Istanbul

(coming up soon)

6th April: Returning to Istanbul

We made our way up hill from the hotel to the main cultural attraction in Ankara, the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations. Unfortunately the Museum was undergoing renovations at the time, so one or two galleries were closed; there was, however, plenty to keep us occupied for a couple of hours. We toured displays on Stone Age and Early Bronze Age inhabitants of Anatolia, then entered the main gallery with its massive Hittite and Phrygian statues and reliefs. We won't try to give you a history lesson, but if you're interested in some reading then this is a decent place to start.

Entrance to the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations

Hittite Chimaera relief

Hittite relief from around 3000 years ago

Another Hittite relief

Hittite sculpture

We marched back to the hotel, packed up, and checked out. We had a little difficulty finding the right bus to take us to the main otogar, but a very kind chap went to the trouble of leading us all the way from one bus stop to another, about five minutes' walk away.

We arrived at the otogar in plenty of time for our final bus journey of the trip, a six-hour drive across Anatolia to Istanbul. The Metro bus was very comfortable, with only three large seats per row. I worked on the blog while Clem watched the TV screen and napped. We arrived at the Metro otogar outside the city at around 7 p.m. and caught the shuttle into Taksim Square, near where we had stayed for our first night in Istanbul almost a month ago.

After around five minutes' walk we arrived at the place we had found on Airbnb, a room in an apartment owned by a very friendly English woman who had been living in Istanbul for the last seven years and had lots of useful tips to pass on. We took advantage of the luxury of having a kitchen to cook for ourselves, since after eight months of travelling our budget was starting to get a little tight.

April 5th: Early birds to watch the balloons

It is difficult to get tired of watching hot air balloons flying above the valleys surrounding Goreme. After a good night's sleep uninterrupted by the muezzin (after being awoken at 5 a.m. for three nights in a row, it really made a difference), we woke up a bit before 7 a.m. (as I bounced out of bed rather more eagerly than John) to watch the balloons from the terrace of our new hotel. It was obviously not quite as fun as flying in one, but it was nevertheless captivating. They were all moving slowly in the same direction. We were quickly joined by a few other guests who had decided not to fly, as they had had a bad experience in England from a rather bumpy landing.

Sunrise on Uchisar

Close-up of the citadel

Balloons over Goreme

A few balloons getting rather close to each other

We stayed on the terrace after breakfast to enjoy the view and the early sun. I wish we could have stayed longer in Goreme, and in this hotel in particular.

The bus to Ankara was rather comfortable and the journey pretty smooth. We were very pleased to learn on our arrival at the huge bus station that a free shuttle bus would take us to the city centre.

Helped by friendly locals we managed to get off the bus at the right stop, a few hundred metres away from our hotel, to which John managed to take us without detour. We had read bad reviews about a few hotels in the area, but our hotel was pleasant and very well-located (near the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations and the Old Citadel).

Shortly after dropping our bags, we walked up to the old city and the citadel, passing through lively commercial streets. The houses inside the old city seemed to have gone through the ages, and were charmingly decayed. The top of the citadel overlooked the whole city, and in particular the massive square mausoleum of Ataturk.

Entrance to Ankara Citadel (plus cars)

Dilapidated Ottoman-era houses

Marble from Roman monuments used as Ottoman wall-filler

Another gate to the Citadel

View from the citadel walls

Disheveled neighbourhoods around the citadel

View from the top of the citadel

Mausoleum of Ataturk in the distance

4th April: Cave churches in Goreme and the underground city of Kaymakli

We woke early (for the second time that morning, after the 5 a.m. call of the muezzin) and marched down to the Goreme Open Air Museum in time for the opening of its doors at 8 a.m. I was hoping thereby to arrive before the tour groups (Clem tolerating rather than joining my obsession with avoiding them), but as we approached the entrance we were passed by a couple of huge coaches. As it happened we managed to stay ahead of the few early-rising tour groups and were allowed to enjoy the museum in relative peace. It was only as we left that the hordes began to descend in full force.

Arriving ahead of the tour groups

As we have mentioned before, Cappadocia was a bastion of Christianity from as early as the 2nd century AD, and many churches were carved into the region's soft volcanic rock. The Open Air Museum encompasses around ten of these churches, mostly dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, all within a few hundred metres of each other.

Balloons over the rock-hewn churches of Goreme Open Air Museum

We started with the Church of St Basil the Great, who was Bishop of Caesarea (now called Kayseri) in the 4th century AD. We then headed uphill to the most impressive of the churches, the Dark Church. The sign outside warned that visits should be limited to three minutes, but thankfully we were well ahead of the tour groups so had the church to ourselves and could enjoy at our leisure. The Dark Church is thus named because there is just one small window so only minimal light can enter. This has ensured that the impressive frescoes are the best-preserved in the region.

