Sunset in Cappadoccia

Cappadocia, Turkey

-Goreme, Cappadoccia, Turkey

Some places deserve return trips. The Redwood Forest, the Sahara Desert, Joshua Tree National Park. You can't see these spots once, or take pictures that do them justice. For me, Cappadocia is like that.

Located in the middle of Turkey, Cappadocia is known for strange rock formations that look like this:

and this:

and this:

Just the existence of the rocks, which were created by volcanoes, is cool. But what makes the place even more impressive is that centuries ago people began carving homes into them. Some of the earliest settlers were monks who spent their days carving private monasteries and painting frescoes such as these:

Many of the caves and towers are still in use. Others rock cities, such as the one below, have been abandoned.

To make things even more interesting, people in the region didn't just create homes and above-ground communities. They also built entire cities deep into the earth. It seems times were rough about 4,000 years ago (ancient invading armies, later, Roman and Arab warriors), so the people of Cappadocia hid for months at a time beneath the earth. Some friends and I went climbing into an 8-story city that housed 15,000 people for several months. The cave city was a labyrinth with secret entryways, and hidden air shafts. It also had churches, wineries and kitchens.

We left the cave, hopped back on our scooters and drove from village to village dressed like this:

and we ran across a girl who seemed very excited to pose like this:

We went to a cliff to watch the sunset and, someday, over several beers, Ill share a few embarrassing stories linked to the adventure.

Shannon

Konya, Turkey

My friends and I left Antalya en route to Cappadoccia, a region in the center of Turkey. On the way, we decided to stop in Konya. Konya is considered backwards by many Turks. It's uber-Muslim, they say. It's, like, worse than Saudi Arabia and full of rude, fanatical, freaks, they continue. There aren't any bars and girls are forced to dress like slaves. The list goes on.

So I arrived in Konya expecting, more or less, a fanatical, backwards, donkey-carriage kind of dump. I hoped the food would be good. I thought it would be nice to see the tomb of Rumi, a philosopher and poet who I admire. But beyond that, I didn't have any grand ideas.

And then I got there.

Here's a pic of a street in Konya:

And the busiest hangout in Konya:

And the view inside a window where we saw several, dare i say, liberated women hanging out:

But surely the people are jerks, I thought. I mean, Konya is the pariah of central Turkey. J, J, A and I wandered around for a couple hours, when we came upon these people, who were holding a fund raiser to help impoverished children in Africa:

The woman on the right near the tent pole saw us watching from afar and flagged us over. She invited us to try her pasta, which we did. We filled our stomachs for a little less than $3. Then we ate some dessert. Disgustingly full, we meandered around the city. We went to this madressa:

And almost got run over by this guy and his jumbo vacuum, outside the madressa.

We went to see the tomb of Rumi, pictured here:

And this cool bowl inside the tomb:

And we walked into a courtyard where I took this picture:

All told, I loved Konya. The first restaurant we went to upon arriving was called "The White Palace." When the waiter realized we spoke a little Turkish, he gabbed to us for 30 minutes about his life, his hopes, his ideas about Konya and Turkey and America and the EU. He gave us his cell phone number and offered to take us on a tour next time we're in town. Later that night, we ran into another waiter from the same restaurant. He smiled and waved to us as if we were old friends. Konyans don't seem to take tourists for granted. The prices bazaar merchants told me were the same prices they told locals. At the first hint of us being lost, someone approached us and actually knew how to re-direct us. There weren't any bars, there wasn't a night scene. But, all told, Konya is on my list of great places in Turkey.

More posts to come...

Shannon

Antalya, Turkey

My friend Jonathan came to visit from Chicago earlier this month. He stayed in Istanbul a few days before jetting off on a tour of the country. My friend Alex and I caught up with Jonathan and his friend, Jenny, in a city on the Mediterranean coast called Antalya.

Antalya plays second fiddle to the more uppity coastal city of Bodrum. I wasn't expected much when I arrived, but within minutes the city changed my mind. It is beautiful. Mountains plunging into the water. Waterfalls. Crystalline water. Bouganvelias blooming everywhere. It reminded me of San Diego, but with cheaper food, warmer water and less silicon breasts.

Antalya's Harbor

Fishermen in the harbor

Hadrian's Gate, a Roman ruin -Antalya

Mountains and the Mediterranean, -Antalya

View on the drive from Antalya to Konya, Turkey

More photos from our adventures in Konya and Kapadokya to follow.

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, Grandmoms, Godmom and Aunts!! Where would I be without all of you? I don't want to know...

xo

Shannon

Out of Town

Hi all!

Am in jolly ol' England visiting my parents and favorite fraulein (and former roommate), Silke.

England's Lake District: #21 on my Places of a Lifetime. 'Tis incredible.

Will post photos soon!

xo,

Shannon