Cappadocia Region, best hike ever!

Today proved to be quite intriguing. Despite our plans for a sunrise balloon ride being dashed yet again, we began with a fascinating visit to an underground city. Beneath the streets of various parts of Turkey, several networks of tunnels once sheltered thousands of residents seeking refuge from invaders and religious persecution. Turkey is known for its underground cities, with Derinkuyus, the one we visited, containing 14 floors, and capable of accommodating over 20,000 people.

Our day continued with a stop at a local market, where I purchased a piece of honeycomb for everyone to try. When Norm handed him $100 Lira, (about $4.24 CDN) our guide had to assist in explaining that I only wanted the honeycomb with a hint of honey, rather than a container full of honey. Apparently, $4.00 buys quite a bit of honey.

Next, we explored Pigeon Valley, named for its high population of pigeons. Since ancient times, pigeons have played a vital role in the Cappadocia region, providing food, fertilizer for infertile soil, and eggs for fresco paintings. The landscape is dotted with pigeon holes carved alongside the homes and churches to support the pigeon population. It is still a significant part of the local culture.

Imagination Valley provided an opportunity to wander around the rock formations, allowing our minds to imagine figures within the stones. I posted a photo of the camel.

Our hotel is within walking distance to Uçhisar castle so after a day of touring, Norm, Dana, Carmen and I walked up to the top. What a stunning and mind boggling view. Uçhisar means 'Outer Citadel' in Turkish and refers to the huge rock cone that is its central feature.

The Güvercinlik, "Pigeon" Valley connects the towns Göreme with Uçhisar. One can hike past fairy chimneys, pigeon houses and great views between the two, so rather than taking a cab to Goreme for supper we opted to hike the 40 minute trail.

I am so glad we did. This hike is amazing. Every turn took us to a new magical place with ever-changing views. A little over an hour into our hike we realized we were only half way with one hour left before sunset, so we picked up the pace a bit, as we sometimes had to guess which way to go.

Dana our fearless leader was navigating while his sister called to FaceTime for an update. Dana explained we were trying figure out which way to go on our hike. They are connected on Google Maps so she was able to follow along. At one point later on she messaged saying "you are going the wrong way", not realizing we were heading to the other town.
We arrived in Göreme before sunset, walked around and had a fabulous dinner with local wine to wrap up a great day.