The Rest of Our Time ın Kapadokya - Erin

Our dinner last night was followed by our rotary meeting. It was a small club with a small audience. The highlight was my new favorite Turkish dessert: sugar, butter, cheese and semolina cooked and then served cold. The woman who made it insisted that I eat two servings. I resisted briefly. The country is named after a food. Come on! There is bound to be a food focus.
I’ll start where Katy left off describing Monday. (First I must mention that Vivian is bummed that we didn’t hit up the UFO museum in Kapadokya. It is appropriate that UFOs have a place in Kapadokya because of the city’s other worldly qualities.) We continued hiking, which was a great break from our long minibus rides to new locations, lasting most of the day. Abass, our archeologist expert, pointed out more cave churches before taking us to a Turkish carpet warehouse.

Not only did we learn about the art behind the weave and how to fish for a well-made rug, but we also got to see how the dyes are made. Various plants and nuts create the rich colors. The chemical reaction which produces the color blue was caught on film. (Don’t worry friends and family. We will share.) Before giving us a carpet “show and tell,” they offered us wine which we didn’t deny. We knew how smart this was on their part: we hadn’t eaten lunch, had been in the heat into the mid-day, and our defenses were down. The carpets laid before us had our jaws in a state of “awe.” Three out of the five of us left with a carpet, all gifts for loved ones. (May I add that they only have very good looking salesmen working at this carpet warehouse, with their perfect english. Again, the trickery!) We went to put some food in our bellies, celebrating our new carpet expertise. (Sarah just informed me that Turkey introduced us to the olive and cherry tree. Turkey, we thank you for these foods!)

The remainder of the afternoon was spent walking around Sword Valley, full of: horses, donkeys, more cave churches and a young affectionate couple caught in a make-out session. Before the end of our trek in the great outdoors, we mingled with the tourists to experience the Open Air Museum and St Catherine’s Church dating back to 920 AD.

Taking a break from the sun, we found ourselves at a pottery manufacturer, including a working studio. Both at the carpet and pottery shops, artisans are able to take their work home with them to complete. Few actually work onsite. We watched a potter made a perfect plate of red clay in two minutes flat and another potter made a sugar pot on a kick wheel within minutes. We were impressed as we sipped our apple tea. Mr. Abass made sure we were armed with discounts before walking into the pottery show room which seemed like a battlefield of beautiful pottery. We tried to dodge the temptation of purchase. Most of us failed.

We finished the day with two dinners. Yep, two. It wasn’t our fault; we swear.

So here is a briefing of what we did Tuesday:

Abass took us to the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by rolling fields of grasses, small yellow flowers and rocks varying in size. We hopped out of the van to touch boulder walls decorated with hieroglyphics dating back to 3,000 BC. He pointed out the symbol for king and god and goddess. It’s hard to know what to do to best capture these sorts of moments. We take pictures and chat about the magnitude of these ancient artifacts found in the middle of a field, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough. 3,000 BC is a really long time ago!

We checked out a caravan hotel, dating back to the 12th and 13th century, now closed for business.

Yesterday seemed full of animals: dogs with knife like collars, skinny cows, fat cows, pregnant cats, donkeys ridden by locals, roosters, you name it.

Our driver then led us to a grassy hill, which we climbed. At the top, out in the open for all to touch and see – a Neolithic village excavation site dating back to 10,000 BC. It is hardly protected from rain or visitors but still intact.

Poor Katy lost a necklace and camera within a 30 minute time span. The camera was recovered with cheers of joy. The necklace has been replaced by an evil eye pendant on a chain. She is now protected by Turkish standards.

This has been the first city where we have run into tourists. We know why. Kapadokya exemplifies a balanced blend of Christian and Muslim historical sites to be explored by all. We have crossed paths with a few Americans, lots of Japanese tourists, trekking groups, Indian travelers with their own security guards, some French, some Canadians, the Italians, and a few unidentified vacationers. American friends, this is a country well-worth a visit! Speaking of tourists, many flock to our next stop: the underground cities of Kapadokya. We were told that the Kapadokya has approximately 300 of these cities. The one we visited had 8 floors, 4 of which were accessible. The ceilings are low, perfect for children or adults like our dear, short in stature/tall in personality Vivian. The temperature is always around 65 degrees. Short cuts, wineries and tunnels fill these underground cities.

So, as mentioned, the evening was complete with dinner, our Rotary presentation, and the sort of conversations that happen between people from different corners of the globe. Walking down the steep, stone walkway back to the hotel, the five of us were laughing. What a ride this has been.

It’s Wednesday. We keep talking about how we are hitting our two week mark. It feels unreal, a little exciting and a little depressing. District conference is one week from now. We are heading to Hatay today.

Hello and thank you to all our U.S., Adapazari, Kastomanu and Kapadokya friends. (Mom, Dad, and Matt – XOXO!)