turkey; cappadocia

{Saturday November 2}

I got up around 7 this morning, had a shower and then we went to the dining room for breakfast. I was quite excited to see French toast this morning. After breakfast we went for a little walk out to the back of the hotel, where there is a really nice pool area. 

We met our group at 8:15 to get our day started. We will have a very full day today so hopefully we can keep on schedule. 

Fairy Chimneys of Goreme

Our first stop this morning will be at the fairy chimneys of Goreme. The chimneys were formed by a volcano (2005m high) that erupted basalt stones and volcanic ash thousands of years ago.  The elements consumed the ash, but basalt is very hard so it remained.  The Christians carved out the rocks, forming churches and living in the rocks between the 4th and 14th century.  It is extremely unique landscape and really quite stunning. I feel like we barely had enough time to take it in, but most of the stops have been a whirlwind. I really enjoyed exploring the area. 

Tree hanging with all-seeing eyes

From Goreme, it was a short drive to the Turkish bath at 10am.  We started by getting an explanation of what the Turkish bath would include, then we were led downstairs to the woman's section, and got changed.  Not changed really, as all we had was to wrap a plaid cotton shawl around ourselves.  From there we went to a seating area to relax and have face masks applied. Once we had our face masks we went to the sauna for approx ten minutes. From the sauna, we showered to remove the face mask and cleanse our open pores. From there, we went into the Turkish bath. We laid on the warm marble in the center, and then the ladies came to scrub and wash us. She started by dumping bowls of warm water me. Then she had an exfoliating mitten that she wore to scrub me all down, and then once she finished that she had some really bubbly soap that she massaged all over me. It was very slippery, and she gave me an excellent massage. Especially through my shoulders, it felt half ways between painful and wonderful. After the Turkish bath, we showered again and then went in the swimming pool for ten minutes. After that, we went to a lounge area to rest and we were served apple tea.  We were then, unfortunately, all finished our Turkish bath.. 

After a quick drive up the hill to a scenic lookout, we decided on having lunch in town and exploring for an hour instead of a sit down meal.  Mom and I went for a walk around the town and looked at some of the chimneys that have had homes or hotels built into them. It would be pretty awesome to stay there for a night. The scenery is absolutely stunning. It's almost like the badlands in Alberta, but softer looking and with little windows cut out everywhere. 

Underground city

After our lunch break, we left for our visit to the underground city, where early Hittite Christians sought refuge from persecution.  The Romans, ottomans, and several other populations have also used the caves.  There were eventually 6 layers as the populations shifted, but two layers have been lost as they have filled with dust and sediment.  It was very interesting to see; the living quarters were very confined so it's not a place I would envy living.  There were several short, narrow tunnels that connected the various areas and levels.  The city goes down 80m, but we didn't go down the whole way. 

After our visit to the underground city, we went to visit a rug maker. They have a school set up so that ladies from the villages can learn to weave carpets for one year, and then work under contract to them. This helps so that the little villages don't get undercut by the middlemen and it creates fair trade. It takes between 6 months and 15 months, sometimes more, to make one carpet.  They explained the knot (double knot) that they use versus the single knot of the Persian rugs. The single knot does not hold up as well; the double knot of the Turkish rugs creates a rug that will stand up to wear and discoloration for a guaranteed 250 years (if you're still around to claim it). We also saw how they make the silk by boiling the cocoons and gathering the silk filaments together. That was definitely very interesting to me. From there, we went to their massive showroom and they started pulling out carpet after carpet and laying them all over the floor. There was one that I loved, but it was mercerized cotton rather than wool or silk, so it would only last 50 years or so. I will wait until I have a place to put it before I worry about getting a heirloom rug. 

We then went just around the corner to our hotel and got there shortly after 5. We have about 3 hours free to relax and have dinner, and then we will head out again at 8pm.

Most of our group is going to a folklore evening tonight, but mom and I are going to walk around the town and explore. When our driver dropped us off we weren't sure what time we would be leaving in the morning, so through sign language and typing numbers on his cell phone, we figured out 6:30.  

Our first stop in town was at a neat little pottery shop. They actually make pottery there, and we saw the man working on a small vase. The shop reminded me of the underground city; you walked in the front to a small storefront, then at the back you went down a couple steps through a tunnel to another room, them you could turn around and there was yet another room. It was very interesting. I got a mug and mom got a really pretty plate that she can put on her plate holder. 

After the pottery shop we went to a grocery store. This one was a lot bigger than any of the other ones we've seen but it still was very small compared to our grocery stores. We had a look around and saw lots of unique things, for example pomegranate vinegar. There was also an entire aisle of tea; some of the bags were like medium sized flour bags, and yet only 9.90 lira.  From the grocery store it was only about a 10 minute walk back to the hotel.  I'm glad it wasn't much further because it was quite chilly. We have been very lucky with our weather; it's been very warm (mid 20s C) most of our time here. 

When we got back to the hotel, we got ready for bed as we will have another early start tomorrow. 

J. 

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