Arriving
somewhere new late at night and in the dark is always exciting, and Cappadocia
is no different. The limited glimpses I got of buildings and road signs from inside
the transfer bus from the airport to Goreme only made it more exciting.
My first morning
in Cappadocia started suddenly with the loud and insistent mooing of a local
cow. I looked out of the window and was amazed by what lay before me. It’s not
every day you come across a view so unique you want to drink in every detail. Across
the part of Goreme that fell in view I saw homes and livestock buildings dotted
between a few fairy chimneys – the ones you see in the pictures, right outside
the room. Behind them were sculpted hillsides eroded by the wind.
As if that wasn’t
enough, a loud roar of air made me look up to the sky where a hot air balloon
drifted past just overhead.
Of course, I had
to see more. A few large terraces in the hotel became viewing platforms and
from the other side of my cave I had a view over the whole of Goreme town, the
carved-looking hillside behind, and a sky full of hot air balloons. There must
have been about 30.
I’m not used to
seeing hot air balloons, certainly not up close and not in such numbers. They
have always struck me as a bit of a miracle of flight. How can something that
size and shape fly? A sky full of them floating over my head in the early dawn
light only served to make Cappadocia seem even more magical.
Over the years I’ve
certainly learned how delicious Turkish food is and how very friendly and hospitable
Turkish people are. This first impression of Cappadocia only made me more
excited about exploring the region and getting to know it better.
Have you been to
Cappadocia? What was your first impression?
