Captivating Cappadocia

I was not planning to post about my trip to Cappadocia in central Turkey.  I initially was too busy to write a post and then felt like it was old news...after all, it's been over six weeks since my trip.  But as I thought about my experience and how memorable it was, I decided it needed to be in the blog after all!

The biggest reason for a blog post was to include photos of the unique rock formations and lovely landscape.  I've traveled through different parts of the world and have not yet seen anything comparable.  Below are some of the so-called Fairy Chimneys...fabulous clusters of rocks jutting high into the air.  I think they look like mythical mushrooms sprouting out of the ground!

Paşabağ Fairy Chimneys

The people who lived in this region hundreds of years ago used the landscape to their advantage.   The occupants carved their settlements directly into the rock faces, creating rooms for sleeping, eating, and praying.  Below is one of the fortresses built into a massive boulder perched on a ridge.

Uçisar Fortress

In the Göreme Open Air Museum, we were able to walk through one of these settlements.  Many of the chapels still had colorful murals displaying religious figures.  An especially interesting room was the dining room, where trenches had been hewn out of the rock to create benches for sitting around the table.  

Erica and Linley at Göreme Open Air Museum

To help us feel like these old settlers, we stayed in a cave hotel.  Each room was designed like a cave, with rough-cut stone walls, low ceilings, and few adornments but lots of charm.  Thankfully, we had real beds and didn't have to sleep on the hard, stone floors!

Kelebek Cave Hotel

My own room felt very cave-like with little natural light.  But as I strolled the hotel grounds, I quickly discovered the prime selling point of the location...beautiful views of the surrounding valley.

Stunning sunset viewed from my cave hotel

And as if sleeping in a cave wasn't enough, I haven't even gotten to the highlight of the trip...my first hot air balloon trip! Although getting up before dawn was not fun, the rest of the experience was amazing.  I was trepidatious as I climbed into the basket, but our ascent into the air was so gentle that I had to look down to realize we were no longer on the ground!

As we floated peacefully through the air, I'm not sure which was more exciting:  the fabulous landscape below us or the colorful dots of other balloons around us!

The ride was a magnificent capstone event to an already unforgettable trip!

Our group excited by the balloon ride!