Cappadocia, Turkey

I hadn't actually heard of Cappadocia until I began working at Travel Counsellors. It came up during some training and I was immediately in awe of this unique and special place. The lunar-like landscapes you can see there are formed by years of erosion and extreme weather conditions. (Cappadocia is beautifully hot in Summer, but usually sees snow in winter!) I've never been a fan of heights, but the sight of all the hot air balloons that float silently over the landcapes had me desperate to give it a go and see the fairy chinmeys dotted about from above. We arrived in the early hours of the morning, so it was dark and were shown to our room at our hotel, Argos in Cappadocia. The hotel is sympathetically and traditionally built into the side of Pigeon Valley, so named because of the many pigeon homes carved into the rocks at the sides of the valley. I was woken the next morning by a call to prayer given by the Mosque a little further down the valley outside our room and decided to peel the curtain back to glimpse outside. I won't pretend I didn't let out an excited squeal and then with absolutely no shame at all, I popped on my flip flops and rushed straight outside in my pyjamas! I'm sat in my home office right now, like so many of us and as I look out at the beautiful sunny Scottish morning I'm reminded of stepping from our cool room into the sun that day, how it felt with the warm Turkish air on my skin, the sounds of the call to prayer and how I felt when I saw the view from our terrace. For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that we would be staying right in amongst all the rock formations and fairy chinmeys that make up the landscapes, but they were everywhere! It was like absolutely nothing I had seen before! I most definitely had a tear in my eye. The entire UK had been in total lockdown in the middle of a global pandemic not long before and I'd spent a summer rearranging trips for clients, feeling heartbroken for everyone missing their holidays, special trips and honeymoons. This was a glimmer of hope. Travel was possible and here I was in a destination I could have only dreamt about months before. Just as I had experienced on the plane and at the airport, things had had to change a little at the hotel to ensure everyone was safe. The hotel buffet breakfast had been replaced by table service and ramekins full of what can only be described as tiny delights adorned the table. Staff wore masks and we also were asked to wear masks unless seated and eating or drinking. I'm sure we are all well used to mask wearing by now, but I still hadn't really been used to it back then and I had worried about how I would find it, but I didn't feel it changed the atmosphere of the place at all. I felt safe and comfortable and we mostly ate in the beautiful open air with views over the Unesco World Heritage site that was once a castle at the edge of the hotel grounds. It felt like a luxury to sit and enjoy a leisurely breakfast, chatting with a friend about the afternoon ahead, as we had booked a jeep safari. Our jeep safari was a bumpy, open topped adventure through the valleys and hills. We visited churches and castles built into the rock formations that even years ago would have been unrecognisable as these buildings to us. There were several viewing spots where we could see for miles around, everywhere we went. Just turning around presented a totally different view of this otherworldy place and I felt immersed within it. The next morning's hot air ballon ride (the one I was actually worried I could do, because I am terrified of heights!) was in complete contrast. Total silence except for the sound of the burner warming the air as we drifted, mostly low down, across the Goreme National Park. The journey we took determined by the air currents and the skill of our pilot. There were around forty other balloons up that day, I can only imagine what it looks like when you are amongst hundreds of other ballons, all equally silent, sailing through the sky. It's most definitely something I want to do again and there are so many fantastic places you can experience a hot air balloon ride now, but I would love to go back to Cappadocia and see those same sights when snow lays on the ground in winter. We had wanted the balance of spending time seeing things and taking time to relax, so we didn't get to take in many of the things Cappadocia has to offer. Goreme town has an Open Air Museum which was one of the first two Unesco World Heritage sites in Turkey. Here you can see how the town was literally carved into the rock formations and there are stunning churches with wall paintings and relics of the roman times during which they were carved. There are also an incredible thirty six underground cities in Cappadocia, of which Kaymakli is the largest, made up of housing, cellars, storage areas and even stables built off the nearly one hundred tunnels going down to eight floors below ground. Some of the areas are still used by local people today. I was perhaps surpised to learn about the number of vineyards in the area and there are many wine tasting experiences to be had. Our hotel has it's own Vineyards and produces several wines and it was great to try those with local cheeses and the quite unique candied pumpkin, which is a staple food in the area and very tasty too! There were cooking classes available, but instead we chose to partake in long, leisurely dinners after time spent relaxing with a cocktail by the pool taking in the views. For the more active, there are numerous hiking or walking tours throughout the area, including full moon walks and I can only be left imagining just what the valleys might look like under a celestial glow. During our trip we only stayed at Cappadocia, but it's perfect to pair with Istanbul or a beach resort, or if you like more adventure, you could even journey on along the Silk Road. Whilst we wait for the world to open up once again, as it did last year, we can dream about the experiences that await us. Where's next for you?