July 23-25 Cappadocia
I. Departure
We awoke at the Karadut Pension to some serious heat. It seemed to put the staff into a stupor. The main host was asleep on the couch when I came down. When I inquired to another staffer about breakfast, he motioned (no English) for me to go into the kitchen and serve ourselves. A basic breakfast had been prepared which we availed ourselves of. The usual, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, bread and spreads, hard boiled eggs and a nondescript cooked egg dish, did not excite the pallet. During past meals at this pension, when we had asked for cold water ("soguk su") we received slightly cool water. Better than nothing, but not sufficient in the heat. So while I was in the kitchen, I went to the large refrigerator and pulled out an ice cold 2 liter bottle of water. The good stuff. That was heaven with breakfast. Unfortunately, we guzzled it all down and so it was not available on the trip.
We paid the pension bill with a credit card. [When I asked if I could pay that way, the main host answered as he did to most questions, "why not." Dinner at 8? "Why not." Extra barbecued chicken? "Why not;" watermelon at lunch? "why not;" tour leaving at 2? "why not," etc.] After paying, we then took off following GPS directions. They took us on a winding road up the mountain that led us back to the national park. That meant we would have to go up steep winding roads and pay another park entrance fee. The park attendant suggested another route, so we turned around and headed down the mountain. Just as we were approaching the pension we received a call from them saying that my credit card had been declined (a not uncommon event overseas), so we pulled in and gave them another credit card that worked. We then proceeded down the mountain and set out for Cappadocia.
II. The Trip
This was a long drive. We were traveling across the central Anatolian plateau. It is dry and traversed by many rivers which have created deep valleys. That led to high speed drives in neutral down the inclines into the valleys when I passed many vehicles, and then slow progress up the incline on the other side of the valley during which all the vehicles that I had previously passed, except for the large trucks moving in ultra slow motion, passed me. This went on many tines over two hundred kilometers.
It was also very hot. So hot that the asphalt pavement was melting to the extent that it felt and sounded as if I was driving on a very wet pavement. I could see tire treads in the pavement. We had lots of water, but it became so hot that it was almost undrinkable. Sweaty, hard and sticky clothes. We stopped for gasoline, but really to purchase cold drinks. The station was also offering complementary flavored drinks, orange, grape and something indescribable, that I drank too many of. There were very few towns and none of any size. Mainly endless acres of hay, much of it in the process of being harvested. We passed many trucks that were loaded with scores of bags of hay twice as high as the cab and extending out over the sides of the truck in the form of an inverted pyramid. They looked as if the first breeze would topple them over. There appear to be no overpasses in this part of Turkey, so there appeared to be no limit to the heights of these loads.
III. Arrival
We made it to Goreme in about 7 hours without getting lost. However, finding our hotel was another matter. Cappadocia is a region, not a town. Goreme is the central town in the region. Most of its hotels are so-called cave hotels that have been carved out of and into the strange rock formations that litter the region. The streets are narrow, winding, one way (not always observed) and usually unmarked. I tried to follow the GPS, but it lead us astray. Finally I gave up and began asking for directions from local hotels. There are hundreds of small hotels and for a while no one knew of our hotel. Finally one guy got on the phone and called my hotel. He got off the phone and gave me a couple of left, right, left directions and said that the hotel owner would be waiting for me at the mosque. I did not see a mosque, I was concentrating on not hitting anyone or thing, but we did finally pick up signs for our hotel and arrived before dark. The owner's wife graciously gave us cold water from the refrigerator in the office (we are probably not the only travelers arriving parched); her husband followed us into the reception area shortly thereafter, and wanted to know why we had not met him at the mosque. I parked the car on a ridiculously steep incline and we moved into our "cave". The hotel and its rooms really were hollowed out of the inside of one the weird rock formations. The temperature was cool and we even had one window. We went up to the roof-top seating area and looked down upon an older couple (even older than me) who were harvesting peppers from their garden, which was housed in scores of large metal cooking oil cans. No common language, but he tossed up several peppers for us to eat.
We walked part of the way down the hill until we found a restaurant we liked, Sultan. Outdoor dining under star lit skies and finally a temperature that humans could comfortably exist in.