Looking up at the Dark Church

Inside the Dark Church

Well-preserved frescoes

More frescoes

We visited several other churches nearby, as well as a few caves used as kitchens, larders, and dining rooms. Just outside the main entrance of the museum was the 10th century Buckle Church, the earliest known rock-hewn church in the region. Beautiful deep blue frescoes decorated the vaulted ceiling and walls of the church, almost as well-preserved as those of the Dark Church.

Another church

A long dining table, we guessed

The hordes arrive as we leave

Outside Buckle Church

Inside Buckle Church

We returned to the Caravanserai for a late breakfast, then packed up and checked out, ready to move across town to another hotel (which we had booked in advance, as we had fancied trying out two different places in Goreme). Coincidentally, the Elysee Pension was owned by the same family as the Caravanserai, which amused our hosts greatly.

Leaving our bags at the Caravansarai, we caught the public bus to Nevsehir, the provincial capital around 20 minutes west of Goreme. From there we caught another bus, heading south for the underground city of Kaymakli.  The bus dropped us at the start of a short climb through the village, past numerous stalls selling tourist tat. Evading the touts (no match for their Indian counterparts) we arrived at the entrance to the underground city. The entrance had been knocked through a wall in 1964, when the city was opened up for visitors. We hired a guide to lead us through the labyrinth, hoping that he would be able to show us a few secret tunnels off the beaten path.

The underground city of Kaymakli, called Enegup in ancient times, was carved out from the soft volcanic rock over an area of around 25,000 square kilometres on eight levels, and we were told it could accommodate around 5,000 people. Although we call it an underground city it was in fact only used to retreat from raiders (albeit sometimes for long periods of time), connected to people's everyday homes by secret passageways.

The narrow tunnels, which forced us to proceed in single file and with backs hunched, wound further and further down through the bowels of the hill. At short intervals the tunnels emerged into larger rooms, used as family residences, churches, or even wineries. As we travelled further and further down, to around 30 metres below ground, the tunnels became even narrower and the rooms smaller.

A large room inside the underground city

The altar of a church

Clem at the hole for confession

Collecting the juice from the grape press

Tucked up in one family's room

Massive stone door

Stone for grinding spices etc.

Our guide showed us down several tiny passages, handing us the torch so we could explore for ourselves until we reached the end of the dark tunnel and had to turn back. Finally he sent us down a tunnel that we could navigate only with an immensely graceful "squat and shuffle". We were on strict instructions not to go more than ten metres down the passage, where we found a very small room that measured no more than four feet from floor to ceiling. He need not have worried; by that point we were more than happy to turn around (rather awkwardly) and make our way back up to the light.

Proceeding by torchlight

The "squat and shuffle" in action

Not much room for manoeuvre

From Nevsehir we decided to take the bus to Uchisar and then to walk back to Goreme, passing again through Pigeon Valley but this time under blazing sunshine. We then enjoyed a well-earned lunch on a sun-baked terrace in the middle of Goreme. We both had a very tasty local dish, a kebab cooked in a ceramic pot that was broken as the plate was set down in front of us. After lunch we moved our bags from the Caravenserai to the Elysee Pension, before collapsing in our very comfortable and spacious room to enjoy an afternoon nap.

Back at Uchisar citadel

Erciyes volcano in the distance

The return to Pigeon Valley

We were then slightly reluctant to leave the comfortable environs of the Elysee (well, I mostly speak for my lazy self), but we did finally venture out for what turned out to be an excellent dinner. We then enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep, uninterrupted by the muezzin.

3rd April: Hot air balloon 700 metres above Cappadocia

Our morning started early with the 5 a.m. call to prayer from the nearby mosque. A rather unconventional but efficient alarm; since the windows were far from sound proof, it was very loud. Up and out quickly, we were ready for the minibus to take us to the hot air balloon agency's HQ for breakfast. The buffet was good and plentiful, but we were not particularly hungry that early in the morning. In addition, the excitement was combined with a slight apprehension (at least for me; you'll have to ask John whether he was nervous). 

Fifteen minutes later, the minibus drove us to our balloon. The staff had just started laying the balloon out on the ground so we were able to follow the full process, which took only 10 minutes. First, they blew air with powerful ventilators to expand it, and then used hot air to straighten it up and raise it from the ground. Once the balloon was up, and safely tied to the basket, we hopped in (3 people in each of the four compartments). We had been upgraded to a "King" flight, meaning that there would only be 12 people in the basket instead of 16, and that the flight would last for approximately 90 minutes.

Preparing for take-off

Ready to go

The flame roared up into the balloon as we rose smoothly from the ground to an altitude of a couple of hundred meters and joined the other sixty or so balloons. So far so good. Our attention was focused on the awe-inspiring scenery, the sun rising over the fairy chimneys, and the colourful balloons.

