Our Gate1 group had the balloon to ourselves and our pilot Abdullah kept us laughing as we drifted up and over the valleys and in between the rock formations. The balloons climb about 1000 feet and since they're moved where the wind takes you, no two flights are the same. The views were marvelous and even my photos just don't do the experience justice. The temperature on the ground was near freezing, but thankfully once up in the balloon we were quite warm.
The sun rose quickly and was shining brilliantly over the magnificent rock faces as nearly 100 balloons filled the sky. It was an incredibly serene experience and one I'll not soon forget.
"There was that rare thing, novelty, about it; it was a fresh, new, exhilarating sensation...and worth a hundred worn and threadbare home pleasures." The Innocents Abroad
Abdullah worked hard to get the balloon to land on the trailer; the truck driver had to keep moving as the wind has more control over where the balloon will land than the pilot does. True to the Royal name we celebrated our journey with champagne, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a medal around our necks. I found out later that celebratory champagne after a flight is a nearly 250-year old ballooning tradition (way before social media and instagram). Variations exist, but it seems that the first hot air balloon flights were started in the 1780s in France. "As legend has it, pilots began landing in farmland with Champagne in hand. They brought bottles to area farmers in hopes of convincing them that they were human beings, not monsters. The bubbles served as a peace offering."
After returning to the hotel we joined the rest of our group and were off on a full-day tour of the region. Our first stop was the Göreme Open Air Museum, a Unesco World Heritage site containing some of the earliest churches in history. From what I remember of Serdar's introduction (before we wandered on our own), when the Arabs started the holy war the Christian people of the region carved hideaways and homes into the rocks. This area was a fully functioning community of monks and Christian believers who were persecuted for their beliefs. Sadly, because Islam considers pictures to be idols, the eyes, and sometimes faces, of all the frescoes were scratched out long ago. In 1923, when the Cappadocian Greeks were expelled from Turkey, or exchanged if you prefer that term, the churches were abandoned. The area has been under protection since 1950 and they're now trying to repair the frescoes.
We visited Aziz Basil Şapeli (Chapel of St. Basil - born in Kayseri he is one of Cappadocia's most important saints), and the 11th-century Azize Barbara Şapeli, carved by Byzantine soldiers. Unfortunately, you are still not allowed to take videos or photos of the interior frescoes in any of the chapels (even though most modern cameras can avoid use of a flash that over time would damage the frescoes).
Our next stop was at the fortress and village of Uçhisar. The region has a fascinating history (if Wikipedia can be trusted): First mentioned in the 14th century, the area was certainly occupied previously. "The Hittites, who may have used the natural structures of the cliffs as refuges and strongholds against possible attacks. In the 5th century AD, the Byzantines created a 'buffer zone' in the area against Islamic expansion....After their conquest of the region, the Muslims also made use of the defensive possibilities of the area, creating small centers with caravanserais in the region." Uçhisar Castle makes for a great photo and I believe it would have been fascinating to visit, but alas, we only had time for a photo stop.
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