With our arrival being at night, getting out of the taxi at our hostel was a surreal experience. Our accommodation for the next 4 nights would be in a hostel with portions of the surrounding fairy chimneys being used. Now fairy chimneys for centuries have been utilized as a means of accommodation but instead of a written definition I suggest checking out the photo gallery to visually explain what these cone shaped rock formation are.

Goreme was the small town from which we chose to explore the surrounding Cappadocia region which is known internationally for its foreing landscapes and underground cities. And its reputation for being a highlight of any visit to Turkey proved true.

The following are the regional highlights that we choose to visit and a little bit about our experience. Click the bolded titles to visit applicable links:

Göreme Open Air Museum: There are too many World Heritage Sites in Turkey to visit them all, but this one ended up being a must see as it is actually a preserved area of Byzantine churches that were craved out of or into the fairy chimneys. As our first introduction to the uses of these fairy chimneys we just had to poke our heads into every carved out crevice. It is so impressive to see how caves were carved from inside the rock to create chapels with artistically designed stone columns. I especially loved the rectangular rock tables that were a huge slab of stone with a gutter cut out around it that could hold up to 50 people (something that Andrea's family could definitely benefit from for the holidays, although the competition for food would be fierce).

Derinkuyu underground city: This place may not be for the claustrophobic but they should have also have warned anyone with physical ailments. At on point we had to descend (and later ascend) 108 stairs bend at a 45 degree angle. The staircases were intentionally made narrow with low ceilings to slow down any potential invaders, as the city's main purpose was to provide safety from foreign invaders. As the website mentions this city had space created within it for everyone and everything - even feeding troughs for the animals could be seen carved from the stone walls. What we had also learned is that the city we visited actually at one time was connected to another underground city through a tunnel that was 9km long. This place added to the characteristics of what made the Cappadocia region such a fantastic and fantasy experience.

Ihlara Valley: We took a one hour (slow paced) hike through this region as part of a larger tour of the surrounding area. It was a beautiful day to hike along the small river at the bottom of he valley and amongst the autumn trees. Along the valley walls was further evidence of historic inhabitants as examples of carved out rock homes and rock churches was easily spotted.

Selime Monastery : An unexpected surprise and definitely a place where we could have spent hours (had we not been rushed along since we were visiting as part of a tour), the Selime Monastery is not the imagine of what a traditional monastery conjures up. This rock church was definitely the largest and most impressive of any that we have seen in Cappadocia. The chapel here was a large, spacious, cavern which is remarkable since it was carved into a massive rock formation. Plus, there were numerous rooms, alleys and even a staircase that we didn't have time to go explore. Unfortunately, there isn't much useful history that was found during a brief Internet search (other than the fact that numerous people absolutely love the place), so if anyone does find any helpful facts please send our way.

A guided evening walk through Rose Valley: Like much of the surrounding area, it is impossible to escape the evidence of ancient inhabitants. So while walking among some amazing scenery we also got to further explore living quarters carved from a single massive rock for a whole community of ~200 and spotted more rock churches. The rock formations and landscape in Rose valley was particularly beautiful and memorable. The colors were further enhanced as we watched the sun setting, exaggerating the white, yellow, pink, and even greenish hues within the rock.

We also got to hear about mom and dad's early morning spurge of a hotair balloon ride over and within the regions valleys which sounded pretty specatular. We also need to thank Andrea's parents for their visit and their generosity during their time withus. Generosity both in spirit (plenty of patience is needed when traveling with 4 people using only local transport in a foreign country) and financially (for the occassional upgrades in hotels, turkish sweets, and wonderfual meals). We were particulary happy with the hotel upgrade in Goreme as our large room had queen beds, a TV, and a sitting area next to a stone fireplace (and for one night a hot tub after exchanging rooms). So it was with great difficulty that we sent them off on Sat. 20th for Ankara to catch their flight home to WI.

Thankfully, Sat. the 20th was the day that Goreme had its yearly cookoff between the towns women which served as a distractor for their abscence. With the festival came free lunch. Cooked that morning in massive pots over an open fire, there was food enough to serve hundreds of locals and tourists alike. I (Andrea) actually was allowed to help with some of the morning preparations in rolling the dough into balls that later became flat bread cooked on a convex metal sheet over an open fire.

October 3rd - 7th
Istanbul

October 8th
City of Selcuk & Ruins of Ephesus with a detour to Virgin Mary's house

October 9th
Hierapolis (Ruins from Roman City) and Pumakkale (Cotton Castle)

October 10th - 15th
Oludeniz, Lycian Way Hike, Olympos Ruins and Chimaera

October 17th - 21st
Cappadocia region

October 21st - 24th
Tokat and Amasya

October 25th - 26th
Amasya and Ankara

Turkey Country Summary