Touring Capadoccia

Ortahisar

Friday, May 29.

Today’s program is an all day outing with a tour group, generally around the local area. The other interesting places and towns here are not far spread but just beyond easy walking (for us anyway). 

Thus, we are joining a 14 person mini-bus tour. Our bus arrives at 9am for which we are ready. The particular details of where we are going and why matter less than the visual records and experiences.

Mercedes seems to have cornered the small tour bus market. There is good headroom, visibility, remote control doors and even as small step which slides out when the door is open.

Median strips even in small provincial towns are well planted and looked after.

It is possible to take passable pictures through the bus windows.

Our charming guide for the day.

However, the more impressive sites are some of the rock churches located in the so called Open Air Museum, just outside Goreme. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. By now, even just on this trip, we have done a few of those. These churches go back to Byzantium as early monasteries and after that, refuges and sanctuaries from religious persecution. One interesting but perhaps trivial information is this. In the area around the churches (but elsewhere as well) there are small pigeon roosting niches or mini-caves cut into the rock face. Our guide tells us that the pigeon poo was used as fertiliser and the egg yolk as the traditional base for paint used for the church frescos.  

Even though almost any shape can be carved out of the rock, the forms still imitate built church spaces.

Our touring party is a lovely bunch of people. Within the first hour or so, social bonds emerge like little clouds on a blue sky. There is an Australian couple, from Toowoomba of all places who tell us we look familiar. We have to come clean. Then there are two Indian couples, an American lady, two young Singaporeans and a pair from Argentina.

The couple from Toowoomba.

Part of the tour includes a visit to a pottery works which includes a demonstration. The group are mostly mature adults who have a good idea how round pots are made. Nevertheless, we all sit patiently through the well practiced piece of theatre. Of course we are then expected to buy up big at never to be repeated special discounted prices which include insurance and shipping. Somehow, none of our group gets too excited to jump at the opportunity.

Our included lunch is a real mass catering affair. It looks like part of a large hotel. They have certainly secured the feeding contracts with just about every tour company around Cappadocia. It is buffet service of a good choice of dishes. Colourful touring groups keep turning over all the time. Our bunch has its own table which further binds the group socially. We even end up sharing a plate of desert cakes.

We start out with an overcast sky but with breaks of sunshine. We end the day with an almost tropical thunderstorm. We just manage to take in our last superb views over the valley in which Goreme nestles before we all have to run and cosy up inside. Fortunately this is our last venue. There are moments of serious thunder and vicious rain and wind. We get a bit wet but recover in a warm and colourful café, a little before boarding for ‘home’. Just as well we brought our rickety folding umbrella.

Some of the attractions at the shelter.

Back with our host who tells us the news from the balloon company that there will again be no flying tomorrow morning. Bad luck again but we will keep our fingers crossed. The weather is what the weather decides. We continue on to dinner at the same place we ate last night. As we meander on, an evil looking sky a few hours ago has produced sunshine and colour. We try some soup, followed by a shared plate of a mixed selection. It is all very flavoursome food, with a no frills presentation.

Our very unadorned dinner venue.

 Another great day in Cappadocia.