Today was fantastic. We got up really early and were picked up by a van by six. Graham, Tess, Kiran, Jackie and I were going ballooning! This is something I have always wanted to do. I passed it up in the Serengeti because it was $500! and floating over the animals you won't see much except the scenery. Here in Cappadocia, it very different. It's less than half the price and it's all about seeing the amazing scenery from the air. The only downside was it was very cold and overcast.
This area is covered in volcanic ash, that has been compressed into a soft and stable rock. On top of that there is some basalt rock that protects some of the shapes from erosion. The rest erodes into amazing shapes. People have lived here for thousands of years and have made great use of the rock to carve homes and villages in it.
So, we got to the office and were surprised to find about fifty people, mostly Japanese, waiting to go up. They took us by van out to the launch area and there we found about twenty balloons and hundreds of people! Each balloon has a basket that holds twenty four people. So, we watched as they blew our balloon up with hot air. Then we were loaded on and given a short safety talk before we lifted off. What an amazing feeling. It was silent and smooth. It was awesome to be floating above the ground with all those other colourful balloons. Incredible. Add to that the fantastic scenery and I had a great time. We were up for about forty five minutes and enjoyed it totally. We even bumped into another balloon as we floated up and over the landforms. At one point we were high up and sailed over another balloon! When we landed we had a champagne and cherry juice celebration and then returned to our hotels for breakfast.
After breakfast Jess rounded us up and we loaded up on another van and headed out for a half hour drive to Kaymakli. This is one of the underground cities that are carved into the rock here. They were first dug out by the Hittites seeking shelter from from severe weather and wild animals, the underground cities of Cappadocia were extended by the Christian Anatolians seeking shelter during times of persecution. Communities could survive up to six months underground, with facilities for making wine, food preparation and churches for worship. There are dozens of these underground cities in the area and most are connected by tunnels.
Cemil gave us a tour of the Kaymakli, giving us the historical persepective. There is not much in these caves, just rock rooms. They did have round rocks that they rolled into place to seal off areas for defence. We could just imagine an enemy trying to enter these caves in the dark and through the maze of rooms. It would have been very difficult.
Then we went back to Goreme for lunch. Jess took us for a walk through one of the valleys that they call Love Valley, because of the shape of the hoodoos there. It was a nice walk with lots to see, but very cold.
She left us when she got us to the Open Air Museum. This World Heritage site is a monastic complex and early centre for religious education, composed of churches, rectories and dwellings. The practice of monasticism was developed in the 4th century, as a reaction to increased disillusionment with the materialism of the church. St. Basil's definition of monastic life based on the idea that men should live in small, self-sufficient units with an emphasis on poverty, obedience, labour, and religious devotion, took root here in Cappadocia and later became the basis for the Orthodox monastic system.
There are a number of small churches to explore. Some of them have basic frescoes in them, and a couple have really beautiful ones. Unfortunately most have been defaced, literally by other religions over the years. There were lots of tourist buses here today, and considering it's winter and cold, I can't imagine being here in the summer – it would be jammed with people.
Then we headed back to the town for dinner at the same restaurant and had a quite evening back at the room.
Happy Valley for sure!
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