Day 3: Exploring Cappadocia, Turkey

The local mosque’s morning call to prayer woke us up extra early at approximately 5 a.m. on Sunday. The prayer sounded like it was coming out of a loudspeaker next door. It wasn’t, but the still air must have carried the noise easily.

We tried to go back to sleep. An hour later, signs of dawn were starting to appear. I decided to get up quickly so I could see the hot air balloons taking off into the morning sky. Jason was still trying to sleep.

I bundled myself up in warm layers and grabbed the camera. I went up to our hotel’s terrace to take photos of the balloons just starting to climb into the sky.

Although we would have enjoyed taking a ride, the cost was too expensive - 150 Euros ($210 USD) per person. With two more trips planned in the next two months and Christmas gifts to buy, we decided to pass this time.

By 7 a.m., the Cappadocian sky was filled with numerous hot air balloons. It was an amazing sight to watch!

After another traditional Turkish breakfast, Jason and I checked out of the hotel and drove southward to the underground city of Kaymaklı. Along the way, we stopped back at the Göreme Panoramic View Point to buy some souvenirs and a pair of knitted gloves I had eyed yesterday.

Kaymaklı, open to the public in 1964, is one of several underground cities in Cappadocia. This city is the widest one and once housed between 2,000 and 5,000 people – with the highest population being during war time. It covers an area of approximately 4 km² / 1.5 square miles. Early Christians took refuge here, creating a whole system of tunnels, wells, ventilation shafts, sleeping quarters, storage rooms, a large kitchen, stables and more. Even the surrounding fields and village houses were connected to the large underground city by long tunnels.

Map of the underground city
  

Since we weren’t in a large tour group, we decided to hire a personal guide to explain the history of Kaymaklı. Our guide, Mustafa whom was recommended by our hotel, spoke very good English and was full of history. The cost of 40 Turkish liras was well spent. We never would have learned as much about the city if we had toured it solo. 


The city consists of 8 underground floors; only 4 of them are open to the public today, and low, narrow and sloping passages. The winding and numerous tunnels were meant to confuse the enemies and help provide escape for the city’s inhabitants, Mustafa told us.

Storage areas for wine, olive oil and water.

The central kitchen where they could have a fire below in the pit and cook in large pots.

Grain and dry storage areas.

Next, we headed toward the town of Ürgüp – 39 kilometers (about 24 miles) northeast from Kaymaklı.  We stopped along the way to take several photos of the fairy chimneys.

Our main purpose for driving to Ürgüp was to stop at Cappadocia’s largest winery – Turasan Winery. The winery, one of six in the area, was established in 1943 by H. Turasan and now is being run by third-generation family members. After paying 10 lira per person, we were given a personal tour of the factory and learned about their wine production, followed by a wine tasting. I felt we received better service one on one than being in a large tour group like we saw coming and going there. We tasted one white wine called Emir, made from all local grapes, and three red wines, including a fabulous 2008 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot that won a gold medal in Turkey. Luckily, we can easily find Turasan wines here in Istanbul.

Now, I was hungry. We drove into the center of Ürgüp and parked the car. We decided to walk around a bit to see where we wanted to eat. We stumbled upon a nut and spice store called Naturel Kuruyemiş, Cumhuriyet Meydani No: 28. This store was full of spices, nuts, dried fruits, “lokum” (Turkish Delight) and more. I was in heaven! We bought some nuts, chocolate covered dried apricots and pomegranate “lokum” that contained hazelnuts and pistachios. The owner was very friendly and patient as I tried to speak some Turkish with him.

On the left, you can see large slabs of the colorful "lokum."

Just around the corner, we spied a restaurant, Teras Café, which featured a lot of outdoor seating so we could take advantage of the wonderful sunshine. We both ordered a simple meal of tavuk şiş kebap and an Efes beer.

After lunch, we drove from Ürgüp to the village of Çavuşin, where we could park and access the Rose Valley trail for some more hiking. The sky was a gorgeous, bright blue and reflected off the rose colored rocks in the valley. We hiked up and down amongst the rocks and along a streambed for about two hours. We had a great afternoon!

