Letter 3
Ciao Dude!!!
Today I'm writing a new part of my travel diary to you. This time I'm going to type you about the central part of Turkey. In this area you can find breath-taking landscapes and enchanting places, where history looks like stopped still, and she's still frozen there (yes, it was cold too...). In this region, more precisely in Nevsehir city, I also spent a really beautiful New Year Eve in the Turk way. Here I'm going to describe it. I hope that you'll like this part of my travel diary!!!
Ciao
Franz
Today I'm writing a new part of my travel diary to you. This time I'm going to type you about the central part of Turkey. In this area you can find breath-taking landscapes and enchanting places, where history looks like stopped still, and she's still frozen there (yes, it was cold too...). In this region, more precisely in Nevsehir city, I also spent a really beautiful New Year Eve in the Turk way. Here I'm going to describe it. I hope that you'll like this part of my travel diary!!!
Ciao
Franz
Day 4 - Central Anatoly - The way to Nevsehir
Some of the most interesting places that you can go and see in Turkey are in the Central Anatoly. Our trip would bring us there after visiting Ankara, heading down south, and bringing us in the cold flat lands of the inner Turkey. It was the 31st of December, and the cold wind from the North reminded us that, in spite of the desert landscapes, we were into the blizzarding continental climate, in the middle of winter, in a land which names I couldn't even pronounce. Our target was to reach Nevsehir before sunset. The most we entered in the depth of the inland, colder it became. First desert looking landscapes appeared before us. Low hills without trees, covered with short grass and populated only be sheep and rams, passed by before us. Our guide told us that in past there were more farmers, but then, around the years 1920-1930, there was the "Cultural Exchange", and people were brought away from here. In fact, as Turkey is a Muslim country, before the rise of Mr. Ataturk, many Christians and Orthodox people were taken and "swapped" with muslims living in the neighboring countries. Of course, many of the newcomers, taken from the city, in spite they were given big pieces of land, they didn't fancy to turn into farmers. So, many of them sold away their land and migrated back to the cities. Now in the central Anatoly, you can see large empty spaces belonging to farmers living even 100 km away. Another reason of this emptiness, was that in winter they don't need to work in the fields, so the farmer are having "holiday" and they'll be back to work in spring. You can see how the central Anatoly look, in the first picture of this group. While having this trip, I was sitting next to Giovanna and we were having fun. In the row before us was sitting another lonely traveler girl, and we met her. Her name is Laura, a Geologist, and in spite on the beginning she looked quite serious, soon later we discovered that she was just shy, and turned out to be a real fun girl. So, me, Giovanna and Laura made up a group and we spent all the time together having big fun. Many people that were on the pullman with us looked very envious of us, both because we were having big fun and because we were interested in everything, while the others looked mostly bored. Anyway, one of the most interesting and beautiful looking places to visit is the Tuzgolu Girisi, a salty lake. This lake usually fills with water in the rainy season and dries down before summer. It supplies much salt to the people living around it. It was really interesting to be there and watching this low quiet lake surrounded by desert looking lands. You can see it in the picture 2, 3 and 4 of this group. Here it happened something both funny and disgusting. In fact, as me, Giovanna and Laura were a group, we had some couples that liked to stick with us. Among them there was one that was made of a lady-teacher that treated her boyfriend like a small baby and Mr. boyfriend that was an Architect. It was really pleasant to talk to him as he was both really smart and funny. So, when we were on the lake, I was taking some pictures and he came to me. He asked me if this lake would be really tasting salty. I told him that I was happily trusting the guide and I didn't fancy to drink that water. So, he said that he had the guts to do it and stuck a finger into the water and