Cappadocia North

It was hard to beat yesterday’s introduction to the Cappadocia region, but our guide still had a few highlights to share with us. We were driven to several sites where we could independently wander and scramble among the rock formations and climb to lookout points over the unusual landscape .

A visit to a small, family-run ceramics factory explained the techniques for making vibrant plates, cups and wine vessels. The collection spanned from very expensive art pieces to items for daily use. We were not ready to carry any of the more affordable pieces around for the rest of our trip.

The Göreme Open Air Museum is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed complex of rock-carved monasteries, churches and cave dwellings. It features colorful Byzantine frescoes dating from the 10th to 13th centuries. It is considered the birthplace of the region's religious education, with chapels for “classrooms” and monasteries for boys and girls.

Our 6-day tour arranged by Travel Store Turkey agency has come to an end. We want to give a shout-out to Crowded House Tours, who were contracted to take us around the archaeological sites and everywhere other than Cappadocia. The guides had deeply researched their subject areas and were so passionate about teaching us, as well as hearing our questions and impressions.

A short flight brought us back to Istanbul, where we’ve met up with Sande and Nance and her cousin and his wife from Boston. More exploring ahead!Read more