Turkey's Magical Hideaways  June 1 - 17, 2016
 
 
 
 
 
June 15, 2016   Discover underground city •  Explore Cappadocia • Göreme open-air museum
This morning, we visit a remarkable underground city. During the Hittite era, as successive armies swept across Asia Minor, underground cities were built as
a uniquely defensible community, approximately eight stories underground. We can explore some of the hundreds of rooms, wandering the many narrow,
sloping passageways between kitchens with enameled food storage areas, water cisterns, stables, and living spaces—all well-ventilated by air shafts. At one
time, several thousand people lived here.
 
Today, we explore some of the sights of Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its fantastical landscapes and “fairy chimneys” that to
some feel reminiscent of those in the American Southwest.

The predominant earth surface of Cappadocia is a white volcanic rock called tufa. Centuries of rain and wind have shaped the soft tufa into rhythmic flow
patterns and tall cones and columns. Although the dust from tufa looks like sand, the area is not like a desert, but is actually highly fertile, and people have
inhabited the region since ancient times. Over many generations, local inhabitants used hand tools to hollow out thousands of the free-standing tufa
formations. These cave-like rooms, carved from the living rock, once sheltered Turkey's early Christians. A few are still in use today as comfortable houses,
complete with doors and glass windows. They stay quite cool in the hot summer weather. Others are barns, stables, or dovecotes. It is said that the area has
over 600 Christian churches carved into the rock, some dating to the third century AD.

This morning, we drive to the famous Goreme “open-air museum,” a group of ancient churches carved from the rock. Most of these chapels have colorful
frescoes inside. Later, we'll enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. Then we set out to view more of the area's fairy chimneys, most of them located in the Pasabag
valley, with plenty of stops for photos.

We return to our hotel in the evening. Tonight, we'll enjoy our Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.
(From OAT  Itinerary)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== underground city   ===
 
裡面有八層，但靠下面的層很低矮，四通八達，
一些孔道有大圓石可以封死，還有向上的通風道，
可容納五千人，六個月的糧食，
據說是為躲蒙古人西征戰亂時建的，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Underground City 出來時，我看到團裡的三個女生圍著一個地方在照相，
我過去一看，原來是有一個土耳其年輕人在吊床上睡覺，
我也照了他一張相片，
那個人突然睜開眼睛醒了，看見大家圍著他照相，也不生氣，笑了笑繼續睡他的覺。
十多天在土耳其的旅遊，我感覺土耳其人個性溫和，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
路遇一位騎著腳踏車環游土耳其的日本青年，真佩服他的冒險精神，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Cappadocia Valleys Hiking 1  ===
..... Love Valley, Goreme Nationsal Park, Cappadocia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fairy chimneys, phallus-shaped tufa formations,
 
 
 
 
 
鴿子起飛的一剎那，
 
 
 
 
 
異國風情，又見兩位潇洒的年輕人，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
我們今天在一個岩洞的餐館午飯，
午飯時導遊向大家解說下午將去另一個 hiking的情形，
時間長，難度也較高，將穿行在好幾個山谷間，
聿罇和另一團員決定不參加，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
===  Cappadocia Valleys Hiking  2 ===
... Pasabag Valley, Goreme Valley, Rose Valley, Kiliclar Valley, Cavusin Valley
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
這裡是一個沙土斜坡，要很快衝下來才行，我們的一位團員下不來，
左邊是懸崖，右邊是岩山，她也無法繞路，怎麼辦呢？

她探出左腳試試，不行，探出右腳試，也不行，還是沒辦法下來，
最後她是像小孩子坐滑梯那樣，坐在地上滑下來的，
 
 
山岩都是黃沙，路很滑，不好著力，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
景色非常好，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
山谷裡空無一人，只碰到一對當地的老夫妻，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
看來幾個人都累垮了，
 
 
 
 
山谷裡居然有一座岩山被挖空裡面是一個小教堂，
 
 
 
 
 
照的相片實在太多，只能放上極少數的，
景緻很特別，此地值得一遊，
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
rock castle in Çavuşin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
在此晚餐，
 
 
 
今天玩得很累，晚飯時我胃口大開，吃下了一條小羊腿，