October, journey through time and exotic lands

  Istanbul at last.  We have arrived in this timeless city. After depositing our luggage at the hotel we ventured out to find some supper. No one spoke English, luckily we able to point at some pictures and  make our order.  The food was good, but when we went to settle the bill we had a few problems.  A young man, a guest, came to our rescue.  In the meantime a waiter arrived with a tray of tea for his American guests,  We were all crowed around the cash register and we didn’t acknowledge  his hospitality.  Our first phew pa.  It is hard to be a good guest in a new country.

Our tour group was not arriving until later the next afternoon, so the next morning we headed out   to explore the neighborhood by the hotel.

 

 

This is Turkey. The narrow streets, the local mosque with the tower to call everyone to prayer, we woke up each morning to the loud call.   At the mosque, a  place to wash your face, hands and feet before kneeling in prayer.  Along the street the daily wash hanging on the balcony of each apartment.  Most people own their own apartments.  Notice the tile decoration.

Here is the local grocery and the park for play and visiting.

 

That afternoon we moved to the airport on the Asian side of the city.  Istanbul is a huge city and closely packed with houses and apartment buildings and modern high rise office buildings.  It is not jammed into a small space but stretches out for miles.  That morning we boarded the plane for our adventure in Cappadocia [Kappadokia].  We were a little nervous about getting so close to the Syrian border, but our fears were groundless, everything was peaceful and quiet.

What a strange place, Cappadocia reminds me a little of goblin valley.  However the area has been inhabited for thousand of years.  The ancient Hittites first established their kingdom here. They named it Cappadocia which translates “Land of beautiful horses”.  The landscape is very mystical with strange eroded fairy chimneys, cliffs and valleys.  Early Christians escaping  from the Romans fled here to hide and to be safe. They carved out homes and chapels in the rocks and planted their gardens in the valleys.    

 

These formations were made from the wind and water erosion on the soft volcanic rocks.  It was great fun to explore these cave homes and to see the paintings left by the early Christians.

Cappadocia is a famous spot for Hot Air balloons.  For my Birthday Dad gave me a ride.  I was so happy, a balloon ride  has been on my list of wishes for a long time.  Arlene and I set out early in the morning for our Adventure. 

Up we go.  I loved it.  It just like floating in the air.

We watched the sunrise.  

  

I loved seeing all the dwellings and valleys from above.

Our pilot did a great job , but as you can see just as we touched down a wind draft pulled our balloon on its side.  I was smashed in the middle.  Fortunately a young Turk pulled me safely out of the basket. 

Living in caves seems to be the best place to live,  many people still live in the cave houses with a more modern addition.  When you go to Cappadocia, rent a cave house for a true experience.

 

Today we visited the underground city. It was excavated as early as Hittite times and was expanded over the centuries as various marauding armies traversed Central Anatolia in search of captives and plunder. Notice the huge stone millstone door.  The caves are used today as storage areas.  The tunnels are low, and narrow and steeply inclined.   There are eight floors below ground.  We explored the four open floors.

   

We were treated to a visit to the Turkish rug factory. What beautiful carpets, made of silk and wool, all hand made.  The Turkish government subsidizes people to carry on this ancient tradition.

  

Our final stop in Cappadocia was to an old city where they  have made pottery for centuries. We toured the shop and watched the artists form the pots and paint the beautiful designs.

That evening we returned to Istanbul,, ready for our next adventure.  Watch for our next blog to find out about Bulgaria and Sochi Russia.