Setting off

Emerging from the valley

Rising sun over Goreme and Uchisar

Love valley and the shadows of many balloons

The other travellers were friendly; we shared our little compartment with a lovely Australian lady, while next to us were an enthusiastic Cuban couple and a fun Chinese girl. On the other side of the pilot was a couple from Sao Paulo and some very discreet Scandinavians.

The jumbo basket of a neighbouring balloon

We rose above the valleys and enjoyed the magnificent view of the area surrounding Goreme: the distinctive rock citadel overlooking Uchisar, the carved-out cliffs over Cavusin, and the town of Nevsehir in the distance. Our pilot then took us down closer to the rock formations in the Rose Valley, and even managed to show us the details of paintings on a door carved in the rock. At this point we were quite close to the ground and to the various chimneys. We recognised the paths where we had been walking the previous day. The flames poured up again and we started to rise back out of the valley, and beyond. 

Don't look down

Dipping down into the valley

Almost touching the valley

Peek-a-boo

Down in the valley

Windows in the rock

Our shadow as we climbed back out of the valley

We then steadily gained some altitude so as to be able to enjoy the panorama, as well as to catch the wind (which varies by altitude, we learned). We first reached 1300 feet, which offered an impressive view over the reliefs of the valley. We could hear the bursts of flame continuing above us, and could see that the relief was getting smaller and smaller. The pilot finally announced that we had reached 2300 feet, around 700 metres. By this point we could clearly see the whole region of Cappadocia and in particular Erciyes volcano, one of those responsible for the creation of the magical landscape.

Rose Valley

Looking back over Goreme

Erciyes volcano in the distance

As most of the other balloons started to land, we rose above the high plateau beneath which we had walked the previous day. At the time, it had looked pretty high to us, but it was now a detail in the scenery. The sun was shining on us, and the experience was mesmerising.

Rising above the plateau

Other volcanoes that helped to create this landscape

Goreme and beyond

Flying high in the sunshine

The path we hiked the previous day

Above the plateau

Let's go higher

Ludicrously high

The pilot had a great sense of humour, and remarked with a smile that he had forgotten to ask if anybody was afraid of heights. He then told us the story of a man who was so scared that he had spent the whole flight sitting in the basket holding his wife's hand. Well, at least I was not quite that bad; I was still standing, trying my best to look in the distance and to avoid looking down.

He explained that he normally would not go quite so high but that today it was necessary to catch a stronger wind to cross the plateau. The wind up there measured at 27 km/h, but it felt very gentle. After a little while (maybe only ten minutes or so, but it seemed longer to me) he announced that we would be landing in 10 to 15 minutes. The time had passed quickly and I would have enjoyed flying longer, albeit slightly closer to the ground.

Spot the landed balloon ...

... yes, that one

We made our way down gradually, enjoying the last few minutes of spectacular scenery. As we got closer to the ground we saw another balloon landing and heard people screaming (or shouting) as it bounced on the floor twice. Hoping our landing would be smoother, we grabbed the ropes in front of us in the basket and bent our knees. Our landing was indeed much smoother, although we did bob up and down a few times before the basket settled on the ground. The "crew", who had driven to our landing spot, tied a rope to the basket and pulled us onto the trailer so that we could climb out.

Another balloon landing just before us

About to touch down

Another balloon being loaded onto a trailer

Crew pulling down the balloon

Our pilot explained that it is a tradition to honour the Montgolfier brothers by enjoying a glass of champagne after a successful flight. The sparkling wine (not Champagne, of course, but I refrained from correctly him) was produced locally and was quite nice, even at 8:30 a.m. We were also given medals, and I won the "award" for the bravest passenger (the pilot definitely had a great sense of humour).

"Champagne" to celebrate a safe landing

We were then taken back to our hotel, where we enjoyed our second breakfast. We relaxed for an hour or two before going out for a walk in the Zemi Valley, just outside of Goreme. The scenery was again magnificent, although we had to navigate a path that was rather sodden from the melted snow. With the sun blazing down, you would never have guessed that the valley was covered in snow not long ago. At the entrance to the valley we met a friendly puppy who followed us for the entire two-hour walk and with whom I could not resist sharing part of our picnic.

Hoodoos on the way to the valley

El Nazar Church, just before we reached the valley

Frescoes inside the church

Entering Zemi Valley

Through the valley

Our new friend stops for a rest

Hoodoos that are still inhabited

More phallic protrusions

View over Cappadocia

View over Goreme

A late riser

Back at the hotel, we gathered some energy before leaving an hour later for a short walk up to a lookout for sunset. We found a little cafe with a great view over Goreme and celebrated with a beer. It was BBQ evening at the hotel and we enjoyed a very tasty dinner while sharing a table with a friendly American-Canadian couple, who taught in the American school in Madrid.

Last of the sunlight on the high plateau

Light of the setting sun on Goreme and Erciyes volcano far in the distance