Normally Leroy is the driver when we head off for adventure. The only available rental car had standard transmission, though, so I took the wheel yesterday for our self-directed auto tour. I have to say that driving in Turkey was a pleasure; wide, mostly empty, well-paved highways led to our morning and afternoon destinations. First stop was the Durinkuyu Underground City. An amazing series of hand-dug caves stretch for twelve stories beneath the ground. Early Christians hid there and went about their daily activities of work and worship during times of Roman persecution. Long, steep, narrow stairways connect the lower and upper levels. Stairways are one-way only, so tour groups and other visitors spend a lot of time waiting with their guides to access the stairs. We were too cheap to hire a guide, but we heard most of the history of the underground city from other peoples' guides while waiting to use the stairs!
We drove through a wide, fertile valley toward snow-covered Hasan Mountain. A sign pointed to the Analipsis Church, so we took a detour to see what that might be. The road wound through massive rock formations and led to a simple stone church built on a tall rock outcrop high above a lake. No one seemed to be around, but the heavy wooden gates at the top of the stairs were open. We climbed up and entered a courtyard and then the church. The small complex included a building with five cells for monks. All of it looked long-abandoned with grafitti covering the white plaster walls of the church. A fascinating place to explore on our own!
Further down the road, we parked the car and descended by foot into the Ihalara Valley. The valley is actually a red rock canyon with a forest and babbling brook at the bottom. A hiking trail leads to many small churches carved into the canyon wall. They were created by members of the vital Christian communities that existed in central Turkey prior to the fifteenth century. Most of the cave churches were decorated with colorful frescoes from 900 to 1100 AD. Many of the icons and other paintings are remarkably intact. I took lots of photos, of course!
At the end of the Ihlara Valley is the Selime Monastery. The caves comprising the monastery were cut into a series of "fairy chimneys" in the thirteenth century. It is a vast complex that includes some massive and architecturally intricate rooms for worship. Huge columns and galleries and transcepts look like what you would expect in an urban cathedral, yet they are deep within the caves and high above the valley floor. Climbing to the monastery and getting from one section to the other is not for the faint-hearted! We were in awe of the monastery and wished we had more time to explore.On the way back to Goreme to return our rental car, we squeezed in a quick visit to the Uchisar Winery. We were offered a free tasting and bought a bottle of an outstanding white wine to enjoy later that evening while looking over the Cappadocian landscape and lights of Goreme. At dinner, we happened to be seated next to a couple from Australia that we met on our balloon ride. They had visited Israel at the same time as us. They spent time in Hebron to observe the plight of Palestinians on the West Bank whose homes and livelihoods have been affected by the illegal settlements. It was a fascinating conversation, and we were glad for that "chance" encounter. This morning we awoke to the spectacle of hot air balloons hovering over our hotel. Now we are at the Istanbul airport, waiting for our connecting flight to Izmir. Tomorrow: Ephesus!