tasted it. So, if you wish to do it, never do it next to the shore as next to the shores you can find more bacterias, second check the surrounding of the place where you do it. In fact, on the beach, about 10 meters from there, there was a small river that started from some toilets like an open-air sewer. I think that it wasn't the wisest thing to do. Anyway, that day he didn't feel bad, but he was bad two days later. I don't know if it was connected. I was the only one to witness is, but I seen the "Toilet River" too much late, when he already tasted it. My friend Giovanna and Laura laughed so much when I told them about this!!! By the way, he said that it really tastes salty! Soon later we left the lake and we kept our way to Nevsehir. The most we got closer to this city, more mountains appeared and also started to appear the snow. In the fifth picture of this group you can see an ancient volcano that appeared before us while going to Nevsehir. When we were really close to Nevsehir we visited an old caravansary. On our way we found many of them, as in past they were built, on the main roads, about 25-30 km far from each other. This one is very beautiful and peaceful. The pale light of the sunset was painting the cold stone of the caravansary, of an golden glow. It looked like welcoming us, with its warm colors, and as I approached to it, I imagined how would be feeling an ancient traveler in that stinging cold. An ancient traveler that traveled for many kilometers that day through the cold wind. Then he'd see the caravansary with its warm color, as it was foretelling the reward of warmth that would be waiting for the traveler inside of its walls. As the traveler, I entered the heavy wooden doors, and I found myself into a silent cold stoned place. It felt like the cold took advantage of the life of the place and froze it through the time. The floor stones were still carved where the wheels of the chariots were passing through. The steps were still waiting that somebody would climb them up to the higher walls. Rooms with tall roofs, now houses for the pigeons, were dark and cold as they froze in the coldest night. The architecture, with along with the darkness and silence, reminded me of a forgotten cathedral. The caravansary wasn't big and we stayed there just short, and then we left it, and we kept on our way to Nevsehir. You can see this caravansary in the pictures 6, 7 and 8 of this group. The arrival to the city was with the snow. It was really cold. The swimming pool outside the hotel was all frozen and also all the sidewalks on the streets around the hotel were covered with ice. Seen that we spent almost all the day sitting in the pullmann, I decided to go with Giovanna and Laura for a walk in Nevsehir. Our hotel was very far from the center, but we still reached it. The city is not attractive, as you can find nothing interesting there. Anyway, it was still interesting for us to see how this place looked like, and we also had a chance to see a beautiful mosque there. After this long walk to the city we came back to our hotel, as it was time to getting ready for the New Year Party.
Nevsehir: Welcoming the New Year
The same night that we arrived to Nevsehir we had the New Year Party. Before reaching this city, we thought that there could be some place to party even outside of the hotel, but as soon as we got there, we discovered that our hotel was the best (and also the only) place where to party. It was a really nice hotel that also worked as a disco. So, that night I met with Giovanna and Laura, and we took a table with some other people. The music was provided by a group that both played live music and records. It was really good that they played some "Latino" music, then some "Disco", after some "Turk" music, and then started again from the beginning. It was really lovely. The singer, a Turk lady, had a really beautiful voice. Seen that I'm not very shy, I had really great fun in this party, as I danced and sung song with Giovanna and Laura. The party was really GREAT and I really loved it!!! In the pictures of this group you can see me as a "Party Hittite" and Giovanna (the girl in the left) with Laura. At midnight we were offered a really delicious cake and wine. Then we danced and partied till late, before going to our rooms to sleep, as the next day we'd go and see very interesting places. A really good way to start the New Year!!!
