Cappadocia is one of nature’s wonders
Cappadocia in Turkey has one of the most amazing landscapes I have ever seen. From the colors of the mountains to the deep valleys, you can hike here for days. Göreme National park, listed on the UNESCO heritage list, is worth visiting.
The landscape
Imagine that you are walking into a film set where they have made artificial mountains colored in pink and yellow and rocks shaped like men’s body parts standing up in the air. This is how it felt like when I walked into the Valleys of Love, Rose, Red, White, and more. You will hardly believe your own eyes—one of the strangest places I have ever seen.
Over millennia erosion by water has carved and formed the ash of volcanic eruptions into enormous valleys filled with strange formations. The rock was so soft that it was easy for people who needed a shelter to hide there, to dig out homes on the hillsides. They also dug out whole villages underground to hide and live.
I arrived here on December 24th, 2019. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day. I had pre-booked a balloon ride the following day, but because of the wind, they canceled it. To Ride in a balloon is one of the “must-do” things in Cappadocia. Therefore, my disappointment was evident. The plan was to rise in the balloon at seven o’clock on Christmas day.
However, despite the wind, nothing stopped me from exploring the area on foot. I started in the Valley of Love and walked through one valley after another. They were all so different in both color and atmosphere. To see the remains of old dwellings carved out on the hillside almost gave an impression of the Flintstones. With organic rounded entrances and windows.
Uçhisar
When I was walking Love Valley upward, I could see Uçhisar, a castle-mountain village crowning at the top. Here you will find many hotels and restaurants, but there were not many tourists since it was midwinter.
Göreme
Göreme was the village I stayed in, while in Cappadocia. I had a cave room in a lovely small hotel.
I regretted that I had booked a ticket already the next day for my ongoing journey. One day I would love to try a balloon ride and visit one of the underground cities. Most likely, I will be back and spend more days in these fantastic surroundings.
