Cappodocia - Underground City and Hot-air Ballooning

Hot-air ballooning in Cappadocia - that's how much I know about Turkey.  It's in almost every travel photograph about Turkey.  Yes, I was excited about going hot-air ballooning in Cappodocia but there is more to it in this part of Turkey.  Over millions of years, rain and wind have shaped the soft white volcanic rock of the Anatolian plain into an interesting landscape of dripping cones, pillars, pinnacles, and fairy chimneys soaring more than a hundred feet into the sky.  It reminds me of parts of the southwestern United States where I live.  The hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park (NP), the arches in Arches NP, Sedona, Arizona, and of course, the Grand Canyon.  The difference is instead of the red rocks in the US, the color here is mostly off-white.

We took a short 1-hour flight from Istanbul to Kayseri, one of the airports near Cappodocia.   We are now in the central part of Turkey.  From here onwards all our travels will be in the Asian part of Turkey. Our first stop is the underground city of Ozkonak.  The landscape at ground level are mostly farms but there are about three dozen of these underground cities in the region.  They were used to hide from invading armies in the early days.  As we enter this underground city we start to see the different quarters - kitchens, living quarters, food storage areas, stables, etc.  These are all ventilated by giant air shafts.  All the doors have heavy millstones to seal off the inside to protect against enemies.

Entrance to the Underground City

Our guide Furkan with one of the ancient pots

A passageway down

Entrance to another room

Ventilation Shaft

We drove to town and saw some interesting sights.

A memorial in the city

Above-ground cave dwellings

We checked into the Misty Cave Hotel that evening.  We'll be spending 3 nights in this hotel.  Interestingly, most of the hotels have the word "cave" as part of their names.  That's because most of the hotels are partially built into existing caves.

Courtyard of the Misty Cave Hotel

The next morning we will be doing something that I have been most excited about - Hot Air Ballooning.  This will be my third time for 2024.  The first was in Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and the second was in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.  Although the ballooning is the same, the views are totally different.  Instead of wild animals we will be seeing the unique landscape of Cappodocia.

The thrill of of a ballon ride is watching the sun rise in the morning.  We were picked up in the dark in a van, way before sunrise, to a location where all the balloons are being launched.  This is a highly regulated industry because lives are at stake.  However, accidents are rare.  Balloons don't have controls like airplanes or helicopters.  You are at he mercy of the wind and the skill of the pilot.  I learned in Kenya that a balloon pilot has to train for several years before being able to fly solo.  We are flying in the morning because the wind is calmer and there are few thermals, the hot air drafts moving upwards from the ground after it's warmed by the sun.

Heating up the balloon

Ready for takeoff

Amazing landscape

Sunrise over the horizon

Balloons are all colorful

Hundreds of balloons in the air

Passengers in the basket

We started at about 6am and were finished by around 7:30am.  However, it seems like we were up in the air for a long time. It was quiet and peaceful up there.  No engines.  No motors.  Occasionally, the pilot would fire up the burner to take us higher but basically, we were at the whim of the wind.  When we were ready to land, the ground crew would follow us and when they find an open spot the pilot slowly lowers the balloon.  With knowledge of the wind and direction the pilot was able to land the ballon on the trailer behind the truck.  This shows you how skillful the pilot is.  There are no steering wheels or paddles to steer the balloon.  As we get closer to the ground the pilot threw some ropes over to the ground crew and slowly pull the balloon to land on the trailer.  The cost for the balloon ride?  US$300.  In Kenya and Tanzania, they were about US$500-$600

Landing precisely on the back of the truck

Getting off the balloon basket

A traditional champagne toast after a successful ride

A very happy crowd

There are many places in the US that offers hot-air ballooning rides, especially in touristy places with nice weather.  There are also many Hot Air Balloon Festivals around the world.  It's a photographer's delight when you see so many color balloons up in the air at the same time.  One of the best known is the one in Albuquerque.

Istanbul - Day 2

We were supposed to go to Topkapı Palace on the first day but our guide, knowing that it will be swarmed with tourists from the cruise ships, decided to go early in the morning on the second day.  By about 10am the palace was packed.

The Topkapi Palace is a large museum and library that was built at the start of the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.  Topkapi means Cannon Gate.  It is difficult to explain the contents of the museum but it took several hours to even casually go through the museum.  They are mainly artifacts from the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Southeastern Europe, West Asian, North Africa, and later Central Europe for more than six centuries.  Below are some of the photographs inside the museum showing some of these artifacts.

Topkapi Palace

We stopped at a nearby restaurant for lunch.  According to our guide this restaurant serves authentic Turkish food. It is served cafeteria style, so you picked whatever dish you want.  Many of us were surprised by the relatively high prices.  You always pay more when you are a tourist.

The Pudding Shop serving authentic Turkish cuisine

Following lunch we took a walk through the Hippodrome of Constantinople.  The word hippodrome comes from the Greek word hippos, meaning horse, and dorms, which means path or way.  Horse racing and chariot racing were popular pastimes in the ancient world and many Greek cities have hippodromes.

