Cappodocia region tour

9.29.12
On our agenda for today was what is referred to around here as the green tour. We usually aren't the tour type (at all) but in this area all of the locations we went to were all remote and far from each other so public transportation wasn't an option.We boarded are minibus and were introduced to Ezra, our tour guide, and Apfel, our driver. We had a full day of sightseeing and driving through the Turkish countryside surrounding the region known as Cappodocia (Cap a doe key a). We are staying in a town named Goreme (Gor em a). Our tour first took us to an overlook of the area and then on to an underground city named Derinkuyu. The city was first built and inhabited around the 4th century. All of the methods to protect themselves from the enemy, in addition to living underground, were very interesting.
After the underground city we went for a 4 kilometer walk along a gorgeous river in the Ihlara Valley. We saw Agakahli Church (under the tree) an ancient church and lots of beautiful scenery. We would have never known about it on our own. Along the river we came upon the cutest restaurant where we stopped to rest and put our feet in the river. There were tables and chairs and also benches and short tables in the middle of the river! Really clever and so relaxing. After our rest we walked until we reached the restaurant where we were scheduled to have lunch. Through out the day we met a few really nice people. One was a guy named Matt, from the US but living in Paris. Another was a woman named Jeanne, also from the US, living in Nice, France. We chatted throughout the day and got to know one another. We also really enjoyed Ezra, our guide and she and I got along famously. As soon as she realized I was interested in anything she had to share with me, she began to fill me in on all types of things. We discussed everything from why she and her boyfriend can't marry right now (Turkish men traditionally serve their time in the army before they marry and they don't want him to serve right now during these troubled times) to the most important crops to the area (potatoes and pumpkin seeds). We really enjoyed each other's company, and she graciously gave up her front seat for me. After the lunch we boarded the tour bus again and went to Selime Monastery carved into the rocks. The monastery is incredible and very beautiful. The people in charge of location searches for the first Star Wars movie chose the view of the town from the monastery to copy and build a replica of in Tunisia where they shot the movie. Following the monastery we stopped at Pigeon Valley to see the centuries old pigeon houses carved into the cliffs. (Farmers have used pigeon poop as fertilizer and the eggs for paint for centuries). The tour ended with a tour at the onyx factory and a sales pitch for jewelry they sold there (a very fun day despite this part).

We said good bye to our new friends and rushed back from the tour so we could shower and catch the night bus to our next destination, Pamukkale.