Cappodocia is a region in central Turkey where the village of Goreme is
located.
We stayed several days in a cave hotel in Goreme which is famous for it's
peculiar geology made from ancient volcanic ash, which is soft enough to easily
burrow caves into. Goreme was very peaceful and bucolic,
even if Maricor froze and we tourists became fodder for carpet and ceramics
salesmen. The crafts were exquisite, but the prices reflected the huge
number of hours that go into such hand-made artistry, and this working stiff
managed to barely extricate himself from the jaws of hungry salesmen throughout
the trip.
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Dore
Waiting for a plane (after a late night). |
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Goreme
Where our cave hotel was |
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Fellow travelers
On the veranda at our hotel |
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Ditto
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M
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George
In hog heaven watching stone cutters at work (and maybe cutting some stone himself). |
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Balloons at dawn
Goreme is famous for its balloon rides which occur most mornings |
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Balloon over Goreme
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Ditto
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Our room
Our room was awesome. |
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Fairy Chimneys
The "stone" in this region is the remnants of ash from two volcanic eruptions from two different volcanos. As the ash has been washed away by rain, it formed these interesting rock formations. |
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Picturesque Town
To the right you can see older houses that were burrowed into the hill. |
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Valley Hike
Leni looking up at the cave dwellings burrowed into the cliff. |
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Lunch
My buddy Dennis asked for more photos of the food this trip, so Dennis, these are for you. It was tasty too. |
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Lunch
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Great flat bread
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Sandy, Barbara, Maricor
On the footbridge across the stream. |
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Sandy
Sandy is standing in an alcove of an underground church (or mosque, I forget where we were). Early Christians hid from oppression by hiding their churches and monasteries in such underground complexes.
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George and Mary
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Fairy Chimneys
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Maricor
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No Comment
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Balloon Ride!
Maricor and I joined Mary and Nancy to take a scenic balloon ride over Goreme. |
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Nancy
I think this is just before we took off. |
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Mary
Looking quite exotic in that turban with the sculpted hillsides around Goreme for a backdrop. |
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The Pilot
Opening champagne, and after landing our balloon in the trailer that hauls it around, who can blame him for celebrating. |
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The pilot and Mary
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Master Potter
This guy was amazing -- in 5 minutes he made a masterpiece then cut it up to show us. |
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Gorgeous ceramics
This is the type of wine vessle the potter in the previous picture made. You'd be amazed at the cost. $1500 for a serving dish, and the expensive stuff was a lot more. |
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Open Air Museum
in Goreme |
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Cave Church
Well preserved underground church |
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Ditto
The guide told stories about all the pictures. In the pre-literate era of early Christianity, these pictures were how the stories of Christianity were told. |
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My darling toasting.
A rare occasion where Maricor had a glass of wine (I had to finish it for her). Dinner at a restaurant recommended by the guide -- it was fantastic even if we passed up a free meal with the tour. |
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Food
More food pictures for my friend Dennis. |
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Dessert
I don't remember what it was but it was excellent. |
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M bundled up
She almost looks like she's in an Andean village, eh? |
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Breakfast at the hotel
for you Dennis. |
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Dried fruit
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Goodbye Goreme
A particularly good shot. |
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