We had planned a kind of circular route which began by walking from Göreme through Pigeon Valley which we had seen from the Panorama the day before. It was green and tranquil and we only met a few walkers and a group of cyclists along the way.
We passed a tea-garden, but it was too soon after breakfast to stop …
… wild flowers …
… and even some pigeons!
This brought us in sight of Uchisar Castle, and we walked up through the town until we reached it.
We climbed to the top and got a great view in every direction.
We bought some snacks to keep us going – fried corn kernels and roasted apricot seeds – then set off for the return. We followed the signs for Love Valley and after walking for a while came across a chap in the middle of nowhere, with a stall selling freshly squeezed orange juice and a selection of jewellery.
We purchased juice and he told us the path descended through White Valley first and you can see where it got its name.
The valley was filled with birdsong as we walked through …
The same applies to Love Valley as you can see …
By the time we got to the end of the path at the main road, we were both exhausted. It might only have been eight miles or so but there had been a lot of up and down. We had a choice – 15 minute walk further away from Göreme to Cavusin and catch a bus back or a 40 minute walk to Göreme. We took the second option and just as we were wondering if there was a chance we could hitch a lift, a car pulled up beside us and took us back to town, driven by a very nice Turkish man who spoke very little English. We had ice-cream on the way to the hotel and then a nap to recover … from the walk, not the ice-cream!
Dinner at Dibek, was definitely Turkish style with cushions on the floor and low tables. We ate traditional local food like yogurt with mint, pickles, stewed beans and okra with tomatoes finishing with sun dried apricots with grape molasses and tahini … delicious.
Next day dawned and not a balloon in the sky, so I turned over and slept some more. At breakfast we found out the balloons had been cancelled as the wind was too strong. We decided to have an easier day and decided on a visit to the smaller Open Air Museum in Zelve combined with a walk afterwards. We tried to get the bus to Zelve, but information was vague and while we thought there was an hourly bus, we had no idea when to expect it so took a taxi instead. Zelve may not have great frescos, but it had lots of buildings one could explore and was very popular with local visitors rather than tour groups.
Interestingly, it comprised three valleys, two occupied by Christians with churches …
… and one by Muslims with a mosque.
I spotted a couple of hoopoe birds flying around.
Leaving Zelve, the sky was starting to darken, but we continued to Paşabağ which means “Pasha’s Vineyard”. We got a picture from above …
… then walked down to the entrance. It contained some of the most striking fairy chimneys with twin and triple caps looking a bit like mushrooms. It was much smaller than I expected, and had a holiday atmosphere with camel and horse rides available as well as ice-cream and snacks and many locals were out walking.
The sky darkened.
Just as we were finished, raindrops began, and before we knew it, there was a deluge. We took refuge in a cafe with a taxi sign and they called us a cab which returned us to town. We returned to Firin Express for dinner, where we had already eaten pide, but this time went for the testi kebabs, stews in pottery pots which are opened by cracking the lid off with a knife! We both had a go opening our pots and the contents was delicious. Chris has taken a liking for Ayran, a salty yogurt drink that you either love or hate … but which is very popular here.
Another day dawned with no balloons, and Chris was starting to worry he’d missed his photo op … maybe tomorrow! After breakfast we took a taxi to Sunset Point and walked from here into Red Valley. We chose the higher path, which ran round the edge of the valley and got some great photos.
Then we descended which was a little treacherous …
… made our way through vines and fruit trees …
… but then found we had to go up again … even more treacherous!
The ascent achieved, we continued .
A little way further and the sky way getting ominously dark.
Then we saw the Hacli Church cut into a fairy chimney with frescos that were very colourful and surprisingly preserved considering their location.
Just beside was a small tea garden where we stopped for freshly squeezed orange and coffee, pleased to take a rest.
As we drank the sky got darker and thunder started rumbling round the valley. Then the muezzin started the call for lunchtime prayers and the sound carried from Göreme. The thunder got louder, lightening flashed and the rain started pounding on the roof of the shelter.
Ten minutes later the sky brightened, the rain reduced to the odd drip and the storm had passed. Time to move on …
We headed down to the floor of the valley and made our way back to town … almost in time to miss the rain … which then poured for hours.
Our final dinner here and we chose Top Deck Cave Restaurant, which delivered one of the best meals we’ve had so far with a plate of mixed mezze including one with red cabbage and walnut and some amazing hummus, followed by beef stew and veggie stew – both fab, and a very reasonably priced bottle of local red wine.
Tomorrow we set off on the next leg of our journey – by bus to Konya.
Off Travelling Together 