We started the day by going to an Open Air Museum. It is a World UNESCO Site and is very well presented and maintained. So - there are all of these Fairy Chimneys which, over the ages, were carved out and turned into dwellings and churches and so forth.
We walked through various ones
This church/cathedral has fresco paintings on the walls.
These are pigeon holes where the inhabitants kept pigeons. They used the manure to fertilize their crops We saw many rooms and outside walls of dwellings with these pigeon holes.
This was a big dwelling, and we walked through it.
This is the Buckle Church
Inside there were small chapels with domed ceilings. The spaces were so small that it was difficult to get good pictures....and there were also people milling around.
Our guide took us to a private residence. A third generation older couple lives there; their children have moved away to the big city The stone formation belongs to the government because it's part of a national park. The people can live there and maintain it if they allow tourists to enter and invade their private space. It was the best activity of the day!
Here we are walking up to it
Getting closer
At the entrance to the home. Check out the open air balcony with rustic railing.
There were some tables and chairs outside because the owners serve light snacks.
These were the two living rooms.
Our group made ourselves at home. The man and woman were really friendly.
This was the snack bar where you could order a drink or whatever might be on the menu-not sure if there was a menu but the cokes look good.
This was the bathroom which is kinds\a grim. Dad says there was a kitchen right in this area, but I missed it somehow - probably because I was scared of the bathroom.
Actually this might be part of the kitchen with the tandoori oven located in the middle of the room.
You could go out a door on an upper level to this back yard area. There was a barbecue and tables and supports for grape vines. Dad found a chrysanthemum plant and, for scientific purposes, took a few cuttings so he could have a Turkish mum back home in OC.
This was their bedroom. The floor wasn't too level - nor was the ceiling, but it looked pretty comfy.
I could live here!!! But I didn't see the kitchen.....and I'd need a remodel on the bathroom, but yes, it is livable!
This is the view of the garden plot from the balcony.
An extra bedroom for shorter people.....and storage cubicles.
These pigeon rooms were near the top of the rock dwelling. Lots of room for pigeons.
And when we were finished, we went through the gift shop and bought things. Dad bought a box of powdered apple tea which I think is going to be apple juice from reconstituted apple powder. There was jewelry and hats and bags and neat shawls that had shoulder spots sewn into them. Our group probably bought about 50-60 dollars worth of stuff, so that ws good for this family.
Our next adventure was visiting the Kaymakli Underground City. If you read the link that was in Day One you can learn about these cities. They were a series of tunnels and chambers which Christians, living in towns, would use to avoid capture by their enemies. Their basements had tunnel openings which led to the underground cave cities. From their positions they could fight off the attackers.
You follow red arrows to go down into the city and blue arrows to come back to the surface.
Here are pictures from the underground
There are clear plastic panels over the holes in the floors. We were told that these were for the placement of ladders.
The round stone is a door. It was fabricated underground - probably from the ceiling and made to roll across a walkway. It was designed to be a one way door in that it could only be operated from the inside - or the part away from the attacker.
Room with smaller storage rooms (with lights) off to the side.
A walkway
I think this is an entrance to a tunnel
These depressions where big pots of food or wine would be stored upright
Another walkway.
DAY THREE - Friday - more cave pictures! woo hoo!
As I've mentioned, this area has numerous underground cities. Many have been excavated and archaeologizsized, but there are also many others which are 'known' but not open to the public. On Friday morning we went to the biggest one in Cappadocia, There are more levels to the city, and the tunnels and rooms are bigger. The one we visited yesterday had narrow and steep passageways while today's had concrete stairs to get from one level to another
This is described as a baptismal font --water spout on the right...and a drain out.
This was a big room with two long stone benches. The sign said it was the Missionary School. Who knows what it really was, but we pretended we were at the MTC and even sang some songs - Away in a Manger, Called to Serve, and another one I can't remember. The acoustics were amazing, and some of us are really good singers. Makes me wonder if some of the early Christians (700 - 800 AD) sang in this room to pass the time or to console their families.
