Stage 63: From Adana to Cappadocia

The next stage took us further to Cappadocia. Neither of us felt like sightseeing in Adana, so we decided to drive to Kapikaya Canyon in the morning since it was more or less on our way. We had nice weather there and took a hike through the canyon to a big waterfall. When we returned to the parking lot, we fed a stray dog the last piece of sausage, and it promptly lay down behind our car and refused to move.

During the rest of the drive, I was glad to not be the one driving. Due to the detour through Kapikaya Canyon, the navigation system led us through small mountain passes with potholes and snow for what felt like an eternity, but the roads were empty. After a good hour, we finally reached the D750, but the adventure wasn't over yet. Apparently, half of Turkey decided to have a family outing in the snow on a Sunday (with barbecues!). This resulted in thousands of cars parked on both sides of the road, causing kilometers of congestion. It was like the Black Forest High Road during peak season combined with crazy Turkish drivers. We had to switch drivers in Gülek after hours of concentration, and of course, I didn't have to deal with any traffic chaos and had good roads. Nevertheless, we arrived in Göreme, the most famous town in Cappadocia, in the dark. We found a great deal in a nice cave hotel. In the evening, we had a regional specialty called Testi-Kebab in the restaurant. It is a stew cooked for hours in a clay pot sealed with bread dough. Luckily, we were even served a flaming pot, which looked spectacular and is not done everywhere.

The next morning, the alarm went off at 5:45 am. We had booked affordable hot air balloon flights at sunrise through the same bus driver who had taken me from Pamukkale to Denizli. In our case, this meant being picked up from the hotel at 6:30 am at -7°C. With a few other sleepy people, we went to the take-off site, where surprisingly many balloons were being prepared. Around 20 people fit into one balloon, and we shared our compartment with a Korean. Throughout the entire ride, we were amazed by the breathtaking landscape surrounding us. The snow made everything even more magical. I must have taken at least 100 photos during the ride because everything looked so spectacular. After about an hour, we landed on a trailer attached to a car, so the people knew what they were doing. Afterwards, we received a certificate, a coffee, and 'champagne' that looked and tasted like Robby Bubble. A bus took us back to the hotel, where breakfast was waiting for us.

In the afternoon, we visited Derinkuyu, which is home to the largest underground city in the region. It was apparently built by the Hittites around 2000 BC and expanded by the Romans and Seljuks. The complex served as protection against invaders and could also accommodate animals in case of emergency, with sophisticated mechanisms such as round stone doors. There was also a 9 km tunnel connecting Derinkuyu to the neighboring underground city of Kaymakli. Depending on the source, between 3000 and 50000 people could live here.

In the afternoon, we continued to Ihlara Valley, which is known for its many cave churches. These churches were simply carved into the steep walls of the gorge and adorned with elaborate frescoes. The visit to a few caves could be combined with a snow hike through the valley. Upon returning to Göreme, we naturally had a nice dinner.

For our next and final day in Cappadocia, we planned a route to the most important sights in the region, all of which were very close to each other. We started with the Three Graces, which are considered landmarks of Ürgüp but are actually just standing around in the area. From there, we continued to Devrent Valley, also known as the Valley of Imagination. Many rock formations there encourage interpreting figures, and Laura loved climbing through the slippery and muddy valley. Most tourists only stop there for a photo. After an overpriced orange juice, we drove a few more kilometers to the city of Avanos, known for its pottery. We noticed a small shop where we had to buy a beautiful lantern that seemed too cheap for 1€. Even the owner did not accept the 5 lira tip and gave us two souvenirs instead. In a second shop, we met a German expatriate who produces pottery for a majority of the stores in Avanos with her Turkish husband. After a nice conversation, we also bought a bowl there. After a coffee, we continued to Love Valley, which is a popular stop for photos. It is a mystery why the valley with its 'fairy chimneys' is called that *cough*. In any case, the motto is exploited here for tourists, from a cheesy heart swing to paintable padlocks.

Göreme Open Air Museum was still on our list. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses cave churches that are among the oldest churches in the world. Then we visited the impressive Uchisar Castle, where the strong wind hit us, but the view on all sides was great! Our last point was Pigeon Valley, but we didn't see any pigeons or particularly impressive rock formations there. Maybe we were already saturated with the many impressions of the long day at that time. In the evening, we went to a good restaurant before our last night in Cappadocia. We both fell in love with this magical place, and our expectations were definitely exceeded!