IV. The Tour
I got lazy and signed up for a tour the next day. I did not have a good feel for the area of where we were supposed to go. The sights seemed spread out and I was tired of driving. So after a roof-top buffet breakfast of what was the usual suspects: cukes, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, bread and lots of spreads, lots of cheeses and meats, watermelon, a potato dish cooked by the owner, a cooked egg dish and best of all, unlimited cold liquids, we were on the bus at 9:30. Lots of East Asians on the tour and contrary to advertising claims, way more than the promised maximum of 10 on the tour. After a stop at a viewpoint overlooking the valley, we took off for a lengthy ride to one of the many underground cites, Derinkuyu, in the area. This one went down 55 meters and 8 levels. It had a very large number of spacious rooms; pregnant women got their own area close to the bathrooms; and lots of connecting tunnels. Problem was that it seemed like all the tours came at the same time in the morning, so it was crowded. These underground cites were used by residents, many early Christians when they were persecuted, or later during war or other threatening events.
Then we went to a large monastery, Selime. One of the strange things about Turkey is that many of its antiquities are Christian in nature. Christianity spread here very early and although the Roman emperors attempted to stamp it out for about 3 centuries, when the empire recognized it under Constantine early in the 4th century, he moved the capital to what was ultimately called Constantinople and Asia Minor became a Christian strong hold. The Eastern Roman Empire evolved into the Byzantine Empire and acted as a Christian bulwark against Islam expansion out of the Middle East. However, ultimately the Byzantines were pushed back by various Central Asian tribes, most notably the Seljuks and ultimately destroyed by the Ottomans, who imposed Islam by persuasion. They also converted many churches to mosques. If you wanted a job or wanted to avoid the non-Muslim tax, you converted. So now Turkey is an overwhelmingly Islamic nation with a very large number of Christian antiquities.
After that we were taken to lunch. We ate with a young, newly married couple. He is an Egyptian who attended medical school in Germany and is now a resident there. She grew up in Eastern Turkey and now lives in Istanbul. She wore a head scarf and was dressed in modest, but not black, clothes. Our guess was that it was an arranged marriage, but they seemed very fond of each other. She was very outspoken about the Kurds and their "racist" political party [just as racist as the ultra nationalists about whom they complain], which in her mind was just advancing the interests of its leaders and drug smugglers, and not acting in the best interests of the Kurds or Turkey. She predicted that a coalition government would not be able to be formed and that President Erdogan, who inspires very strong emotions across Turkey, would call a new election after 45 days and that his AKP party would be returned to full power.
In the afternoon, we took off for the Ihlara Valley. This took us through a beautiful valley alongside a creek and through many Christian churches that had been built into the cliffs. We stopped at a tea house for a snack that was built over the creek. We finished up with a drive through Pigeon Valley. [In the very old days Christians kept them for food and communication. There were lots of pigeon houses carved into the rocks. More recently the residents kept them to use their droppings as fertilizer.] Then, a few more panoramic views of the valley and the inevitable visit to a jewelry factory and shop. It was a full day and we just ate snacks and drinks from the roof-top restaurant for dinner.
V. The Hikes
The next day we went out on our own to hike in Gorkundere ("Love") Valley where the morning sun's rays highlighted the rock formations. There we found many strange looking rock formations, many of which looked like very erect penises. Spoke for a bit with some young Danish hikers who were impressed by the fact that we had been in Copenhagen in the winter. We passed through what I thought was a melon field and after one broke off, I carried it back thinking I could have it for breakfast. Alas, it was an unripe pumpkin.
We had a light lunch at a cafe in Cavusin and then went to the Open Air Museum. This is a Unesco World Heritage site. Initially this was a site where Christians hid from the Romans, then a Byzantine monastic settlement, and later a pilgrimage site. It is a big complex of rock cut churches, monasteries and chapels. Many are fresco filled. One had an exhibit of work by a local photographer who died in an auto accident. Also hiked down to the 10th century Tokali Kilise, the area's biggest church.
We ate dinner outdoors at a nice restaurant on the other side of the valley. I had a lamb stew that was cooked in a clay pot and cracked open at our table. A bit of Benihana in Turkey and the end of our hard rock experience.
