Cappadocia, Turkey

When a person hears the name "Cappadocia", one image- and one image only- immediately pops up in his or her head- hot air balloons in multicolored stripes floating atop a spectacular rocky expanse. I had always seen pictures of the aforementioned image in various websites, books and television shows, and was thrilled to learn that I would be heading to the very region these images were set in. After a few days in Istanbul, my family and I flew to Cappadocia, Turkey, where we would experience many "firsts" of our lives- our first time on a hot air balloon, our first time living in a cave, and our first time eating baklava.

The hotel
Cave hotels are ubiquitous in Cappadocia, and we figured it would be an opportunity wasted if we did not stay in one of these ourselves. We stayed at the Yunak Evleri hotel in Urgup. The hotel was just as I'd imagined it to be. The room that we stayed in was toasty and quaint. Although it was extremely frigid outside, the heaters worked wonders and the room remained insulated and warm. The bathroom was also very modern, which came as a shock to me as the room itself looked as though I truly was living in a cave. It was definitely one of the most, if not the most, unique hotels I've stayed at.

The people at the hotel were extremely accommodating, and went to every length they could to make us feel comfortable. If I recall correctly, the hotel that we stayed at was family-run, and the warm, friendly atmosphere was apparent throughout our stay.

Below: The sign of the hotel we stayed at

Below: An image of our room in the cave hotel (the living room which had two extra beds placed in it)

Below: The bedroom 

Below: The bathroom

The people
I cannot write this blog post without commenting on how friendly and kind everyone was in Cappadocia. Our tour guide and driver in particular were always so cordial and approachable. An exchange that still resonates with me to this day would be when we were all eating lunch and decided to try some traditional baclava. The driver, who was in his sixties and had a plump face that never stopped smiling, commented "my new baby granddaughter is sweet like this baclava". This simple, endearing exchange caused laughter to erupt in our table.

Hot Air Ballooning
We rose quite literally at the crack of dawn on our first full day there- it seemed as though we beat the sun in waking up. We stacked layers upon layers of clothes on, as we knew that it would be absolutely frigid in the hot air balloon (wow oxymoron much?). As we arrived at the hot air ballooning site, we were shuttled onto a van that brought us, along with other tourists, to the hot air balloons. The first few minutes were spectacular- just as I had imagined it would be. The snowcapped fairy chimneys were clearly visible from the hot air balloons, and the sun was beginning to rise. After a few minutes, the cold air that kept slapping across our faces rendered my whole body numb, and it got harder and harder to concentrate on the breathtaking view. Nonetheless, my experience was as magical as I had imagined it to be, although I would recommend bringing a blanket or some sort of heat pack if you're going in the winter time.
Below: The hot air balloon that my family and I rode in 

Below: Our view from the hot air balloon

Göreme
Göreme is a beautiful town in Cappadocia that is famed for its' fairy chimney-filled expanse. Since we visited Cappadocia in February, Goreme National Park was blanketed under powdery snow, which made the views even more spectacular. There is a lot of Byzantine artwork on the rock sites within the troglodyte dwellings that is said to date back to the 4th century.

Below: The Goreme sign

Below: The snow-capped mountains of Goreme

Below: A photo of me and my sister

Below: The landscape of Goreme

Below: My sister getting Turkish ice cream 

Below: The caves in Goreme National Park

Below: Examples of Byzantine art

Below: A picture of my family

  
Below: Me in front of some fairy chimneys

Cave dwellings
On our first day in Cappadocia, we went on a tour to explore the cave dwellings that scatter the region. I learned from the tour guide that thousands of years ago, the denizens of this region began carving tunnel complexes and houses from the soft rocks of the expanse. These man made caves eventually formed entire towns, and house beautiful Byzantine frescoed artwork that have been there since the 7th century.

Below: The view from one of the cave houses 

Below: Me and my family in the cave house kitchen 

Below: An example of the beautiful Byzantine style artwork in the caves

Basic phrases:
Hi: Selam/ Merhaba
Bye: Hoscakal
How are you?: Nasilsiniz?
Good morning: Gunaydin

**NOTE: This blog post is mainly filled with photos. The blog post on Istanbul, which will be posted in a few weeks, will delve further into Turkish culture and history.