Pashadag |
Goreme |
Balloon and the town of Uchisar in the distance |
Goreme: Kelebek Pension |
Balloons over Goreme |
Cappadocia: Painted church in the monastery |
Cappadocia: Another church at the monastery |
Pashadag, Cappadocia |
Pashadag: Stairs to a cave church |
Pashadag: Bob photographing nexting birds |
Pashadag: Bob down below |
Three Sisters: Guess which one is Mary Helen |
Uchisar, Cappadocia |
Uchisar camel |
Uchisar: My photo isn't crooked--the landscape is! |
Uchisar: Cave home in the distance |
Uchisar: Insinde the cave home |
Uchisar: The Turkish hospitality is great |
Zelve mosque |
Zelve cave formations: The frong has broken away |
Zelve cave rooms |
Zelve cave house door |
Zelve: Bob clilmbing into high cave rooms |
Zelve |
Zelve rock church |
Goreme Valley at New Year's 2008! |
A tomb at Pigeon Valley near Uchisar. |
A street in the town of Uchisar, Cappadocia. |
Goreme: Our cave room at Taskonak hotel. The name means "Stone Mansion". |
Goreme: The room has a hamam bowl in the bathroom. We were more interested in the jacuzzi! |
Goreme: This is Local Restaurant. We enjoyed a table near the fire. |
Goreme: Back at our cave room I enjoyed a glass of wine before hopping into the Jacuzzi. |
Another view of Goreme. |
Goreme: Bob at the Flinstone Bar--the sign said "Warm Place" but we didn't go in. |
Goreme: A pottery tree on our walk to the church valley. You can go inside and watch the potters if you wish. |
Goreme: Horseback riding in Cappadocia--the horses where frisky in the chill temps. We hiked the area in the background. |
Goreme: Inside the Apple Church. |
Goreme: Another fresco in the Apple Church (I think). |
Goreme: This church is known more for it's columns than it's art work. |
Goreme: We had to pay extra to go into the Dark Church, but it had some of the best frescoes. |
Goreme: They try to keep the number of visitors lower to protect the frescoes in the Dark Church. |
Goreme: I couldn't use flash on the frescoes. I turned my camera on timer and laid it on the ground to get the photos. |
Goreme: Sometimes I could use a wooden railing to steady the camera. |
Goreme: This is a frescoe of the nativity scene. Look closely for the stable animals. |
G10 years ago, you could go into this one for free, but now it's been somewhat renovated and you must show your ticket to go in. |
Goreme: We found a couple of friendly kittens living in a small cave room. They seemed to be well fed. |
Goreme: More interesting formations in the valley. |
Goreme: Breakfast at Taskonak--cheese, bread, fruits, olives, cereal, and boiled eggs. |
Goreme: Taskonak inside dining area--it was too cold for the terrace. |
Goreme: Another view of Goreme, from the Taskonak terrace. |
Goreme: It is a steep and narrow climb to the Taskonak restaurant and registration. No railing either. |
House perched on the hillside in old Belisirma. |
Carol and Bob in Ihlara Valley. The valley has a river surronded by sloping hillsides and then sheer cliffs. |
Ihlara Valley: The waterfall was frozen in place. |
River in the Ihlara Valley--yes, that is ice on the rocks! |
Ihlara Valley: Dark Gap Church. It looked like it may have been destroyed by a house-size boulder. |
The path through Ihlara valley was mostly flat, but wound through bolders in some parts. The shade would be nice in summer. |
Ihlara Valley: The entire valley was lined with cave rooms--homes, churches, tombs, and storage rooms. |
Ihlara Valley: Notice the door--a stone wheel that could be chocked from the inside to keep unwanted visitors out. |
A view of the village of Belisirma from the opposite side of the valley. |
Goreme: Orient House. I had the Marble Steak Flambe; Bob had lamb. |
Goreme: Three-cross church has 3 large crosses carved into the ceiling. A round one in the center... |
