Kapadokya Lodge Country Club Nevsehir

... and I was actually a bit disappointed. On the scooter we had had total freedom and had topped out at 75 kph... For the first part of our ATV ride we were being passed by kids on bikes...such is the hazard of being in a group of 9, I guess. <br><br>But the scenery was spectacular, so that was good. Being at the back had its perk too. I'd play the game I used to play when I went on horseback trailrides as a kid and we weren't allowed to do anything but walk our horses. I ...

... the English words for, but it sounded like that was virtually all the English he knew. "We have cheese pide, big meat pide, little meat pide, kabob, salad..." His voice trailed off not because he notice that we actually had the menu and could read it, but rather because he ran out of English words...<br><br>Jeremy, Kristen and I went for the "Big meat" pide while Jess went for the "small meat" pide...we weren't really sure what the difference was... Phoenix wasn't really ...

... of t&#305;me to rest and shower before h&#305;tt&#305;ng the town w&#305;th our fr&#305;endly hostel owner. <br><br>All &#305;n all, Cappadoc&#305;a has been truly amaz&#305;ng and we are sad to leave. However, another overn&#305;ght bus r&#305;de w&#305;ll br&#305;ng us to the Med&#305;terranean coast where we plan on sea kayak&#305;ng over a sunken c&#305;ty and spend&#305;ng some much needed t&#305;me on the beach!<br><br>Much love from Cappadoc&#305;a,<br><br>Er&#305;n and Andrew

Goreme has an incredible museum simply called the Goreme Open-air Museum. While the area is teeming with centuries-old cave dwellings and communities, they've set apart this particular area with the best-preserved churches and the churches' surrounding dwellings. As I understand, while most of the extant buildings date to Byzantine times, there have been Christian communities here since very early on. Of course, it seems every site claims some ...

... off to rent some mopeds for the day. After a quick lesson on how to use the scooters, we were off! I should mention that the weather was absolutely gorgeous....sunny, 60 degrees, blue skies. We started our scooter adventure by heading north to the sleepy town of Cavusin, where we explored the "ghost town" and took a quick hike through the beautiful red valley. We then continued our journey, heading to Pasabagi where we relaxed and enjoyed some tea while overlooking the Zelve ...

... at a wide open valley and let the boys take the machines off on their own... always fun to watch the independence rev up their spirits...  I woke up my family early one morning... pried them out of the hotel room,  and coaxed them off into the Pigeon Valley for an early morning walk... after a few grumbles and complaints the landscape bewitched them and we were able to scramble up and down the troglodyte hills with a sense of adventure ...

... were extensive tunnels and rooms, many of the usual "pigeon house" variety used to attract roosting pigeons who's eggs and guano provided income in the past. There were also chapels with large barrel vault ceilings that were impressive. What was highly unusual here were the geometric shaped mosaics that had been created during the iconoclastic period of the Byzantine church. The designs were sumptuous and we wished we could have some textiles featuring such interesting designs. It ...

... US. We scampered our way towards them carefully watching our footing as we descended the peak that we were on. They spoke no English and being as we speak no Turkish, smiles and gestures were all we had going for us. We know they felt sorry for us when they gave us a handful of apricots before pointing us ...

... potterist "Harry Potter" and he was the best looking turkish man i have seen all trip...I could barely concentrate..! hahaha.. We continued onto Pigeon Valley - pretty much where we flew over in the balloon this morning... lots and lots of pigeon holes for poop collection (once a year they collected it)... The colours of the rocks were sometimes a bright yellow or an off pink - you could be there all day and it would look different each hour... Next ...

Mon 18 September. At Cappadocia Wakeup call 4.45am for our balloon ride. We board our balloon on sunrise 20 persons per balloon (large balloons) and in near calm conditions drift up, down and across the interesting landscape around Goreme. Great flight and experience in near perfect conditions. We drift between peaks and finally land on the trailer unit. Flight celebrated with customary champagne and cake. After quick breakfast we are of to the underground city of Kaymaki. Carved into ...