We just returned to the Nomad hostel after a full day of exploring Cappadocia, a small desert like mountain town with iconic fairy chimneys. It was created by the aftermath of Erciyes Dagi which erupted many millennia ago, leaving lava and pumis to carve out colorful twists and valleys. We started the morning attempting to take a hot air balloon ride but due to high winds, it was canceled. However, that didn't stop us from taking our first full day tour of the trip where we explored Neshmir, the underground city of Derinkuyu and the Ihara Valley. We learned how nearly a half million Thracians lived throughout the 36 open underground cities (but there are at least 100 more cities) during the 6th and 7th centuries when Persian and Arabic armies set off to vanquish the Christians. When the message got to Cappadocia, Byzantine Christians would escape into the secret tunnels which later became the underground cities.
We then hiked through the beautiful Ihara Valley, learning how 8-10,000 people lived there for centuries, building churches in the caves and living in the majestic valley.
We are now witnessing Elica and Cameron partake in an ancient Turkish tradition...Backgammon!
Back to Istanbul tonight!
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