Day 5 - Cappadokia - Goreme - What we can't see
The first day of the year started with an early waking-up, as we had a really interesting day before us. In fact, as our schedule shown, we should be going and see the Cappadokia and in particular the "Goreme Valley". The trip started with crossing Nevsehir. The city, in the area closer to my hotel, was quite modern, but as we crossed it, we found ourself, into an older side. The old and decading building were laying on a small flat land, watched from the high by an ancient Byzantine castle. You can see this castle in the first picture of this group. As we passed by there, my friend Giovanna got excited at the sight of the Byzantine castle, as she's studying exaclty that architecture style. She just regretted of not having the chance to see it from close. Soon later we reached the entering of the Goreme Valley. This valley was enlisted by the UNESCO in the World Heritages. It's very good that UNESCO is trying to protect this valley, but it doesn't look like it's very effective. Anyway, our first stop, was just on the beginning of the Goreme Valley. In fact, here you can see the "Nar" village. It's a ghost town, as it was left on the beginning of the past century. Now only few people live there. The name of the city means "Pomegranate", and the ruins of the old housings, now just remind how the fruit looks inside. The break to watch the city from far lasted really short, just to remind us what happened in Turkey when the Christians, the Jews and the Orthodox were swapped with Muslims living in other countries. Many Muslims were brought to live in Nar, but they left in few years and went to live in the bigger cities. You can see Nar in the second picture of this group. Soon later we started again our trip to the "Goreme Valley". This long valley is the symbol of the Cappadokia region. In fact, its breath-taking and mystical landscapes are world famous, becoming some of the symbols of Turkey itself. When I was in Turkey, I've found some words that were very similar to some Polish words that I still know. When I heard "Goreme" I just thought to the word "Gory" that in Polish means "mountain". It sounded like suiting quite well to this place, as all the landscapes are parts of mountains or carved into mountains. But later, we discovered that "Goreme" means "What you can't see" in Turk. In fact, this is a land of rocks formations called "Fairy Chimneys" that were carved inside to make houses. Maybe somewhere there under, are really living the Fairies and those are their chimneys for real. Ok, for a few minutes can be funny to think to we walking into a fairy tale. This region is in the middle of Anatolya, and this also means that here was a place where invasions were quite common. So, the native people started to dig their shelters underground. Until now were discovered five different underground cities, but it's likely that many has still to be discovered. The most famous ones is the very big "Derinkuyu" and the smaller "Kaymakli". With my group we went to Kaymakli. When you reach this village, you can see only some old buildings, much damaged (or even ruins of old buildings) by the last heavy earthquake. The village doesn't look attractive, and here people doesn't even look interested on practicing any kind of restoration of it. But the best is "what you can't see" here. In fact, if you look carefully the hill on a side of the village, you can see that it was, somehow, carved with some simple facades. You can see them in the third picture of this group. Still, they look like shelters for the animals breed here. Next to them, very hard to find it, you can see the entering to a cave. If you enter it, you'll find the real Kaymakli. In fact, the entering for the cave, is also the entering of the underground city. The hill was all dug inside, and was turned into a city-shelter. If here was some invasion, people left their houses and came to live inside the mountain. In this city was anything they needed. There were dormitories, a church (you can see it in the fourth picture of this group), storage, places where to work foods (you can see an underground mill and a winery in the fifth and sixth pictures of this group). The underground city, even if it's not the biggest, is quite huge. In fact, much it takes a long time to walk around it, and you don't have access to all the parts of the underground city (some parts are even still unexplored). It's quite touching to be in a such a place. While you're walking there, you can place your hands on the walls, and feel under your fingers the carvings of the ancient tools used to dig the city, and think what an hard work was to do it. Now the illumination is provided my electric lamps, but in past the light was only provided my torches, so you can imagine how hard would be living there, in the darkness, with the suffocating smoke smell, hoping that the invasion of the region would end soon, to come back to the surface and feel again the fresh air and sunshine. The alleys are very narrow, and in some parts is much difficult to walk through. This is due to the fact that people living there inside needed to prevent an invasion of the underground city. While walking there under, you can also see many heavy stone rolling doors that might be used to seal some alleys and prevent invasions. In the seventh picture of this group you can see a small map of the areas that you can visit in the ungrounded city. After this underground tour, we came back to the surface, and felt again the cold winter wind on us. But it was still pleasant to feel it. Now around the entering of the cave there are many shops for tourists. You can see how the surface city looks like from the exit of the cave, and a carpet shop in the eighth and ninth pictures of this group. This was just the beginning of our tour of the Cappadokia and the Goreme Valley, and the best was still to be seen.