After I left Istanbul in November, I headed to Capadoccia for three days. I took a 7AM flight (Mind you, at the Istanbul airport you have to go through security with your bags twice before you board), so I had to wake way before the crack of dawn.
It was only a 90-minute flight, so arriving at 8:30AM, I had the entire day to explore Cappadocia on my own, before I joined a tour group the next two days.
It was about a 20-minute ride to my Hotel from the airport and I could already spot the dramatic mountain ranges.
The hotel was in Uchisar, the highest point of the Cappadocia province. Pulling up to the Karlik Evi Hotel, with quaint knick- knacks and terracotta pots covering the stone façade, I thought I was visiting a Turkish grandmother’s home. Inside it was a cross between an arts and crafts haven and a flea market, with dozens of folkloric and contemporary paintings, heavily carved wood furniture, oriental rugs, bric-a-brac, and backgammon sets resting on tables.
I walked to the back of the hotel and not only discovered exceptional views of the mountains and valleys but a working farm with a chicken coop, rabbit pen, and horses. There were also two swimming pools and a sculpture garden.
My room was quite grand with a floating bed with a shimmery, red wine colored bedspread and matching pillows, stone walls, and best accessory of all, a tall, antique dial telephone, which actually worked. My desk was decorated with red votive candles, and hearts on a string made of twisted paper. A daybed on the floor was made of pillows covered in tapestries and red and striped twill throw pillows. The terrace overlooked the valley and I inhaled the mountain air, which had a trace of chimney smoke from local fires.
After I checked in the hotel, I took a late morning stroll through the mostly unpaved streets and footpaths in the village. In between taking in the views, I browsed the souvenir and craft shops; one shop with hand stitched and hand painted table and bedroom linens caught my eye. I ended up buying a beautiful red silk and linen tapestry, which now hangs over my couch.
Hungry for lunch, I spotted an intriguing looking hotel. Blocked by a tractor, the owner told me the hotel was closed for renovation. I asked if he knew a good place for lunch and he mentioned he had just opened a new restaurant. He was kind enough to have his driver take me the restaurant. Looking more like a chic boite in Paris, than in the middle of a modest rural village, Reserved Restaurant was the place to be. The fab interior had turquoise velvet tufted chairs, cream color marble floors, exposed rock walls, and petrified wood tabletops. I learned the chef used to work at the Four Seasons in Istanbul. I ordered an appetizer of five different spreads; hummus, baba ghanoush, sun-dried tomato, red pepper and ground pistachio served with a bowl of olives and home-baked bread. It was so delicious and filling, I didn’t have room for a main course. The waiter offered a complimentary glass of Turkish red wine, which was excellent with my spreads. I was so impressed with Reserved Restaurant, I returned the next night for dinner.
The next morning the hotel kindly arranged a complimentary, small group tour, covering the northern part of the area and Goreme, the main site seeing town. An open-air museum was the first destination, a spectacular site of ancient monasteries and churches carved from natural stone. Mostly intact wall paintings with vividly colored illustrations from the Bible from the 10th to 12th century were located in a few of the caves. A towering seven-story rock mass contains the Nunnery, a centuries-old chapel. Our next stop was the Monks Valley, famous for natural rock formations resembling chimneys and mushroom tops.
One of the best things Cappadocia is known for is their hot air balloons rides. You may have seen photos of colorful balloons hovering over the valley. I was scheduled to take one the next morning at sunrise (another crack of dawn wakeup call) but unfortunately it was cancelled due to inclement weather. I was bummed because it was my last morning in Cappadocia but I realized it would be a perfect reason to return on another trip.
Since I wasn’t able to take my balloon ride, I booked another tour small group tour. Organized by Ala Turka Tours, it was a full-day Green Tour of the southern part of Cappadocia. The landscape colors were quite different than the day before, with stunning hues of orange, pink, and green painting the mountains and rock formations. The best part of the tour was a 2.5-hour mostly, flat hike through the Meskendir Valley. At every turn and twist was another take-my-breath-away landscape, the likes of which I have never seen before. I felt as though I were on another planet. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, many of the western National Parks in the U.S. and Petra, Jordan, but they seemed one-dimensional compared to the incredible variety of colors and landscapes in Cappadocia. I was told it was even more spectacular in spring and summer when the trees and wild flowers are in bloom.
The weather had been mostly overcast the three-days I was in Cappadocia, but as we approached a bare-bones café carved into the mountains, the clouds parted and blue skies and sunshine prevailed. The group sipped on fresh pressed orange and pomegranate seed juice, taking in the magnificent terrain, now cast with a different light.
Cappadocia is probably one of the most naturally beautiful places I have ever travelled to and I can’t wait to return.
Karlik Evi Hotel
http://karlikevi.com/en
Reserved Restaurant
Tel. +903842192523
Andromeda Tours- private and group tours
http://www.andromedatour.com/category/cappadocia/
Ala Turka- private and group tours
https://www.alaturkaturkey.com/cappadocia-tours
