Turkey 2011, Days 6-10 Cappedocia

Another early morning: we were up to catch the sunrise from a balloon over Cappedocia,  My only response is "Wow! This is amazing!".  Floating over the ferry chimneys is surreal, almost unbelievable.

Also in Cappedocia we had "A Day in the Life" part of the tour where we visit no tourist attractions but meet locals plus more.  Those who have traveled with this tour company to other locations say this is a highlight of previous trips.

We were up long before sunrise on the first day to catch the flight from Istanbul to Keysari.  This took us from the far west of the country to almost the exact center.

The pre-sunrise wakeup for the second day in a row had us a bit leery but this day has turned out to be our favorite so far.

It began with a balloon ride over Cappedocia, certainly one of the most unusual landscapes in the world.  Diane wasn't sure about this trip add-on before we left but came back saying it was worth the long flight to Turkey.  I was less articulate, repeating over and over "Wow!"

We met a mayor of a small village here in central Turkey to learn what life is like for rural people.  We then went to a small town farmer's market to shop for the equivalent to a "bottle of wine" for the family that hosted our lunch in her home.  Ever seen a head of cabbage that is literally 18" in diameter?  How about 5 varieties of eggplant, my new favorite vegetable?  The food was delicious and we laughed with our host trying to talk together with no common language and no guide to translate. Think Pictionary with no way to draw pictures!

We also visited an artisan potter for a demonstration of techniques for turning clay used by his family for 16 generations.  Someone please do the math and tell me how many years that's been.

While here, the group bought us a gift to celebrate our engagement.  Not sure how we are going to get it home.  Since it"s boxed and taped in bubble wrap, I had no idea what it actually looked like.  Diane did but I'll let her tell the story of how she was tricked into picking it.

We went to a carpet making school and learned everything about how to make the beautiful Turkish carpet.  From tying the knots to dying the threads to harvesting and spinning the silk treads. It was a great learning experience.  It's a government sponsored school/cooperative that empowers women to earn a better than average wage working at home.

The most impressive carpet we saw was a beautiful green and yellow silk on silk that changed color as we walked around it.  That one was a mere $250,000.  I was afraid to walk on it.

We also learned the sales process.  They were low pressure compared to the sellers in Istanbul.  We picked a small one and had it shipped home.

In the afternoon I went for a hike in the country while D rested her foot by the pool reading her book and enjoying a glass of wine.  The hike took me near eroded cliffs that reminded of the Grand Canyon and to the top of a huge rock outcropping 1500' above the surrounding landscape for a terrific view.

Click the images below to start slideshows for days 6-8 and 9-10.  Enjoy!

Here's a link to all our photos for this portion of the trip. From here you can see more photos and even print the few you like.