Ortahisar (day 11)

This morning we got up early to see the hot-air balloons that Cappadocia is so famous for. We quickly got dressed and jumped in the car to drive to a good spot with a clear view of the balloons.

Once we reached a viewpoint, we were blown away: there must have been at least a hundred balloons in the sky. High and low, near and far! We really struck lucky, as one balloon landed right in front of us, and later another one floated low overhead. What a spectacular way to start the day! After watching the balloons drift by, we headed back to the apartment for breakfast and to prepare sandwiches for lunch. After breakfast, we set off again. First, we drove to Uçhisar, where we saw many cave houses. We then walked to a café for some coffee. Afterward, we made our way down into Pigeon Valley, which turned out to be a true oasis (of peace). Vegetables such as melons and peppers were being grown there, and there were hardly any tourists around. It was wonderfully calm, with a refreshing breeze in the air. Back at the car, we drove to the apartment again, where we ended up eating the sandwiches we had packed (so we brought them with us for nothing after all...). After lunch, I took a siesta. Once I woke up, we drove to Aktepe, but there turned out to be nothing to see or do there, so we carried on straight to Ürgüp. Here, we enjoyed a lovely dinner. After dinner, we drove on to Red Valley, to a viewpoint said to have the most beautiful sunset in all of Cappadocia. The landscape was stunning (we sat right on the edge of a deep and impressive canyon). The sunset itself, however, was a bit underwhelming; I had expected a dramatic fiery orange-red sky, but it didn’t quite happen. Eventually, we drove back to the apartment to end the day. Tomorrow, we’ll be leaving beautiful Cappadocia behind and heading to Mersin, with a stop at an underground city along the way! More about that tomorrow!

Day 10

Travel overview

Day 12