The local "taxi" near the trail.

Jason hiked down to the edge so I could take this photo.

We saw several grape vines like this one along the trail.

Inside this cave you can see the remnants of another ancient church.

Now, we had some time to kill before we headed back to Kayseri for our evening flight to Istanbul. We decided to stop in nearby Avanos at a pottery store I had seen when we drove through on Friday. We were given a pottery wheel demonstration at Kapadokya Seramik, a fourth-generation family business. The store consists of four display rooms filled with beautiful, handmade pottery items. Of course, we got sucked into buying several pieces, but some will be for Christmas presents.

Then, we headed back east about an hour to Kayseri. We found our car rental place, but still had some time to grab a light dinner before we headed to the airport. We stopped at Hacibaba, Sivas Caddessi 13/A, and ordered red lentil soup, a minced meat pide and a strange soup that I didn’t know. Jason wanted to be adventurous and I told him “good luck.” The soup turned out to be a traditional tripe soup that is very salty and a bit sour thanks to the addition of vinegar and lemon juice. I took one bite and that was enough for me. Jason finished about half of it. Well, you never know unless you try.

As always, all good things must come to end. We had an amazing time exploring Cappadocia during our three days. I’d highly recommend this trip to anyone who visits Turkey.

Hot air balloon ride in the late afternoon over Rose Valley.

Read More

Day 1: Exploring Cappadocia, Turkey

(Well, this past week was busy for us. We hosted our first American guests in Istanbul. We explored some of the sites, walked around the city and enjoyed eating at several restaurants. Then, on Friday, Oct. 29, my husband and I left for a 3-day hiking tour in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. I have lots of stories and 350 photos to share with everyone over the upcoming days.)

An amazing adventure is the best way to describe our weekend trek to Cappadocia in the middle of Turkey. 

This region was formed approximately three million years ago when two (now dormant) volcanoes erupted and produced the tuff, hard volcanic rock composed of compacted volcanic ash, and basalt lava.

According to “A Complete Guide to Cappadocia” published by the Cappadocia Tourism Promotion Foundation in Nevşehir, Turkey:

“The basalt ultimately cracked and split under attack from the weather and rainwater seeped down through the cracks and split to slowly erode the tuff itself. The natural effects of alternating very hot and very cold weather and the rain and the wind breaking down the rock's resistance caused (and continues to cause) the emergence of the tall cones of tuff capped by hard basalt which the Turks call “Fairy Chimneys.”

Jason, my husband, stands in front of some of the Fairy Chimneys.

The area definitely is a natural wonder. While we were hiking, there were several moments when I just stopped and gazed out in wonder at the unique rock formations. In my mind, the landscape of the Grand Canyon in the U.S. could be relatively compared to Cappadocia. Take a look at the rock formations for yourself.

The beautiful landscape outside of Göreme, Turkey.   

On Friday, we took an early flight from Istanbul to the Kayseri airport. We rented a car so we could explore more of the area by ourselves instead of in a mass tour group. My husband drove about an hour west to the town of Avanos where we stopped for snacks. Outside of the market, we saw this shopping cart filled with frozen sucuk that was apparently defrosting.

Then, we continued on to the village of Göreme where we had reserved a room at the Kelebek Cave Hotel. The hotel had many good reviews online and our friends had recently stayed there as well. It was perfect! Imagine a hotel built into some of the ancient caves, but with modern conveniences and newer construction.

Kelebek Cave Hotel

After we were settled and had some directions, we decided to explore Göreme and take in some afternoon hiking. First, we headed to the Göreme Open Air Museum, about a 20-minute walk from our hotel. The museum, one of Turkey’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is home to incredible rock formations, several former monasteries and churches carved into the rock.

Within the museum, there are 11 refectories with rock-cut churches, tables and benches. Each is associated with a church. Most of the churches in the Göreme Open Air Museum belong to the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. Many of the buildings were once connected by tunnels and heavy, round “millstone doors,” which were used to close off these tunnels in times of danger. 