Our afternoon destination was a narrow canyon about an hour's drive from the cave site. It was interesting drive - farm land, brown foliage, recently plowed fields, simple homes, and small towns. Except for the architecture, it could have been eastern Oregon. This picture looks pretty much like all of the countryside---except for the weird looking Fairy Chimneys which are non existent in Oregon.
Here we are. Eons ago a volcano erupted, spewed lava everywhere, and then the lava hardened. Over the ensuing eons, the lava eroded (don't know how) and left this canyon behind.
The canyon from top side
This way down
And to this stream with no name - I'm sure it does have a name, and I must learn it because this stream and I bonded instantly
And we had a heart warming moment.
Our goal was a stream side restaurant downstream about a mile. This may have been an advertisement for it, but there were a couple of eating places at our destination point.
Well! here was an interesting cafe with river sound effects. I have never seen one like this in Oregon. There were other spots that didn't have a roof but were just tables and chairs nestled in the water.
The river in front of our restaurant. And the caves on the cliffs.
Here's our table right alongside the river - but we couldn't dangle our feet in the water. This was a good lunch - in my opinion the only yummy one out of the three that were included in the tour package. I ordered a 'vegetarian' this time around and got rice with veggies topped with melted cheese.
One thing that only die hard Star Wars fans know is the the opening scene of the first movie was shot in Turkey - just about ten or 15 minutes from this spot. But only that scene was filmed here because of some disagreement with the Turkish government. The remainder of the film was made in Tunisia where mock ups of Fairy Chimneys were used. I remember going to that movie back in the early 70's and, honestly, I kept falling asleep. But now I want to watch that movie again - at least the very first scenes. Does anyone remember this? You can enlarge them with your fingers.
Both photos are good but the first one shows that city in the foreground.
We had parked the van in an area in front of a little shop - we were the only vehicle there. As we came back, of course, we all stopped and looked at what was for sale. There was a whole rack of these skirts - one size fits all but with different fabric designs. I'm sure there is a Turkish word for this style of skirt because we saw hundreds of women wearing them - course they were older women in very rural areas - they're probably not worn not on the streets of fashionable Istanbul. I've googled the skirt but can not find any reference. We call them Turkish pant/skirts. Anyway we all tried them on (not the men), laughing and giggling, and had our picture taken with the proprietor of the shop. All, but one of us bought one. I wore mine (mine is polka dots or maybe, just designer circles) last night as I was working on the post and found it to be very comfy I'm going to start a new fashion trend in O.C.
The hotel we stayed at was magical - the setting, the style, the service, the ambiance - everything. Many of us senior volunteer live in high rise apartment buildings where there is no beauty and no style and no place outside to relax. To come to this place was, sigh.....worth repeating. Here are photos---
the cliff side of the hotel
courtyard and garden area
view from garden into the valley beyond.
entrance to restaurant where we had gourmet breakfasts each day
archway to a room
office entry
our room entry
outdoor decorations
Our final group photo
Here is a disclaimer for any of you who may be wondering if their tithing or other funds they may be donating to humanitarian or missionary causes are being misused. This was a self funded trip. One senior couple asked President Davis if they could go to Cappadocia for a couple of days. He said, "yes, but plan it for all of the senior missionaries in the CEM who may want to come." We all came!!
President Davis had sent us all a copy of a talk that President Nelson had presented at a Mission President Training Session. It was entitled, /Personal Priorities and Holy Purposes' There were three personal priorities: Spouse and Family, Missionaries, and Local Leaders and Members. There were three Holy Purposes: God's Purpose, Blessings of the Priesthood, and The Book of Mormon. Each couple was assigned to read the talk and decide which one of the purposes spoke to us. Then in the evening, just before we retired for the night, we had a devotional, and each couple talked about the purpose that they had chosen. A couple of the priorities were talked about by more that one set of missionaries, but the point of view each time was different. We trained each other, we learned from each other, and we all became friends. In a mission as big as ours where a plane ride from our city to the mission home takes 5.5 hours and practically a 24-hour day to accomplish, it is important to have a feeling of unity and friendship with each other. That was accomplished on this 'Senior Retreat'. Would we liked to have stayed on longer, yes, but we all have work to do in our own cities and branches.
It was a great trip to Turkey. Now, back to business!
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