Answering the constant questions from Abby about going to Cappodocia has led me to define it as so: a region (no, not a province or state) in Central Turkey that features a collection of cities and towns that contain a number of very popular tourist sites and activities. So, are we staying in Cappadocia tonight? Yes, in Goreme. Is that in Cappadocia? Yes. The province? No.... Argh....
Suffice to say, we were headed for one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey - a place that has a very unique topography and history. Let's just pretend I never said Cappadocia.... We were headed to the little town of Goreme.
But first, we had to get to the airport. The domestic airline we were flying, Pegasys, flies out of the airport way down below the Asian side of Istanbul. To get there, we would have to struggle through quite a bit of traffic until we crossed the Bosphorus. Too bad we had already eaten breakfast, there were dozens of guys selling simit and bottles of water on the regular jam leading up to the bridge.
Flight #27... Come on down..... You're the next contestant on the "Trip of a Lifetime" show! Unfortunately, even after checking in online last night for the 11:50am flight, when we showed up to have our bags taken, the discount airline check-in woman told us "no, flight is at 1:30pm". Ok then. I guess I had time to finish a blog post and hang out at Starbucks with Beth, pretending we were alone at the airport (oh, how lame fantasies have gotten these days :-)).
We were picked up at the airport like clockwork and shuffled into a large transport van with eight other people. From what I have seen in Turkey so far, they have this whole tourism thing down to a science. Other than Pegasys, things are on time, efficient, professional and hassle free.
We arrived in the small town of Goreme an hour later, at about four. Goreme has a population of just 2,100 people, with approximately 5,000 hotels, 10,000 restaurants, 15,000 shops and 30,000 ballooning companies. Those last few numbers are exaggerated of course, but you get the idea. Despite it being a tourist town, it is lovely. The whole town is carved into the side of a mountain and just about every hotel has the word "cave" in it.
We chose Hidden Cave Hotel and were immediately pleased with our choice. The kids have been looking forward to staying in "the cave hotel" for a long time, and it seemed to meet their expectations. It's sneaky big, with lots of nooks and crannies and an excellent terrace. The room is carved into the side of the hill and it is massive - two "bedrooms", a huge living room and large bathroom with separate bath and shower sections.
Oddly, it even included a crib.....
The kids were off in space while Beth and I went out to check out tour options for the next few days. The guy at the front desk, Ahmet, who had been very helpful leading up to our trip, was great. Within minutes, we'd digested his entire knowledge of the area and had a plan! Cappodocia has organized, set price, non competing day tours that are run by the entire tourist association. They have crazy names like the "red tour", "green tour" etc. I jest, but really, this is another finer point where the Turks have done things well - why use hard to remember names for tours or operate and sell a wide variety of tours that all basically do the same thing.... Here, it's easy peesy, Japaneesy. Wow, that sounds even weirder when you write it out.....
Maybe the most important task was to find some wine and beer (Hoegarden!) and chill out in the sitting area in front of our room. Check check!
We searched high and low and managed to find a restaurant! Actually, you can't walk twenty meters in the town without passing a delicious looking Turkish restaurant. We've pretty much been ordering food here "family style" as there is so much to choose from, and tonight was no exception.
The little town is lit up very nicely at night, including the nearby mosque minaret that was awash in green light. Our hotel looked even better at night all lit up with floor lights and wall sconces throughout. We have a very early morning tomorrow, so we quickly got ready for bed and watched a little Fear of the Walking Dead, yet another zombie series that Probir has remotely hooked us on!
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