We stayed in the town of Goreme (Go-rem-ay), nestled in a valley in central Cappadocia.
In the distance is the ancient city and fortress or Uçhisar (ooch-hisar, "hisar" meaning "fortress").
Up close, Uçhisar reveals itself to have once been the most populous settlement in the area. The thousand year old dwellings carved into the rock are still clearly visible. Despite the fact that they are obviously man-made, they are referred to as cave houses.
Most of the Cappadocian region is actually rolling fields of wheat and other crops. The fantastic rock formations and carved houses abruptly appear in the landscape when entering a valley. The spires are referred to as "Fairy chimneys", but Kat has compared them to the images of Dr. Suess.
Turkish night was a tourist trap of dancing and drinking. Keeping that in mind, it was the best place to see traditional Turkish dances, including belly dancing, folk dances, and whirling dervishes. The food was pretty good too.
The reflection of the sun on the stones is harshest when exiting a small, dark cave dwelling. The locals are used to this and do not wear sunglasses.
When clean, dry, and properly window-ed, the cave houses are actually pretty comfortable. Since most of them were about 1000 years old, there was not much left in the way of furniture.
Everyone and their brother (literally) will try to sell you a carpet or Kilim.
"Où est la Poulet?"
The residents of Cappadocia still actively use the houses carved into the rock. They usually serve as back rooms to their more modern houses. In fact, the room we stayed in was carved into the bedrock.
The area around Goreme.
Despite the blazing sun and ever-blue sky, the cave houses are naturally air conditioned and quite pleasant. Cool in the summer, and warm in the winter.
