Having persuaded the hotel staff to give us breakfast half an hour early, we were able to enjoy a typical Turkish start to the day with olives, crisp cucumbers, succulent tomatoes, yummy preserves and more before we were picked up and taken to Ataturk Airport for our flight to Cappadocia, which took a mere 55 minutes.
Our flight took us over a patchwork quilt of browns and beiges after leaving the forested area around Istanbul. Cappadocia produces many of Turkey's cereal crops, which had obviously been recently harvested, as well as grapes, vegetables and sugar beets.
Azzu, a most pleasant and caring young guide from the area near the Syrian border, picked us up and we were immediately driven to the Derinkuyu Underground City, a wise move as we had the opportunity to experience this strange underworld city without the crowds bearing down upon us (which had they been would probably have
been a more authentic cave dwelling experience! How could 20 000 people have lived in these dark sepulchral rooms for three months at a time, sans electric lighting and tinned provisions! Brave and hardy souls indeed). There are eight levels to the city, built over a river from which water was drawn and fresh air obtained via the ventilation shafts. The animals were housed in the upper levels where wine was also pressed, while the living quarters, kitchen and church were at lower levels.
The underground cities, churches and homes in Cappadocia were used by Christians seeking refuge from persecution from the 9th to the 11th centuries.
A late lunch at 3pm at the Salem Village caravanserai meant that in some dishes only the scrapings were left. I waxed lyrical about the delicious yoghurt soup we had enjoyed here last year – so Rob and Champs found themselves eating yoghurt and tomato salad dressing as soup - something I did not hear the end of! Despite the above and the fact that the beers were flat, we enjoyed another great selection of Turkish dishes- salads and vege dishes predominating.
The meal was walked off in the Ilhara Valley afterwards, the glorious rock formations providing food for our imagination – camels, heads, crocodiles and all manner of creatures. Looking at my photographs I realise that I made a mistake trying so carefully to eliminate people from them when people would have added a sense of proportion.
The Mushroom Fairy Chimneys on the way back to Goreme were equally enchanting. Some of us took a little walk over the hill to overlook the valley, the lengthening shadows adding to the atmospheric picture.
The bizarre rock formations are the result of erosion of the tuff (hardened volcanic ash) by wind and water over the centuries and the exposure of overlaid layers of hard volcanic rock The landscape was created 30 million years ago when the surrounding volcanoes were still active. The colours of the tuff are exquisite -soft pastel creams and pinks and browns.
Goreme Village is a fairytale village, especially when the cave homes and pinnacles are lit up at night. Our accommodation at the Peri Cave Hotel just on the outskirts (but around the corner from the main centre!) was charming and quirky. The floor of Rob and Champs' room had quite a slope to it, visible to the naked eye! We all saw to our own supper and the evening was spent browsing through the shops on the main street and enjoying the view and a cold beer on Rob and Champs' balcony.
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