Cappadocia again - visiting an underground city and more pidgeon houses

We spent an interesting day exploring the underground cities where 6,000 people were housed underground hiding from the various marauders - 8 levels underground.  It can't have been all bad, they were even making wind under there.

They were not designed for tall people Matt.  Those round grates were covering deep holes for unsuspecting invaders and were covered so that the locals didn't come to a sad end.
On thing though, it was lovely and cool down here

At this point were were at least down to the 4th or 5th floor.  The animals were housed at the first floor.
Just another passage way

 

Once we left the underground city, we went to see some more Pidgeon houses.

Pidgeons are very important in this area and so the locals are converting the old stone houses as pidgeon houses.  As this interesting sign suggests, the pidgeons need our "help" but not quite sure what sort of help.  Notice all the blue and white objects, these are warding off the "evil eye"

Notice the indents going up to the window, these are pidgeon houses made by locals to attract them

climbing down one of the crevices within the valley

Mariana, Cassandra and Lizzy

I think we may see Mariana coming to Australia one day - we hope so!

A break at last (always shops in the most unexpected places!)

Just next to this is the little ancient Church with these amazingly preserved paintings on the ceiling

Off again and a couple of more landscapes before we head for the pottery

Notice the decoration, this is to show the pidgeon this is home so they come back to their own place (weird but true)

This church was completely carved out of the rock (everything was carved)

I am sure Amanda's pictures were more impressive than mine

On to Cappadocia

We are now on our final leg of the Geckos Tour, arriving in Cappadocia (Goreme) on the Tuesday 21/6 -and the group then heads off for Ankara on Friday 24/6 leaving me to stay a little longer here in Goreme.

We travelled in a public bus all day to get to Cappadocia area - nothing much to see on the way, just open plains with mountains in the distance.  We arrived at our hotel at 6pm and Ergun arranged for a small van to take us to see the sunset in this amazing and strange landscape

This picture does not do it justice

There was lots of leaping and photos being taken as the sun began to set

These strange natural monuments have basault tops and sandstone or limestone bottoms - and notice the line - I wish I was a geologist to really understand what I was looking at.  These became homes to ancient peoples and especially hermits, by digging into the soft stone and making very adequate accomodation - no heating or cooling really required.

Here is your standard McMansion Cappadocia style - I think this "window" was not as big originally this may have just broken open as these are slowly falling to pieces.  People were living in these until 20 years ago when too many were falling apart and so people were re-located.  They are now used for pigeons (who are very valuable in this region and are encouraged to nest in these as their droppings a useful source of food for the soil)
People paint pictures on their pidgeon houses and the pidgeons return to them every year.
Sunset in Cappadocia

We then went to dinner at a lovely restaurant in what seemed the middle of nowhere and we were asked if we would like the set dinner (3 courses) for 15 Turkish Lira (that is under $10.00) and we all asked did you say 50 TLR no.. it was 15 TLR yep we were happy with that price!!
They have this thing here were they cook your meal in a sealed pottery container and you have to open your own pot
Here I am attacking my pot, I was hoping not to end up with bits of ceramic in my dinner.

The next day we went to "love valley" can you guess why?  Just a series of photos for you - say no more.

I am not going to explain what the boys are doing here
I was preferring to photograph the amazing range of wild flowers

maybe I am getting old.. but I preferred the flowers than those rather phallic like structures

not sure what they were, perhaps a type of lilac
and everywhere there are the brilliant poppies

and just one more picture of flowers - sorry but these are so beautiful

When we returned to the bus, there was the usual stall run by local people to make a little extra money and they were selling the usual fresh orange juice which is always so lovely and fresh (squeezed in front of you) and the boys were feeling particularly manly after their visit to "Love Valley" as shown by their photo with their new head gear

Daryl (Dario), Antony and Jeff showing their strength
and their very proud ladies

You go girls!!
A walk in Pidgeon Valley (I think)

and a visit to an example of what a home would have looked like when it was lived in

Kristin is modelling the lounge room.  You had to climb up a ladder to get to the first floor.
No point feeling uncomfortable with heights

Yes, if you look that is three levels, Willem and I are on the third floor, Amanda is on the second and I think that might be Antony on the first floor.  You would need to have very good knees to be going up and down these all day.  I did notice that the screws attaching the ladders were in places a little dodgy but we all made it down safely.
The bottom floor was lovely (it was not at ground level however, still had a ladder to get into this one)

Afterwards we stopped at a panorama view of the valley and an opportunity to buy some lovely Turkish music and I found myself on a camel ride - being led away - I thought I was just having a photo taken and when Amanda asked me where are you going, I turned around and said "I have no idea" as the communication was a little difficult. Anyway the very expensive camel ride of 20 TLR only went for a minute
(a lesson learnt here, do not let them get you to sit on the camel for the photo, and expecially do not let them lead the camel away)

it was all fun anyway...
That it for day on at Cappadocia - more to come.  Pottery and the underground cave houses.

Another ruin!! and on to Antalya

A couple of pictures of the ruins of Phaselis and then some shots around Antalya - a city of nearly 2 million people.  I have combined the photos I took on my first visit with the group and then on my return

 

Amazingly many of the walls are still intact.

 

Jeff discussing the structural elements and merits of this rather old "gate" with a couple of local Turkish gentlemen - go Prof. Jeff

After arriving in Antalya, we saw more ruins aroung the old city of Kaleici where we were staying.  Here is another Hadrian's Gate' he has so many Gates around the place...I think I might have caught Patricia in this shot.

Typical narrow lanes around the old city of Kaleici in Anataly - these places are very quiet until about 9.30 10.00 in the morning and then are alive and active until midnight.  It is extremely hot just walking around between 10 am to 7pm at night.  The walk ways are often marble, lovely to walk on.

A lovely shot of Beneta and Amanda on yet another shopping expedition

The view just near our hotel was spectacular, I am not sure what these mountains are called but they are west of Antalya - maybe still the Taurus Mountains 

And looking at night across the bay just a bit further along

 

And after our tour, I returned to Antalya so here are some new images

Me with my Turkish coffee and a light afternoon snack and my diary

Some of the buildings are so old in the old Kaleici that they are just not repaired 

On my return to Antalya I got to know Katja who was working at the Hotel and we spent the day looking at the ancient ruins of the old city of Telmissos (spelt incorrectly) and then the ancient Karain Cave

photo of Katja at the ampitheatre.  We sang a song together there "I did it my way" and another man decided to join in and when we finished our poor rendition, we were clapped by other tourists - pretty funny really.

After a long hot walk up a steep windy path we made it into the Karain Cave which was lovely and cool.

Katja trying to be a archeologist but not getting very far

 

 It was so huge in side - and the cave sits 400 feet above the land in the side of the large hill.

 

At the Antalya museum you could see the pots and implements discoverd at the Karain Cave and the other ruins around in the area. 

Bit gruesome

I think this was the Goddess Athena - she was really magnificent.

I loved this relief on a sarcophagus - the detail was absolutely wonderful.

My last night at Antalya was a little different.  Katja, and her friends Aurelie and Abderraman and I went out on a test run for a new business venture - mystery bars of the Kaleici (thanks Gath and Kim in Melbourne for the idea)

Just a few photosof the night.  This was "happy photo" 1 at the Castle.  It is good I have long arms

This was the second bar, thats a bira, coke and onto a Raki.

After a couple of bars with live music we retired to the final place at 1.30 am for shisha and something soft. 

Well that was Antalya...