chose to see the Dark Church, a fairly recent & expensive renovation has revealed some wonderful frescoes – needless to say, no photos allowed. There was time for a quick visit to the Snake Chapel before taking in a pomegranate juice to sustain us as we walked back down to see the larger Buckle Church. 

Taking photos was not allowed inside the churches.
This one of the Dark Church is sourced gratefully from Wiki

Fact File: Dragons. St George features regularly in these artworks and it seems that the snake may have also been a dragon.  Local legend has it that St George slayed the dragon on nearby Mt Erciyes (Mt Argeus – a snow-capped volcano). 

The Open Air Museum is one of those places that you just want to linger but our trusty bus awaited and off to Derinkuyu we sped. 

(By now, you will have noticed that our photos are not up to their usual standard.  Mr Canon was failing and fading fast.  Sadly we didn't realise the extent of his meltdown until we uploaded photos onto the computer (and put our reading glasses on!) at the end of our trip. Just goes to show that a cheap back-up camera is not a bad option. It seems that when digital cameras go, they go fast...  Now, can I just do that 2 week tour again? )