I. Departure
We awoke at the Karadut Pension to some serious heat. It seemed to put the staff into a stupor. The main host was asleep on the couch when I came down. When I inquired to another staffer about breakfast, he motioned (no English) for me to go into the kitchen and serve ourselves. A basic breakfast had been prepared which we availed ourselves of. The usual, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, bread and spreads, hard boiled eggs and a nondescript cooked egg dish, did not excite the pallet. During past meals at this pension, when we had asked for cold water ("soguk su") we received slightly cool water. Better than nothing, but not sufficient in the heat. So while I was in the kitchen, I went to the large refrigerator and pulled out an ice cold 2 liter bottle of water. The good stuff. That was heaven with breakfast. Unfortunately, we guzzled it all down and so it was not available on the trip.
We paid the pension bill with a credit card. [When I asked if I could pay that way, the main host answered as he did to most questions, "why not." Dinner at 8? "Why not." Extra barbecued chicken? "Why not;" watermelon at lunch? "why not;" tour leaving at 2? "why not," etc.] After paying, we then took off following GPS directions. They took us on a winding road up the mountain that led us back to the national park. That meant we would have to go up steep winding roads and pay another park entrance fee. The park attendant suggested another route, so we turned around and headed down the mountain. Just as we were approaching the pension we received a call from them saying that my credit card had been declined (a not uncommon event overseas), so we pulled in and gave them another credit card that worked. We then proceeded down the mountain and set out for Cappadocia.
II. The Trip
This was a long drive. We were traveling across the central Anatolian plateau. It is dry and traversed by many rivers which have created deep valleys. That led to high speed drives in neutral down the inclines into the valleys when I passed many vehicles, and then slow progress up the incline on the other side of the valley during which all the vehicles that I had previously passed, except for the large trucks moving in ultra slow motion, passed me. This went on many tines over two hundred kilometers.
It was also very hot. So hot that the asphalt pavement was melting to the extent that it felt and sounded as if I was driving on a very wet pavement. I could see tire treads in the pavement. We had lots of water, but it became so hot that it was almost undrinkable. Sweaty, hard and sticky clothes. We stopped for gasoline, but really to purchase cold drinks. The station was also offering complementary flavored drinks, orange, grape and something indescribable, that I drank too many of. There were very few towns and none of any size. Mainly endless acres of hay, much of it in the process of being harvested. We passed many trucks that were loaded with scores of bags of hay twice as high as the cab and extending out over the sides of the truck in the form of an inverted pyramid. They looked as if the first breeze would topple them over. There appear to be no overpasses in this part of Turkey, so there appeared to be no limit to the heights of these loads.
III. Arrival
We made it to Goreme in about 7 hours without getting lost. However, finding our hotel was another matter. Cappadocia is a region, not a town. Goreme is the central town in the region. Most of its hotels are so-called cave hotels that have been carved out of and into the strange rock formations that litter the region. The streets are narrow, winding, one way (not always observed) and usually unmarked. I tried to follow the GPS, but it lead us astray. Finally I gave up and began asking for directions from local hotels. There are hundreds of small hotels and for a while no one knew of our hotel. Finally one guy got on the phone and called my hotel. He got off the phone and gave me a couple of left, right, left directions and said that the hotel owner would be waiting for me at the mosque. I did not see a mosque, I was concentrating on not hitting anyone or thing, but we did finally pick up signs for our hotel and arrived before dark. The owner's wife graciously gave us cold water from the refrigerator in the office (we are probably not the only travelers arriving parched); her husband followed us into the reception area shortly thereafter, and wanted to know why we had not met him at the mosque. I parked the car on a ridiculously steep incline and we moved into our "cave". The hotel and its rooms really were hollowed out of the inside of one the weird rock formations. The temperature was cool and we even had one window. We went up to the roof-top seating area and looked down upon an older couple (even older than me) who were harvesting peppers from their garden, which was housed in scores of large metal cooking oil cans. No common language, but he tossed up several peppers for us to eat.
We walked part of the way down the hill until we found a restaurant we liked, Sultan. Outdoor dining under star lit skies and finally a temperature that humans could comfortably exist in.
