Weather: Sunny and warm
Photo: Passing through the Taurus Mountains with the obvious snow line.
Photo: Showing the underground cave homes.
Photo: The lovely lady who made the colourful home-made dolls.
Photos: Homes carved out of volcanic rock.
Photo: Desley and Cameron with the pot ready to be cut. Note the red wine...it has been many days since any alcohol has been able to be served with dinner!
Temperature: low twenties
We knew today was going to be a long day as the itinerary said 6.5 hours driving time. We had stocked up on some dried fruit, nuts, chips etc after dinner last night in readiness for the long haul.
The drive passed fertile farms with intense green when we were heading west however the farms gave way to more arid land as we headed north and went higher into the Taurus Mountains. The mountains still had snow on them in the distance and the snow line was evident on the hillsides with cultivated fir farms just beneath.
The houses were obviously different due to the severe winter weather and the roofs were built steeply to cope with heavy snowfalls. They were a stark contrast to the flat roof houses we have seen all along the way.
We stopped for an early lunch at a service station an hour out of Nigde. It was a quick stop as we had a schedule to meet and we were on our way to meet our guide’s boss in Nigde. The owner hosted us to a cay (tea), asked us questions and vice versa and then we were onto Derinkuyu Underground City. Along the way the farms were quite diverse and crops included pumpkins and potatoes.
Ergun, our very honest guide told us that they have to choose which underground areas to visit as Americans are much bigger people and consequently wider passages have to be chosen. I’m not sure what the only American on board thought! Fortunately, even after all the food we have eaten we managed to fit in the smaller passages.
We were in for a fabulous surprise with Derinkuyu as we spent about two hours exploring the multi-layers of this refuge for ancient civilisations in times of invasion. The Hittites have been reputed to have been living in these dwellings since 4000 BC and they have been expanded over time when required. The city could hold ten thousand people over four square kilometres.
On the first level were the stables with water troughs – every first level was given over to the animals and served as an early warning system. The second level was the kitchen where food was slowly cooked with a meagre fire to minimise being detected. Three chimneys were seen in this particular kitchen which lead up to pumice stone in the chimney which diffused the smoke to the outside.
There were many stairs (one member counted 113 in one section which also was very narrow and small) and convoluted rooms and levels which were quite confusing. Most remarkable was the effort that the people took to carve out of rock the many rooms, stairs and even a cross-like church. There were various manners of defence including a large stone door which could be pushed across the tunnel and traps which would have been impossible to spot in the dimly lit conditions.
After visiting the missionary school on a level near the exit the lights went out for about ten seconds. I stood stock still – everything was pitch black until people pulled out mobile phones and torches. I’m not sure how often this happens but it sure gave us a good idea of how dark it was for the inhabitants.
One of our fellow travellers described the tunnelled houses as a human ant farm…..and I couldn’t have agreed more!
There were little souvenir shops just outside which sold everything from tablecloths, magnets, postcards….you name it! There were local ladies selling home-made dolls and they were gorgeous so I purchased one and hopefully have a great picture of the lady who made it. Desley finally found a great tablecloth.
The next stop was to a wine tasting centre overlooking the Red Valley our guide very aptly described as Arizona! The sun produced a yellow glow over the rocky surfaces and we all snapped away before entering the building for the tasting. We tried three different wines….they became progressively better and we purchased a red to have on tour for any other wonderful sunsets where we can sit and take in the scenery.
Following the road down into Goreme we pulled over to see the houses which had been carved out of eroded volcanic material. They are no longer lived in as the inhabitants were relocated by the government in the 1950’s. Winding our way down the road we pulled into Goreme Panoramic Lookout to view the fairy houses and Red Valley as the backdrop. The unusual homes were starting to light up with the fading daylight and we could see why they are called fairy houses.
It was then onto Kapadokya Ballooning to pay for our tickets for our hot air balloon ride in the morning. The rides are not cheap at two hundred dollars each however everyone who we have met has said it is an experience not to be missed.
We strolled through Goreme and made our way back to the restaurant for the evening. At last we were going to try a dish we had seen in Istanbul and which had intrigued us greatly. A waiter delivers a pottery pot to the table and with a large knife cuts through the middle where a line has been baked in the pottery process. I ordered chicken and David had the lamb. The slow cooking produces a wonderfully tender mixture however I could not do it justice as I wasn’t particularly hungry. By this stage David was quite unwell with a head cold and needed to get back to the hotel room.
It had been a very long day and the thought of an afternoon off tomorrow afternoon seems really appealing!
Tomorrow morning we are to meet in the lobby for a 5.40am pick-up to our ballooning adventure…..expect some spectacular photos!
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