Goreme: And two long crosses on each side. |
Goreme: Much of our path was paved ice! |
Goreme: Rose Valley |
Goreme: We watched some other hikers on the ridge above Rose Valley. |
Goreme: A last look at Rose Valley. |
Goreme: Red Valley had a series of amazing tunnels we hiked through. |
Goreme: Mountains between Cappadocia and Adana--maybe some day we'll explore closer to home! |
The roads in Turkey aren't bad, it's the drivers. It's common to see lane markings ignored. |
Cappadocia: Feb 2008. The Three Sisters get a little snow! (Guess which one is Mary Helen). |
White snow in the high plains between Adana and Cappadocia |
Panoramic overlook of Goreme Valley before the "blizzard". |
Goreme: Our room in the cave hotel was very comfortable. The bed had a down comforter. |
Goreme: We really enjoyed our fireplace and could see it from the bed. |
Goreme: Traveller's Cave Hotel: Bob outside our room |
Goreme: A view of our hotel at night--It's between the bright lights below, and the fairy chimney in the top of the photo |
Goreme: A night view from the Traveller's Cave Hotel |
Goreme: The courtyard entrace of Travellers' Cave Hotel at night, in the snow. |
Goreme: A night view from our hotel |
Goreme: Our room was so nice...I was almost hoping we would be snowed in for a couple of days. |
Goreme: Lobby and restaurant of the Traveller's Cave Hotel |
Mushroom-like formations at Pasabag |
Pasabag--the snow keeps coming! |
Pasabag, Cappadocia |
Here is the Turkish spelling of Pashabah (which is how it sounds?) |
Goreme: Great lunch! Freshly baked pide with the topping of your choice right out of a wood oven--thanks Cappadocia Pide! |
Goreme: Bob had to get another dose of Testi Kabap. No, it's not Rocky Mtn Oysters; it's the name for the clay pot. |
Goreme: Something you won't see in the USA--the restaurant cat (with her owner). |
Goreme: I'm beginning to see why they call this Love Valley; it's pretty excited, oops I mean exciting! |
Goreme: Formation in Love Valley |
Goreme: Fairy castle formations in Love Valley |
Goreme: Fairy Castle formations in Love Valley |
Goreme: Another shot of Love Valley |
Goreme: Lisa and I are excited--we found a house made out of a giant Hershey Kiss! |
This is the Church and Monastery at Cavusin (Chavushin) |
The church was built in the 9th century. Bob at the entrance. |
More Cavusin Frescoes |
Frescoes inside the Cavusin Church |
Lisa inside the Cavusin Church trying to figure out how to work the timer. |
My favorite scene at the Cavusin Church |
There is a large pottery shop at the foot of the Cavusin Church where you can watch, or even try to make a pot. |
The potter's wheel in this part of Turkey is traditionally spun with the foot. |
Here are some of the finished products. I bought three candle jugs in different sizes similar to the one in Lisa's hand. |
These are replica's of Hittite pottery. The intricate designs are all hand-painted. |
Blue pottery in Cavusin. |
The large Hittite dish in the center is normally 6,000 YTL--but today was half price day so it was only 3,000 YTL. :-) |
Goreme: The view from our hotel after several inches of snow accumulated. |
Goreme: We had the benefit of all-wheel drive, but not Rich in his family van. However, we all made it home safely. |
The view of Uchisar in the snow was spectacular! |
This is the other side of Uchisar. I was surprised to find a "Ship of the Desert" in the middle of a snow field. |
Goreme: Balloons as seen from our window in the morning. |
The sky over Goreme is filled with balloons at 0630 on Saturday morning. |
Goreme: Balloons |
Goreme: Balloon |
Goreme: Every dog has his day--settee on the terrace |
Goreme: View from the terrace at the Traveller's Cave Hotel |
Uchisar: Poppy |
Goreme: It's carpet washing day at the cave hotel. |
