Cappadocia / Kapadokya

A couple of weeks ago I paid a visit to the central Anatolian region of Kapadokya (Latin spelling Cappadocia but pronounced how the Turkish spelling looks). I stayed in the loveliest bed and breakfast/hotel with a few friends; the owners of the place (Ürgüp Konak) were a married couple insistent upon overfeeding us at breakfast every morning, organizing day trips for us, and even showing us around the town of Ürgüp to get us discounts at local shops and buy us a traditional lunch of pide (Turkish "pizza"). It was a fantastic opportunity to see Anatolian culture (as opposed to the very urban, modern, at times overwhelmingly touristy atmosphere of Istanbul) and practice my Turkish.

Some highlights from the trip:

-the incredibly touristy--but very fun and, I might even say, un-missable--"Turkish night" which included a huge (and delicious) dinner of typical Turkish dishes, all while traditional music was played in the center of the room and dancers acted out the traditional marriage ceremony as well as other regional dances.
-day trips to see various buildings carved into the bizarre rock formations (the result of layers of volcanic ash / their subsequent erosion by wind and water). these included cave-houses, monastery complexes from the first days of Christianity in Turkey, castles, hotel-complexes for merchants traveling along the Silk Road, and underground cities.
-learning about the traditional arts and crafts of Anatolia! we got to learn about the traditions surrounding ceramics, carpets, and jewelry, including how they are made, the different cultures that produced them and their distinct artistic styles, and the traditions built around them in Turkish communities.
-of course, the hot-air balloon ride, THE thing to do in Kapadokya. we got up at 5 a.m. to be able to see the sunrise from the balloon. the view of the unique topography of the region was absolutely amazing, and I even got a "diploma" and a celebratory glass of champagne after we landed!

Here are some pictures from my trip--as usual, pics of me/my friends are on Facebook, so to avoid repeats, there are none here.