It’s difficult to even describe this area, so I hope the photos speak for themselves.

Red motifs painted directly onto the rock in one of the churches.

One of the museum’s top highlights is the Karanlık Kilise or the Dark Church. Because you must pay an extra admission fee (8 TL per person), it’s less crowded than some of the other churches and surely worth it.

The domed church, a monastic compound built in the 11th century, has one main apse, two small apses and four columns. The walls are decorated with beautiful scenes from the New Testament: Annunciation, Journey to Bethlehem, the Nativity, Baptism, Raising of Lazarus, Transfiguration, Entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Betrayal of Judas, the Crucifixion and the Anastasis.  These restored frescoes are supposed to be the best preserved in all of Cappadocia and a good example of 11th-century Byzantine art.

According to the museum’s literature, the church’s name possibly comes from a small oculus looking out of the narthex which only lets in a very small amount of light. This feature is what has preserved the richness of the frescoes. We were able to capture several photos of the frescoes, without using a flash which could damage them. 

Unfortunately, the museum was horribly mobbed by large tourist groups. It was difficult to gain entrance into some of the other churches. We later learned the afternoon is one of the worst times to go. Lesson learned.

After leaving the museum, we walked down the road a bit and saw three camels off to the side. My husband saw “tourist trap” written all over it. He was right, of course, but I really wanted to take a photo with the camels. I told the Turkish man I just wanted the photo for 5 TL, not a ride which cost 20 TL. Well, once I hoisted myself up onto the camel, the man led the animal around the area for 10 minutes. Our final cost was 15 TL, but we got 10 photos from the incident.

After the camel incident, we proceeded to the nearby Love Valley hiking trail. It was supposed to be an easy hike in this picturesque valley filled with some of the tall fairy-chimneys. However, recent rains made the trails and rocks slippery to climb. Then, the afternoon sky filled with more dark clouds. Soon, it went from drizzling rain to downright pouring rain.

Jason on top of one of the rocks in Love Valley.

We ran from the trail, about half a mile, to a local café in Göreme to grab a light meal and dry off a bit. We ordered two Efes beers, water and a minced meat pide to tide us over until dinner.

After an hour, the rain subsided enough for us to return to our hotel. We relaxed for a bit and enjoyed a few cocktails in our room.

Our hotel manager, Hanife, recommended the nearby restaurant, Seten Anatolian Cuisine, which also is related to the Kelebek Hotel. The rain started pouring again so we ran from the hotel to the restaurant.

This white-tablecloth restaurant was cozy, but the lighting was a little harsh and the service could have been speedier. However, our meal was delicious. The food was served on modern china and presented more elegantly than I have seen at other restaurants so far in Turkey.

The menu was filled with seasonal and traditional Anatolian dishes, which I was more than happy to savor. We selected two appetizers - stuffed eggplant patlican dolmasi filled with onions, rice, tomatoes and spices; and stuffed artichoke enginar dolmasi filled with potatoes, carrots, onion and dill. We also were served a basket full of puffy pide bread.

For entrees, I ordered the seasonal delicacy of stuffed squash blossoms which were filled with a spicy rice mixture and served with a yogurt dipping sauce. Jason ordered the mini kofte meatballs served in a bowl filled with a tomato-based broth. This isn't what he was expecting because kofte is usually served with rice and grilled vegetables, but the dish was tasty.

For dessert, we enjoyed the traditional Turkish kabak tatlısı – local pumpkin cooked in a sugar syrup. This version was different because it was spiced with cinnamon and cloves more than others we have tried and cooked in thinner syrup. The Cappadocia region is known for their pumpkins, and they can be seen out in the surrounding fields everywhere.

At this point, I was full, feeling happy from the wine and ready to sleep. We needed to get an early start again on Saturday for our second day of hiking in Cappadocia.

We enjoyed a lovely bottle of Cappadocian red wine with our dinner.

Read More