Accommodation - Kapadokya Lodge
It was another busy and great day in the Cappadocia area. We were on the bus at eight o'clock and firstly visited the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Zelve Open-Air Museum. Three deep valleys once housed a large civilisation in the dug-out honeycombed walls forming a cave town.
Christians and Muslims lived together in harmony until 1924 but the Christians were forced to leave because of an agreed population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The remaining Muslims were forced to leave in the 1950s due to the risks caused by erosions. The caves consist of dwellings, churches and a mosque. I'm currently reading "Birds with no Wings", an international best seller by Louis de Bernieres which documents the tragedy of the exchanges that took place in the 1920's.
We moved onto the master potter, Chez Galip's pottery business. He is called Einstein because of his resemblance with Einstein.
We were shown traditional pottery throwing and descriptions about the exquisite pattern making which adorned the wide range of beautiful pottery. Henk and I decided to buy a beautiful platter which is being sent to Brisbane.
On the way to lunch we stopped to view Cappadocia's Imagination Valley where the eroded rock formations form different shapes. Camel Rock is one of the well-known formations.
I got the men on our tour group to line up for a photo and only after did I show them the reason why! In this photo is John, our driver, Dennis, Brian, Mike, Lindsay and Henk.
At lunch we went to a private home where a local family prepared traditional fare. Henk and Brian helped prepare the dish under the guidance of the owner's daughter and it was fun to watch.
We sat on the back patio of the house and we were served a spicy soup followed by stuffed eggplant, dolmades and cold lentil patties in lettuce. It was delicious.
Following lunch we visited the Kaymakli Underground City. The city built in the hillside was used in Byzantine times to protect the people against Muslim Arabs between 700 and 1100AD. It has been used by other populations until the early 1900's. The underground rooms and tunnels are extensive and it was fascinating to walk through the area and see the sophistication of their underground life.
There was a church, rooms devoted to wine making, kitchens and large food storage areas. Only a fraction of the complex has been excavated. The tunnels linking the rooms are narrow and low and we spent the tour bending down to avoid hitting our heads.
On the way home we called into a Turkish jewellery shop. We were shown local stones including turquoise and zultanite a gemstone which changes colour in different light. By this time we were feeling tired and in need of a rest before dinner and the show we were booked to see. It will be a late night and an early start tomorrow morning.
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