IV. The Tour
I got lazy and signed up for a tour the next day. I did not have a good feel for the area of where we were supposed to go. The sights seemed spread out and I was tired of driving. So after a roof-top buffet breakfast of what was the usual suspects: cukes, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, bread and lots of spreads, lots of cheeses and meats, watermelon, a potato dish cooked by the owner, a cooked egg dish and best of all, unlimited cold liquids, we were on the bus at 9:30. Lots of East Asians on the tour and contrary to advertising claims, way more than the promised maximum of 10 on the tour. After a stop at a viewpoint overlooking the valley, we took off for a lengthy ride to one of the many underground cites, Derinkuyu, in the area. This one went down 55 meters and 8 levels. It had a very large number of spacious rooms; pregnant women got their own area close to the bathrooms; and lots of connecting tunnels. Problem was that it seemed like all the tours came at the same time in the morning, so it was crowded. These underground cites were used by residents, many early Christians when they were persecuted, or later during war or other threatening events.
Then we went to a large monastery, Selime. One of the strange things about Turkey is that many of its antiquities are Christian in nature. Christianity spread here very early and although the Roman emperors attempted to stamp it out for about 3 centuries, when the empire recognized it under Constantine early in the 4th century, he moved the capital to what was ultimately called Constantinople and Asia Minor became a Christian strong hold. The Eastern Roman Empire evolved into the Byzantine Empire and acted as a Christian bulwark against Islam expansion out of the Middle East. However, ultimately the Byzantines were pushed back by various Central Asian tribes, most notably the Seljuks and ultimately destroyed by the Ottomans, who imposed Islam by persuasion. They also converted many churches to mosques. If you wanted a job or wanted to avoid the non-Muslim tax, you converted. So now Turkey is an overwhelmingly Islamic nation with a very large number of Christian antiquities.
After that we were taken to lunch. We ate with a young, newly married couple. He is an Egyptian who attended medical school in Germany and is now a resident there. She grew up in Eastern Turkey and now lives in Istanbul. She wore a head scarf and was dressed in modest, but not black, clothes. Our guess was that it was an arranged marriage, but they seemed very fond of each other. She was very outspoken about the Kurds and their "racist" political party [just as racist as the ultra nationalists about whom they complain], which in her mind was just advancing the interests of its leaders and drug smugglers, and not acting in the best interests of the Kurds or Turkey. She predicted that a coalition government would not be able to be formed and that President Erdogan, who inspires very strong emotions across Turkey, would call a new election after 45 days and that his AKP party would be returned to full power.
In the afternoon, we took off for the Ihlara Valley. This took us through a beautiful valley alongside a creek and through many Christian churches that had been built into the cliffs. We stopped at a tea house for a snack that was built over the creek. We finished up with a drive through Pigeon Valley. [In the very old days Christians kept them for food and communication. There were lots of pigeon houses carved into the rocks. More recently the residents kept them to use their droppings as fertilizer.] Then, a few more panoramic views of the valley and the inevitable visit to a jewelry factory and shop. It was a full day and we just ate snacks and drinks from the roof-top restaurant for dinner.
V. The Hikes
The next day we went out on our own to hike in Gorkundere ("Love") Valley where the morning sun's rays highlighted the rock formations. There we found many strange looking rock formations, many of which looked like very erect penises. Spoke for a bit with some young Danish hikers who were impressed by the fact that we had been in Copenhagen in the winter. We passed through what I thought was a melon field and after one broke off, I carried it back thinking I could have it for breakfast. Alas, it was an unripe pumpkin.
We had a light lunch at a cafe in Cavusin and then went to the Open Air Museum. This is a Unesco World Heritage site. Initially this was a site where Christians hid from the Romans, then a Byzantine monastic settlement, and later a pilgrimage site. It is a big complex of rock cut churches, monasteries and chapels. Many are fresco filled. One had an exhibit of work by a local photographer who died in an auto accident. Also hiked down to the 10th century Tokali Kilise, the area's biggest church.
We ate dinner outdoors at a nice restaurant on the other side of the valley. I had a lamb stew that was cooked in a clay pot and cracked open at our table. A bit of Benihana in Turkey and the end of our hard rock experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment