Hello!
Let’s fly? Today I bring you a source of inspiration for those who come from Turkey heaven. Cappadocia is an incredible place. I can assure you that seeing earth from up top, aboard a hot air balloon is magical and unbelievably amazing!
I admit that the feeling is a mixture of expectation with anxiety and fear. After all, it was my first experience of ballooning. And I must say I would definitely do it again, and again, and again. I loved everything. I felt very safe because Cappadocia is known for being one of the most conducive to the practice of ballooning, for its climatic conditions.
Waking up early is part of the program. Five thirty in the morning, the car was waiting at the hotel to take us to the Kapadokya Balloons, a company we chose for the adventure (loved the professionalism). You can do the program in group or private, depends on how much you are willing to spend.
To relax, before departure, a cup of tea with biscuits was served in a very Turkish style. From there, it took us about a ten mile car ride to reach the point where the ballooon would be inflated to raise exactly at sunrise. Suddenly, I was almost one thousand meters, in the midst of more than a hundred colorful balloons. Only the wind hitting our faces, a deep silence and the ecstasy of being in that surreal view. It was different from anything I have ever experience. It served as a source of inspiration for the movie Star Wars.
What you see are rocks in varying tones from yellowish and reddish forming valleys and crevices full of cones that were designed by the wind. In fact, everything came with the eruption of three volcanoes that today are extinct. The lava that was poured out, formed a porous rock that was being carved into curious forms that stimulate the imagination. They look like chimneys, giant mushrooms, and so on.
Since the rock was easy to dig, the inhabitants made their houses on the rocks. It is unbelievable. Some underground cities even have 8 floors and even had wings to shelter animals. Kaimakli is one of them. It is open to visitation and is a world heritage site of the UNESCO. It is estimated that a lot of people have lived there in the first centuries after Christ.
In three days (at least) you can explore Cappadocia. There are several tiny and relatively close cities that be part of the itinerary. Goreme is considered the most important for having the the Open-air Museum and the Fairy Chimneys, historic sites that are worth a visit. Avanos has a great pottery factory and a typical food restaurant called Dayinin Yeri that is worth a meal. Sinasos is a super friendly city, very small, with a good family Turkish restaurant called Mustafa Pasha.
And Uçhisar is where is the wonderful Museum hotel stuck in the rocks and perched on a hillside is located. The decor is incredible, with many historical objects. Large rooms and fully in tune with the mood of Turkey. Super cozy and luxurious in the right measure. The most incredible thing about is that you can see the hot air balloons going by through your window early in the morning. I definitely recommend it!
To get to Cappadocia is easy. The area is served by two airports: Kayseri and Nevsehir. I flew for an hour on Turkish Airlines of Istanbul to Nevsehir and requested the transfer to the hotel in advance.
An unforgettable trip with such memorable views.
I hope you were able to fly with me on a hot air balloon!
See you next week.
XoXo
