Church on Sunday

We spent Saturday night in Göreme, a small town in the heart of Cappadoccia.  This region was home to early christians for hundreds of years.  They used caves and undergound chambers to hide from persecutors.  There is an underground city nearby, that we were not able to visit, that was home to thousands.  The geology of the area is very unique and adds to the region's charm.

We planned to be up at sunrise to watch the balloons take to the air and so set our alarms for 5 am.  After getting up, we walked to a ridge above the town called sunset point to watch the balloons.  By the time we arrived, there were about 100 balloons in the sky.  Many were far off, but a few passed very close to our location.  The morning was very still and quiet, except for the hissing of the gas jets firing in the balloons.  We watched until most of the balloons landed, then went back to our cave for a nap.

After rising again, we had breakfast, packed, and then set out for the Göreme Open Air Museum located about 2 km from our hotel.  The museum is a small region containing dozens of man-made caves carved into the soft rock.  They were used for a variety of specific functions including food storage, burial chambers, dining halls, kitchens, and living quarters.  The most intricate were churches used for workship.  The churches were more chapel sized, but were still quite elaborate, especially for caves.  Many had carved pillars, carved domes, and detailed frescoes. They were very interesting.  Sadly, no pictures were allowed.  It still was a memorable way to spend Pentecost!  The museum is a UNESCO world heritage site because of its historical significance.

After seeing the museum, we walked back to town and did a little shopping along the way.  We had a late lunch, gathered our bags, hung out a coffe shop, then caught our bus to Ankara.  We napped a little during the five hour ride.  We made a few stops along the way and finally arrived in Ankara about 11 pm.  The bus station was quite large and packed with people.  We hopped into a taxi and were at our hotel in 10 minutes.  It is a nice place in a nice location.