Hot Air Balloon Ride
A hot air balloon is one of the must-do activities in Cappadoccia to get a birds-eye view of the unique geology of the region. It is expensive (about $200 a person) but it is one of those splurges you must do or why bother making the trip. Years ago we took the kids to Alaska. We had used frequent flyer miles to fly to Anchorage and had done lots of planning on the most economical way to do the trip with five people. At one point I said to Bill, let’s not be scrooges on the activities – we many not come back again and what’s the point of spending all this money to get here and not really see things. So we said each person got to do one really cool activity. I took Eleni and George and we flew in a small plane up to Mt. Denali and landed at the base camp. Bill and Brian went salmon fishing. I have no idea what those excursions cost but we all remember them vividly.
Our wake-up call was scheduled for 4:15 with a hotel pickup around 4:45. Everyone signs in with their name at the Balloon office so that they can print a certificate – there are no liability waivers to sign. Then it’s a short ride to the area where the balloons are starting to get filled. There are four compartments in each basket with four people max per compartment. When our balloon was full, we climbed up into our compartment. Then up we go – before the sun has really risen. Things were hazy and somewhat grey until the sun really rose. The pilot controlled the direction and height of the balloon drifting downwind. It was very quiet except for the sounds of gas burners on the balloons. When we were done, our pilot landed the balloon right on its trailer. Very smooth takeoff and landing. The tradition is to serve champagne and cake afterwards. We used Butterfly Balloons and we were happy with them. Though, I don’t think there is much difference. They all take off from the same general area and same time.
Goreme is a lovely village with appropriate tourist amenities but it isn’t tacky and is centrally located to see the treasures of Cappadoccia.
Cappadoccia has so many early Christian relics – cave churches, monasteries and early Christian homes. The focus of the tours was more on this history and less on more recent Ottoman empire. The local population is primarily Muslim and the calls to prayer ring out five times a day. Our guide took 10 minutes during our busy day to wash up and run into a nearby mosque while we did a little shopping.
Goreme is a Unesco Heritage Site. We went to visit the Goreme Open Air Museum late in the afternoon, hoping the crowds would be gone and the sun lower in the sky. It was still busy when we first arrived with hordes of school children crowding into the small caves. We checked out several of the most well-known chapels – St. Barbara, St. Basil, the Apple Church and the Dark Church. Most were built in the 11th century and are decorated with clear frescoes and red geometrical patterns.
The best of all the rest was the Karanlik Kilise (the Dark Church). With a separate extra entrance fee there was no one but us in this church with its well preserved frescoes. It had only one window and had been used as a pigeon coop for many years – both contributing to the excellent condition of the painted frescoes depicting the life of Jesus. We were able to snap a few pictures – not sure why the guard let us but I think we took too many and he was a bit put out by the time we left.
We walked home from the Museum, enjoying the warm colors of the late afternoon as they turned the rocks a golden color. Enjoyed a beer at a tavern overlooking the site below.
On our walk back to the hotel, this was the view across the street as the sun was setting.
Stopped and had some beer to enjoy the view from the “Panorama Cafe”
