The region of Cappadocia is difficult to describe because, like most of Turkey, it has a long and complex history - it's been inhabited since the 6th century BC. It is now best known for it's strange and beautiful landscape, fairy chimneys, cave rooms and hotels, underground cities, and Byzantine frescos. We stayed in a cave room in the little town of Goreme (if you go to Cappadocia definitely stay in this town because it is the best one- so quant and interesting.) I have never seen a landscape like this! It formed from volcanic eruptions creating segments of both hard and soft rock. Over time the soft rock eroded away and the hard rock stayed, making these strange cone formations, which were used as dwellings, pigeon houses, monasteries and churches by some of the earliest Christians. The frescos in the churches were really amazing. We took a tour of the underground cities (totally freaked me out!! I had forgotten how claustrophobic caves can be, but this especially was because it went really far underground....several stories down!). It was definitely worth the looong bus ride!
We are heading to Rome on Thursday! It will be bittersweet to leave Turkey as it has been so amazing to us, but I am sure we will love Italy, too. (It seems that everyone does..) Besides being filled with wonderful people, Turkey is the first place we have literally loved EVERY single thing we've eaten! We definitely didn't love the food in SE Asia, and I hate to admit that we ended up seeking out Indian and Italian almost every place we went. But we haven't even been tempted by curries or margherita pizza here. Not once! Jon found out there is one Turkish restaurant in the Twin Cities (The Black Sea) so that's comforting! And I've managed to end my brief addiction to rose flavored Turkish delight just in time!
Photos: valley near Goreme...seems to go on forever.
Cave houses still in use. You can begin to see more cones forming as the hillside recedes.
Wow the landscape is so beautiful
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