Cappadocia: Land of early Christian settlements and REALLY DELICIOUS food

I have to admit I did little to no research on Cappadocia ("Kapadokya" in Turkish, which also happens to be the correct phonetic pronunciation) before arriving a few days ago. Aside from politely smiling and nodding when other travelers gasped, "Oh, you're going to Turkey? You HAVE to go to Cappadocia!", I knew next to nothing about the region. Luckily, my Type-A friends are all excellent travel planners and organized a great trip (thanks Erin!), so I got to go along for the ride. Turns out this is quite a spectacular place. Ancient geological formations, dubbed "fairy chimneys", spring up throughout deep desert valleys, and the modern town of Goreme, where we stayed (at the charming Rock Valley Pension), is surrounded by old city buildings carved into the rocks. Cappadocia also happens to be one of the major centers of early Christianity, and the Cappadocian Fathers of the 4th century were integral to the development of the religion.

We spent our time in Cappadocia exploring the region's ruins (once by sunrise hot-air balloon!), lounging by the pool, and eating the best meals we've had in Turkey to-date - sorry Istanbul, you've been outdone. And while the rest of our group did another day tour today, Keira and I decided we'd prefer a day of relaxation, hung back at the pension and got treated to a homemade lunch (complete with fresh walnuts right off the trees in the back yard) with Rock Valley's amazing staff. Bonus. Since both history and food are best shared through photos, I'll do my best to keep the narrative brief and share a few of my favorite snapshots with you.

Sunrise hot-air ballooning over Goreme was one of the highlights of my two months of traveling so far. The hot air balloon industry in Cappadocia is the biggest in the world, with 300 flyable days per year (as compared with England's 55). Butterfly Balloons picked us up at 5:30AM and, after a light breakfast of fresh fruit, Turkish bagels and coffee, whisked us out to the ballooning fields a few miles from town. There were at least fifty balloons taking off around us, and the scenery was absolutely stunning. The magical experience was enhanced by the fact that our pilot, Mustafa, could have had a second career as a stand-up comedian. His tour included some excellent quips, such as "Down to your right, you will see some fairy chimneys, the phallic-shaped rock formations. As this is a Muslim country, you will notice they are all circumcised." Cute. In addition to being funny, Mustafa was incredibly competent at steering the balloon - while there are no directional abilities, he can control the upward and downward movements with heat and therefore pick up different wind currents that blow in the desired direction of travel. There were times when we were no more than a meter off the ground, and other points where we were as high as 4,000 feet. And when we were done? Champagne. At 7:30AM. You hear that, Kellogg? What a morning.
Taking off:


Turkish flag balloons over the Cappadocian valleys:


I still can't believe I saw this with my own eyes...


Our balloon crew sharing a toast with Mustafa after a safe landing:



The Goreme Open Air Museum was another highlight of the trip. As I mentioned before, I didn't have a clue that Cappadocia was such an important region in Christian history (yep, it was even mentioned in the Bible!), so this was a great opportunity to do some good old-fashioned leaning. Ancient Goreme is comprised of above-ground structures (many of them churches) carved into the rocks, as well as massive underground cities where early Christians sought refuge from Roman attackers. Saint George, of "Saint George Slays the Dragon" lore, is from Cappadocia, and the earliest depictions in Christian art were found in the region - some of which we saw yesterday. The museum is spectacular, the artwork is incredibly well-preserved considering much of it is more than 1,000 years old, and there were plenty of opportunities to take ridiculous photos.
One of Goreme's carved churches (and Erin):


The interior of the Apple Church, with its multiple domes and geometric artwork:


Saint George doing his thing on a mural inside the Snake Church:


A ridiculous photo of everyone pretending to eat me:



After the museum, we hiked up to Sunset Point to enjoy the view (and some local wine). Adorable group shot to prove it (yes, Dave is the luckiest man in Turkey):



...and now it's time for some gratuitous food pics. Get psyched, food lovers. Goreme's restaurants are incredible, and incredibly inexpensive. Our priciest meal came in at less than $25 a person, complete with appetizers, main dishes, dessert, and four bottles of local Cappadocian wine. Prepare to feast your eyes, as we feasted our stomachs.
Clay pot beef kebab, shepherd salad and chicken shish from Goreme's Anatolia Kitchen:


Anatolia Kitchen's spinach and feta Turkish pide:


Turkish breakfast at Rock Valley Pension (included in the $16/night B&B rate!):


The incredible (and giant) meze platter at Topdeck Cave Restaurant, an adorable family-run place in Goreme where we had our best meal of the trip:


Topdeck Cave's bone-in braised lamb:


The wonderful family behind the delicious food at Topdeck Cave (the 12 and 17-year-old daughters are fantastic waitresses!):


Sharing lunch with the pension staff:



All in all, these few days in Cappadocia have been a wonderful detour to Central Anatolia. The people, the history, and the food have all proved incredible. While it will be sad to leave Rock Valley (Keira and I have been offered jobs as full-time waitstaff), we're looking forward to our next stop: a beach villa in Mediterranean resort town Guzelcamli. Until then, serefe (cheers). And Happy Labor Day.

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Location:Çerkez Sk,Göreme,Turkey