Day 35 - Don Curry travels 10,000 kilometers

After completing the travel program, Don Curry calculated the expected number of kilometers to be covered: a total of about 10,000 km. However, plans and reality often diverge. Even though Don Curry roughly followed the intended program, there were changes almost every day; some places were spontaneously visited, while others had to be skipped due to time constraints. Sometimes a destination had to be visited twice because there wasn't enough time during the first visit.

On today's day, the Ihlara Valley was spontaneously added to Don Curry's program. But before that, he wanted to visit a church in Güzelyurt: the so-called High Church, which stands prominently on a rock, clearly visible above its surroundings. It was not built during the time when Christians in Anatolia feared for their lives, but was constructed in its current form in 1894 as an Orthodox church for the Christian minority from Güzelyurt and the surrounding area. After the expulsion of the Greek inhabitants from Turkish soil, the High Church lost its congregation and its entire interior decoration. It is still an impressive structure today, but inside it is completely plain and empty.

Somewhat disappointed by this deserted church building, Don Curry returned to the Ihlara Valley. This time he went to the village of Belisirma, parked in front of one of the numerous restaurants by the river, and tried to use the admission ticket from yesterday, which had hardly been used. Unfortunately, it was not valid. Don Curry had to pay another €5.50. Today, the valley stretched out before him in full sunshine, and Don Curry enjoyed his varied walk along the riverbank. He easily found both churches that had been closed yesterday, which were truly worth the second visit. Afterwards, he treated himself to a fresh pomegranate juice and a double tea in a pavilion built right above the river, equipped with carpets, cushions, and a 30 cm high table. Ducks and geese swam by right next to him, hoping to be fed.

Don Curry also climbed up to three more rock-cut churches. One of them was accompanied by an extensive necropolis. Then it was time for lunch. He chose one of the simple restaurants on the riverbank, but decided against the option of dining on cushions and preferred a proper table. He ordered Köfte once again, along with a large water; a tea was served to him in advance. Since the grill had to be fired up specifically for him, it took a while for the Köfte to be ready; they were then served with raw vegetables, onions, and a whole crispy flatbread. Since this was a tourist area, Don Curry paid €7 for the simple meal, but he was well satisfied.

When he bought the Ihlara ticket, he was informed that it was also valid for the Cathedral of Selime. As he left the valley, the ticket inspector reminded him once again. Selime was not on his itinerary, but it was exactly on the way. So Don Curry planned a short stop. As he approached Selime, he could already see from a distance the numerous fairy chimneys, which looked more like large pointed sugar cones here. He parked in front of the largest group of these sugar cones; the sign pointed to the Cathedral of Selime, which, of course, had to be found at the very top again. During the ascent, he noticed that almost all the sugar cones had been hollowed out and served different purposes: there was a stable, a winery, various storage rooms for grain, and a monastery. Above the monastery, he reached a spot where three large sugar cones could be reached: a chapel, a church, and the cathedral. In the cathedral, there were even monumental rock columns left standing, making it truly resemble a classical three-aisled church; there were also some remnants of frescoes.

During his exploration, Don Curry also observed a group of young women, almost all of them wearing full black veils that only left parts of their faces uncovered. However, they behaved just like their peers who were not veiled: constantly taking out their smartphones, taking selfies, striking poses when others took their pictures, and chatting with each other. Don Curry was pleased that the strict external attire did not have to affect the individuals underneath.

With a shock, Don Curry looked at his watch. He had spent far too much time exploring this unexpected cave treasure. He quickly reduced his remaining daily program drastically: he only made a short visit to the nearby city of Aksaray to admire the Leaning Minaret, which indeed leaned noticeably towards the road; then he hurried on to Ankara.

Mostly driving on highways, he made good progress, but the evening traffic jam on the 5-lane ring road around Ankara slowed him down considerably. Once again, he reached his hotel in the middle of Ankara's old town after dark. It was housed in an old han, a medieval guesthouse for the major caravan routes. When it was renovated, the originally open courtyard was closed off with a huge glass roof, so that it still retained its light-filled character during the day. The whole hotel and every single room felt almost like a museum, with artworks from the entire Asian region of the former caravans displayed or adorning the walls. So Don Curry shared his room with a life-sized Buddha head, an Indonesian wooden door painted with tigers, and three more works of art. He also enjoyed a breathtaking view of the glittering Ankara from his windows, spreading out far below the hill of the old town.

He skipped today's stroll through the old town. Instead, he preferred to dine at the hotel restaurant 'Safranhan', where he ordered grilled chicken fillets with fries and a Bomonti beer. As it quickly became quite chilly on the restaurant terrace with an even better view of Ankara, an attentive waiter lit the patio heater right next to Don's table. However, after that, Don Curry's food started to taste rather smoky.

Shortly before Ankara, Don Curry noticed on the Insignia's mileage display that he had already driven the ten thousandth kilometer during his journey today. More would still follow...