19 Jun Cappadocia & Izmir

Today, I’m trading Butterlust for wanderlust with this second of four posts describing my recent and completely unforgettable European travels. You can read my first post about Istanbul, Turkey here. And if travel isn’t your thing, no worries, I’m still pumping out desserts so check back soon for more buttery, sugary goodness.

Sandwiched in between our time in Istanbul was a long weekend spent hopping around some of Turkey’s lesser-known destinations in the classiest puddle jumpers that Turkish discount airlines have to offer. Our first destination – much to my mother’s dismay – was the small, but tourist-dense town of Göreme in the region Cappadocia, situated in central Turkey just a few hundred miles from the Syrian border. (But perfectly safe, I might add. Mom.)

Cappadocia’s attraction lies in its unique combination of fantastical topography and rich cultural history. The landscape of the region is geologically unique, dotted with honeycombed hills and spire-shaped rock formations colloquially known as fairy dwellings (also called hoodoos, for those of you with geologist fathers, like myself), beautifully sculpted by millions of years of erosion and, more recently, human hands. Just outside of the town of Göreme is (fittingly) Göreme National Park, a World Heritage Site that holds a series of cave dwellings, carved into the soft rock of the hoodoos by humans seeking refuge as far back as the 4^th century.

We spent our first day there hiking and exploring the complex network of homes, churches, and hidden sanctuaries that make up the ancient, underground civilization. The tunneled dwellings served as a hiding place for monastic communities fleeing Roman persecution in the early days of Christianity, and as a result many of the cave chapels hold beautifully executed, well-preserved Byzantine frescoed paintings, which I unfortunately couldn’t snap any pictures of due to the watchful eyes of the site’s security guards.

The best way to experience Cappadocia’s otherworldly landscape (aside from smooching your honey from the highest hilltop ^^)  – and perhaps it’s most popular tourist excursion – is by air, in the basket of a massive, brightly-colored hot air balloon. Each morning, dozens of balloons launch into the atmosphere for sunrise tours, floating over fairy chimneys and providing breathtaking views that are unrivaled by any found on foot.

We booked our sunrise tour months in advance. This was my vacation goal, my trip highlight, my reason for leaving the baklava and bright lights of Istanbul behind. It was also to be my first ever hot air balloon ride. There was to be a pre-sunrise Turkish breakfast, a fancy champagne toast, the most epic photos of the entire vacation, and let’s not forget to mention, the only reason I’d ever in my life, happily wake up 2 hours before sunrise.

But then…it was canceled.

On the morning we arrived our hotel host informed us that all hot air balloon rides for the following day were highly likely to be canceled due to high wind advisories from the Turkish National Weather Service. We attempted to hop on an afternoon ride that day, but alas, the high winds were, well, still too high. I begged, I pleaded, I’d traveled within a few hundred miles of Syria, did they really think I was all that concerned with safety? But alas, no hot air balloon ride for this girl. Luckily, this is my single complaint for the entirety of my most perfect vacation, except for perhaps that I wasn’t able to stay abroad longer.

Hot air balloon ride-less and thoroughly bummed, instead we grabbed a bottle of local wine and hiked the hills outside of town. We met a horsey, I caught a buzz, the views were still incredible — it was almost as perfect as our original plan. And since we no longer had to rise and shine at 4AM the following morning, we treated ourselves to a long, slow dinner at the family-owned, and completely adorable restaurant, Pumpkin. It was my second favorite meal of the entire trip; if you ever find yourself in Cappadocia, don’t miss it.

From Cappadocia we made our way to the young, modern city of Izmir on Turkey’s west coast. The most liberal of Turkey’s large cities, we spent our first night stuffing our faces with fresh seafood and people watching on Izmir’s bar-lined main street. It was quite obviously the place to be, to see and be seen, so naturally, after dinner we found a non-threatening looking bar that was blaring Beyonce and proceeded to take tequila shots and boogie with the locals until I we had to be dragged off the dance floor and put to bed. (Sorry, no photo evidence exists.)

The next morning, two advil, three cups of Turkish black tea, and a whole lot of simit and cheese later, we set out on our way to the final stop on our whirlwind weekend tour — the ancient city of Ephesus. Once upon a time home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (destroyed by Goths in the 3^rd century), and at one point visited by the infamous lovers Cleopatra and Mark Antony (we know how that ends), this ancient civilization is nestled in lush, green valley just miles from the sea. Quite the contrast to Cappadocia’s sparse, rocky landscape, the region around Ephesus was in full bloom, the entire countryside dotted with beautiful purple flowers, fig trees and even the occasional wandering herd of sheep.

After our little stroll through history, we drove to the seaside town Kuşadası for a quick lunch and stroll down the coast. The streets were lined with orange trees, reminding me of my beloved Sevilla and earning it a special place in my heart — though that could have also been the amazing fried cheese dessert (Kunafe) I stuffed into my face by the forkful. (I blame the previous night’s Raki.)

Beautiful, right?!?!

WHAT WE ATE & DRANK:

Iskender Kebap :: thinly cut grilled lamb, basted with hot tomato sauce and served over pieces of lavas bread, generously slathered with melted sheep butter and yogurt
Anatolian Wine :: best shared with friends + a view
Lavas bread :: that bubbly, goodness above, best smothered with mezes
Kabak tatlısı :: candied pumpkin, on my fall must-make list
Pumpkin :: the restaurant, not the gourd <3 <3
More of everything else listed here

WHERE WE STAYED:

Old Town Stone House Göreme :: this was a small family-owned hotel just off the beaten path, but within walking distance of all of the major attractions and restaurants. Our host, who’s name I can no longer recall, went above and beyond to help make our stay in Göreme as comfortable as possible. He even drove his car into town to find us when our morning balloon ride was canceled, and tried to help us get on the next ride that afternoon. The hotel includes a full Turkish breakfast, as well as a rustic stone terrace with a fire pit (it get’s chill there) and breathtaking views of the landscape. My only complaint was that the room that Steve and I said in opened up into the lobby which was pretty weird, so if you stay there definitely as for a room on the second or third floors. Still, MORE than worth the value.

HOW WE GOT THERE:

Turkish Airlines for less than $100 each way + a shuttle bus from the airport to town that was coordinated by our hotel.

Thanks for taking this little walk down memory lane with me! Have a great weekend, everyone!

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