We woke up before 5:00 am for something special: a balloon ride over Cappadocia. We had tried the morning before, but the wind was too strong. I’ve never ridden in a hot air balloon, making this an extra unique experience. Any sleepiness from the early start was quickly quenched as we lifted off and drifted over the landscape we had explored the day before. How incredible! We drifted for an hour, covering about six miles over the alien landscape. We stopped back at our hotel for breakfast and checking out before beginning our long journey south. Much of the area […]
Tag Archives: Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a volcanic region. Volcanic eruptions from long ago covered the landscape with layers of ash (solidified into a material called tuff) and hardened lava. This eroded away over time, leaving interesting formations behind. A long time ago people came to live in the region, carving into the softer tuff layer. Most of the artificial caves were created in the last 1000ish years with people living in them, even today. We stopped at several places in the region this morning for a few encounters, including the Gorem Open-Air Museum where there are ancient homes and churches and the Fairy […]
Our Caravan Heads South
While Ankara is a large, modern city, its history goes back thousands of years. The ancient name of the city was Ancyra. We began our day visiting a stretch of ancient Roman road, covered by glass. A short stroll away was a temple to Augustus. The Romans extended a a temple to the regional goddess Cybele to also worship the emperor. A short drive away, we visited the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Unfortunately, most of it is being remodeled (due to be opened next week – arg!), so there wasn’t as much to see. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the sculptures, coins, […]