The Hippodrome today is just a square, also known as the Sultanahmet Square.

The base of the Obelisk

Obelisk of Theodosius

Walkway in the Hippodrome

After the Hippodrome we walked a short distance to the Spice Bazaar.  This is one of the largest spice markets after the Grand Bazaar.  It is sometimes known as the Egyptian Bazaar.  It used to sell mostly spices but today they sell many edibles like Turkish delights and even tourist souvenirs.

Entrance to the Spice Bazaar

These are not spices!

Baklavas, Turkish sweets

Here are spices!

What a typical shop looks like

Inside the Spice Bazaar

A street vendor near the Spice Bazaar

A morning view of the Golden Horn area from our hotel dining room

We have visited most of the major tourist sites in Istanbul.  However, we did not have time for leisure strolls through the streets, without any agenda.  We would do that after this tour and after our visits to Athens and Santorini.  This time we will stay right in the midst of the Fatih district in a neighborhood called Sirkeci, within walking distance from all the busy streets.

Istanbul - Day 1

Since we arrived a day earlier we were on our own on the first day in Istanbul.  After a very good breakfast at the Galata Istanbul M Gallery Hotel we walked down the street towards the water to explore the area.  The hotel is near the Galata Tower and in the popular Karakoy area, where there are many nice hotels, including the plush Peninsula Hotel.  

We found our way to the Galata Bridge where we found many seafood restaurants, reminding us of what we saw on a YouTube show about Istanbul by Mark Wiens.  Normally seafood would get our attention but the fishy aroma did not indicate the freshness of the fish.  We also see many local residents fishing off the bridge.  It seems like a popular pastime here.

A very busy Galata Bridge

Restaurants under the bridge

Menu

Lots of Jellyfish in the river

They do catch fish here

A very popular pastime indeed

Initially I was confused; thinking crossing the Galata Bridge would take me to the Asia side of Turkey.  When I looked at the map of Istanbul again, I realized that I was still on the European side but crossing over to the so-called "Golden Horn."  This is where all the historic and famous buildings and monuments are:  the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, etc.  It is a very crowded area, with locals, tourists, traffic and street food vendors.  

Golden Horn area of Istanbul

This would be where we spend several days visiting the different places of interest.  It is also next to the Bosphorous Straits - a narrow stretch of water that separates Asia from Europe.  Importantly, it also connects the Black Sea in the north to the Mediterranean Sea to the South.  This is what makes Istanbul and Turkey unique, part European and part Asian.

On our first day we met the rest of the group.  There were 11 of us.  Two sister couples from Oregon, two couples from California, two of us, and a solo traveler from Washington, DC.  Our guide is Furkan Sari, a young 28-year old with an encyclopedia of knowledge about Turkey.  His college degree was in tourism and a lot of it is studying the history and culture of Turkey.  Despite his age, he was very mature in how he handled the group and any situation that arose.

We started the day with a cruise of the Bosphorus Straits, the body of water that divides Asia from Europe.  This is a popular cruise for tourists, as you travel between two continents.  We had the whole boat to ourselves so we won't have to fight for sightseeing spots.  We cruise north towards the Black Sea and at some point turned around to go back to somewhere near the Galata Bridge.

Looking at the Golden Horn area

Plush Peninsula Hotel on the European side

Bridge spanning Europe and Asia

Homes on the European side

After we disembarked we headed straight to the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered markets in the world, with about 4,000 shops. We were allowed some time on our own to explore.  The shops sell a variety of things:  spices, lamps, clothings, food, etc.  There are so many alleys that it is easy to get lost.  

One of the entrances to the GB

Spices

What it looks like inside

Guitar and Spices?

More Spices

Knick Knacks

Sweets

Outside the Grand Bazaar there are more streets with more shops.  It is a shopper's paradise.

Street selling everything

A very crowded area

Vendors selliing something similar to bagels

Shops selling clothes

Following the Grand Bazaar we regrouped to head towards the Hagia Sophia.  This was originally built as a church in AD 537 by the Roman Empire.  It continued as a church until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Empire.  It then became a mosque until 1935 when it became a museum.  In 2020 it became a mosque again.  

This is one of the most popular and visited tourist sites in Turkey.  Our guide is very familiar with the best time to visit, trying to avoid the early morning crowd.  The line was very long but because it was in October it was not as hot as if this had been July or August.

The Hagia Sophia

A view inside

The ceiling

A different view of the inside

Some of the paintings on the wall

More paintings on the wall

We were next given an optional tour of the Basilica Cistern.  It is located about 150m from the Hagia Sophia.  It was built in the 6th century by the Byzantine emperor, Justinian.  Underground cisterns were common in the old days to store water for the cities.  Today this cistern is more of a tourist attraction than actually being used to store water

In the evening we enjoyed a Welcome dinner at a local seafood restaurant.  After dinner we were free to explore the neighborhood around the hotel.  It is interesting to see the type of businesses and restaurants in the area.

Street Vendor

Vendors along the waterfront

Lots of food

Lamb chops grilled over charcoal

A small restaurant serving the lamb chops above

Menu of another waterfront restaurant