Goreme: Sprinkling soap on the carpet. Brushes and squeegies are the cleaning tools. |
Goreme: Looking down, towards are room on the right. |
Goreme: Even our bathroom window had a great view of Goreme and Rose Valley |
Goreme: Bob enjoying his morning coffee outside our room. |
Goreme: The windows near the top of the hill belong to our room. |
Goreme: Buying an old goat bell at the market--I think I found a birthday present for Bob! |
Goreme: Carpet shop owner in Goreme (upper right) preparing for the summer crowds. |
Goreme: If the price of gas keeps rising, everyone will need a horse and cart to get around. |
Goreme: Spring thunderboomers in the evenings. |
Goreme: The inside dining area on a cool morning--views are still great and so was the company. |
Goreme: Here is the "company"--a Turkish Van cat with one blue and one green eye. |
Goreme: This little fellow was a real charmer. |
Goreme: What a sweetie. |
Goreme: Formation near the entrance of Pigeon Valley |
Goreme: Sign to a church and a favorite hotel with some of the backpacker crowd. |
Goreme: Yusuf Koc Church in Pigeon Valley. You may have to get a key from the keeper to get in. |
Uchisar: Poppy on a Pigeon Valley overlook. |
Uchisar: Flowers with Rose and Red Valleys in the distance |
Uchisar: Cart on the roadside |
Uchisar: Shaping building stones by hand with a metal scraper |
Uchisar: Ruins on the hill below Uchisar |
Uchisar: Kilim Hotel in Uchisar |
Uchisar: This lady was using a metal tool and a short broom to clean grass from the cracks of the road |
Uchisar: Stairs to the castle |
A shop in Uchisar |
Uchisar: The fortress, carved out of the solid rock, at Uchisar |
Uchisar: Dried fruits and nuts in the Uchisar town square |
Uchisar: Last set of steps to get to the top of the fortress. |
Uchisar: The second fairy chimney on the right is where I bought a beautiful turquose necklace last June. |
Uchisar: Cannonballs |
Uchisar: Mixed pide or Turkish pizza |
Uchisar: Pigeon holes in Pigeon Valley. Luckily for Bob my battery ran down so I didn't get many photos of the valley |
Time to head home--another bad traffic jam |
Storks are common here |
Migrant camp near a river. There is a water cart in the center. |
Oleanders grow wild in Turkey |
Beautiful river in the Aladag mountains north of Kozan and Feke |
Wildflowers at the entrance to Zimi Valley |
Zemi Valley: A mother horse and her foal in the valley |
Zemi Valley: We hiked through some tunnels. We followed this small stream much of the way, making the walk a little muddy. |
Me in Zimi Valley |
Zemi Valley: One of the churches near the end of the valley--Nativity scene |
Zemi Valley: Crucifiction in the rock church |
Goreme and me |
Bob and Goreme |
Hoopoe (Ibibek) bird. The crest can be opened like a Cockatiel's. This one was picking grubs out of a manure pie. |
Wildflowers with Uchisar in the background |
Balloons over Cappadocia |
Sarihan |
Dome above the stage area where the do Mevlana dances--we just came to see the building |
Archways at the Sarihan. |
Avanos street cleaners. They roamed the streets eating fallen leaves. |
Avanos: This lady was cooking up a large pot of tomatoes and other vegetables |
Pottery shops in Avanos |
More shops in Avanos |
Roman fortress at Ortahisar |
Dolls from the village of Soganli for sale in Ortahisar |
Tunnel in the Ortahisar fortress. |
Young folks at the top of the fortress, Ortahisar |
Traveler's Cave Hotel: Hotel dog sitting on top of the cave rooms |
Goreme: Gate to a farm yard with a warning that there is a dog. |
A tortoise in Pigeon Valley |
Goreme: This kitten found a sunbeam to warm up in among the tables. |
On the way home Bob stopped to let me photograph this small yurt. The shepherd's dog is near the center of the photo. |
Large herd crossing the road. |
Many of the poplar trees were turning gold in the mountains. |