Ürgüp, Göreme and the fairy chimneys

We drove through the non tourist trail through the scruffy villages from Soganli valley on Friday lunchtime watching Friday prayer spill out of one village mosque, cows munching along the roadside, tractors drove by carrying whole families, caves and underground caverns made makeshift barns and gypsies camped in fields in blue tarpaulin tent constructions. We drove through Urgup the touristy but functional town, ate lots of dinner in Goreme centre (tourist and backpacker central) before parking on the Panaroma viewpoint of the red valley overlooking one of the most stunning landscapes I've ever seen. We stayed here for the night and k got up at sunrise to photograph the balloons flying over the valley. (My crappy balloon snap here does not do it justice). We drove on to visit the fairy chimneys which were amazing rock formations caused by flows of volcanic larva thousands of years ago. (And then people dug caves out of them and lived in them.) You could see that not long ago you used to be able to drive and park amongst the fairy chimneys but now it is fenced off and there is a visitors centre. Exit through the gift shop.Read more