Turkish Delight

Our next stop is Turkey, where we’ll spend a few weeks exploring this vast country before heading to Germany, Austria and France for the Christmas markets. The last three months have taken us to some amazing places and our first stop in Turkey is definitely one of them! We spent six nights in Cappadocia exploring trails where rock formations felt a bit terrestrial, like stepping onto another planet.

From the chimney fairies of Love Valley to the pink volcanic mountains of Red Valley, and finally the beautiful oasis of Ihlara Valley where the trail followed a river for miles and reminded us of walking the Deschutes river trail in Bend… a little slice of home.

Each day we walked around eight miles, soaking in new views and colors with every step. We also went down into the world’s largest ancient underground city that once sheltered nearly 20,000 Christians hiding from persecution over a thousand years ago. Walking through eight levels of tunnels was both wild and a bit claustrophobic!

The delight of Turkey is its people, so kind and hospitable. They always wanted to know where we were from, and when we told them America, they lit up with joy, eager to share how much they love Americans. It made perfect sense that their skies would erupt with hot air balloons in the early hours, reflecting the beauty and hope that reside in the heart of this ancient city. ❤️Read more