I had another relatively early morning as I couldn’t resist the lure of balloon burners! At 5:50 am the balloons were already making their way through Göreme. At first I just stood perched in my little chimney window but then simply had to roam around the hotel area – they were coming at us from all angles!
Seriously spectacular!
I had originally wanted to climb back up to the sunset point to be able to see down into the valleys and launch sites, but I couldn’t convince anyone to join me so in the interest of always maintaining a buddy system, my plans were scuttered. In the end though the Kelebek provided a perfect vantage point since after passing by the town, many balloons dropped down and caught a return current that brought them right overhead. We were able to exchange good morning pleasantries with one balloon without even raising our voices!
As with the day before, the Butterfly Balloons were way behind the others and did not fly directly over Göreme.
Amazingly, the regular breakfast at the hotel was able to give the King’s Valley one a run for its money! Many delicious items and everything so fresh! One aspect of Turkish cuisine that has surprised us is the abundance of delicious cheeses. Soft cheese, fresh cheese, hard cheese, cheese curds, goat cheese, … the list goes on! And all delicious.
We finally made it to the Göreme Open Air Museum after breakfast (15 TL entry + 8 TL for the dark church).
We were left a little underwhelmed. I had imagined it to be a larger area with fairy chimneys and a broad example of the landscape. Perhaps a little like Shilin in China with the Stone Forest – a vast area to wander around and explore. Rather it was a concentrated area of cave churches with really no changing scenery and not a lot of photo opportunities especially since there is no photography within the caves themselves. Which is a good thing really since they would take on a club-like atmosphere with all the flash bulbs! Next time I’ll definitely be checking out the Zelve Open Air Museum instead.
On our way back to town we took a detour into the Rose and Red Valleys. We’re not really sure which one we were in or if we’d even arrived officially but it was nice! We just walked in and retraced our steps out to keep things simple!
Next we hit the kebab center on the main street and had some durums. We’ve enjoyed all of our meals – a laugh is never far away with us! We did some more shopping along the main street and then……went back to the hotel for the afternoon!! We’re so bad! 🙂
I haven’t mentioned the weather yet – quite hot and very DRY! And DUSTY! Our noses were in really bad shape! Plus trying to fight off the little sniffles that we picked up.
Needless to say, we enjoyed the pool and lounging on the deck. Even though we had technically checked out, we were invited to use all of the facilities and make ourselves at home. In fact we didn’t even pay until the last moment before going for dinner. Two big thumbs up for the Kelebek Hotel!
For dinner we switched things up and went next door to the Sultan Hotel and their divine Seten Restaurant. They are within the Kelebek family too I believe. Once again service was impeccable and the food was delicious. I had the local stuffed squash blossoms. Highly recommended. Also highly recommended is the baklava. Light, fluffy, moist, and melt in your mouth. I don’t know how it should be, but for me it was perfect!
And so ended our Cappadocian adventure. We had a transfer arranged through the hotel and passed effortlessly through the travel stages. One curious thing was that you have to go through security upon entering the airport with all of your luggage and then again to access the gates (or rather gate – there was only one!) with your hand luggage. Once again Turkish Airlines served us sandwiches and drinks even at 11 pm.
So all in all, Cappadocia is highly recommended – and we only scratched the surface. In fact, we really only rubbed the surface since we definitely spent more time by the pool than in the valleys. We always say that on these three week trips, the third week is always the hardest. And yet we (I) never learn/remember! So while these three days in Cappadocia were intended to be intense and adventurous, they actually turned out to be a perfect chill out time with large thanks to the fabulousness of the Kelebek.
If staying in Göreme, there are several options for hiking without the need of a car. It did seem a little confusing though to be sure you were on the right track. And there are no hiking maps anywhere that we could find. On a return trip, I will be doing one day with a guide for sure just to get familiar with the lay of the land. Middle Earth Trekking (http://www.middleearthtravel.com) will be my first stop since they had a good selection of hikes that deviated nicely from the mass produced red, blue, green tours. I would also go for at least 5 days (10 if staying at the Kelebek, heehee!)
Thank you Kelebek, Thank you Cappadocia! We’ll be back!