During our first week In Turkey, we’ve found the calls to
prayer throughout the day to be times that are particularly evocative in this
country with a 99% Islamic population. This morning at 5:15 – not so much! The nearest mosque is about two blocks from
our hotel and there was absolutely no need for an alarm clock to wake Tom for
his foray to take sunrise pictures overlooking the pinnacles and valleys of
this spectacular landscape. The early
morning was hazy, to boot, so the pix were less than satisfying to Tom, though
he did get to see the sunrise hot air balloons rides as they took off.
After breakfast in a rooftop terrace room overlooking the
rock formations, we headed out to see them up close and personal. We spent the morning with a hired guide, who
took us to several Byzantine churches hidden in caves on private lands. We enjoyed panoramic views of this unusual
countryside, of cave homes still occupied, and of churches that tour bus crowds
never see.
At the end of the tour,
though we’d made it clear that we were not in the market to buy anything, we
were “guided” to weaving and pottery production and sales operations, but Tom
deftly ensured that we never even got out of the car!
By midday, we were at the Goreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. This park consists
of a monastery and a number of churches hidden within the rock formations. Most of the churches contain remnants of
altars, arches, tombs, and wall paintings but a couple of churches have been
restored to reveal frescoes of jaw-dropping beauty, great detail, and rich
color. Seeing them was a truly amazing
experience for us.
We spent the remainder of the day driving to several nearby
towns to take in more of the landscape and the street market scenes, as
well. We bought some local Cappadocian
wine, which we enjoyed while drinking in the view from the rooftop terrace of
our hotel before heading out for dinner.
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