Exporing where East meets West in Türkiye

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Tuesday, 21 April 2026 - Up at 4am for a clear Cappadocia balloon flight after yesterday’s cancellation. Hundreds of balloons lifted at sunrise over fairy chimneys with Mt Erciyes in view. After landing, we explored Uchisar’s cave homes, pigeon houses, and Castle Rock. We joined a hands-on cooking class making lamb dishes, dolma, and manti, then ended the day with wine and sunset over Red Valley.

Today the weather was clear and cool, fine for a hot air ballon ride. For the second day we got up at 0400. Virginia Ann went back to sleep.

turkey2026 — Waiting for the hot air balloons to inflate at dawn with Castle Rock rising in the background. The burners roar as the baskets prepare for lift-off.

turkey2026 — Cal's ballon being blown up with all of us watching. There would be four people in a section and eight sections in the basket. Cal was lucky to be in a section with a couple from England so he had some room.

turkey2026 — Silhouettes of balloons begin to take shape against the early morning sky, signaling the start of a large-scale launch across Cappadocia.

turkey2026 — Around 100 balloons take off simultaneously, filling the sky with color and motion in a coordinated early morning spectacle.

turkey2026 — Pre-sunrise light paints the horizon in soft color gradients while balloons hover just above the rocky terrain.

turkey2026 — Hot air balloons climb higher as burners fire intermittently, creating bursts of flame that illuminate the baskets.

turkey2026 — Dozens of balloons rise together, spreading across the sky and emphasizing the scale of Cappadocia’s morning flight tradition.

turkey2026 — A festive atmosphere develops as spectators gather to watch the daily balloon launches—like an open-air festival.

turkey2026 — Balloons against the unique Cappadocia terrain.

turkey2026 — Mt Erciyes is a massive dormant stratovolcano and the highest mountain in Central Anatolia, Türkiye, rising to 12,851 feet. It is responsible for the volcanic rock in Cappadocia.

turkey2026 — Gaining altitude with the mountains in the distance.

turkey2026 — The sun is starting to come up.

turkey2026 — The sun makes an appearance over the mountains.

turkey2026 — Mt Erciyes and a ballon. We could not see Mt Erciyes on the ground due to clouds, so it was nice to see the peak on the balloon ride.

turkey2026 — Balloons and pretty terrain.

turkey2026 — Many mountain ranges in central Türkiye.

turkey2026 — A balloon close to the unusual rocks.

turkey2026 — Cappadocia terrain.

turkey2026 — Red rocks and a red balloon.

turkey2026 — We are getting lower and now can see the farm land between the towering rocks.

turkey2026 — All kinds of businesses have sprung up around the balloons. Here a horseman on the left checks out the balloons coming down.

turkey2026 — Landing sequence begins as balloons settle toward the ground while we now look up at the remaining flights overhead.

turkey2026 — Another tourist attraction, you can pay for a photographer to snap your picture in a flowing satin dress with the balloons landing as a backdrop. This young lady is running to get under our ballon.

turkey2026 — More horseback riders watch the balloons come down.

turkey2026 — This balloon is in between rocks with several cave homes.

turkey2026 — Castle Rock in the background.

turkey2026 — After breakfast we head out to Uchisar first visiting Cevizlibağ Valley where there are several rock homes and cafés.

turkey2026 — Cevizlibağ Valley with Castle Rock in the background and small little homes in the rocks in the foreground.

turkey2026 — Homes from the original Uchisar city in the shadows of the more modern city. This one is phenomenal with multiple stories.

turkey2026 — Some really do look like Hobbit homes in the earth.

turkey2026 — Virginia Ann captured a great shot of a pretty wagon in the town. The town was cleared of its inhabitants in the 1960s, but the government allows the prior owners to return in the day to operate businesses in support of the tourists - mostly cafés.

turkey2026 — The art on the entrance to a pigeon house.

turkey2026 — Still looks like people live there, it is impressive that they fit windows to rock frames.

turkey2026 — This is a café where you can get Turkish coffee and tea.

turkey2026 — Decorated door - maybe a church entrance or not.

turkey2026 — Unique rock carved into a house.

turkey2026 — Balcony? Amazing how they take a cave and make them so comfortable.

turkey2026 — Pigeon home decoration.

turkey2026 — The view of Castle Rock from Pigeon Valley. You can see the various caves in the rocks and how the old caves blend with the newer structures.

turkey2026 — Cave riddled Castle Rock, which is the highest landscape feature in Cappadocia.

turkey2026 — Then the event Virginia Ann was most looking forward to - a cooking class. We were invited into a home to prepare a lunch (more like dinner based on the volume of food).

turkey2026 — Virginia Ann reviewing the lamb main dish. Lamb fat was rendered, then bite-sized lamb was added, then peppers, bell peppers, and finally tomatoes. No mixing and the dish cooked as layers for an hour.

turkey2026 — Virginia Ann and Cal rolling grape leaves around rice and spices.

turkey2026 — Cal was used primarily for repetitive tasks like stirring. Here both Cal and Virginia Ann are stirring the pots.

turkey2026 — Virginia Ann working dough to create a flat piece to make ravioli.

Virginia Ann putting her bread-making experience to use while kneading dough.

turkey2026 — Our salad - tomato, peppers, and lettuce with fresh mint.

turkey2026 — This dish is Mercimek Köftesi, a traditional Turkish appetizer made from red lentils, fine bulgur, and spices. It combines cooked red lentils with fine bulgur wheat, sautéed onions, tomato paste, parsley, and green onions.

turkey2026 — Grape leaves rolled with a savory mixture of rice, herbs, spices, and minced lamb.

turkey2026 — Small pasta ravioli covered in yogurt and paprika. This dish consists of tiny dumplings filled with spiced minced lamb. The dough is paper-thin, painstakingly folded - very painfully, and then boiled.

We were so full after eating what we prepared, and only a small amount of the total, that we skipped dinner.

turkey2026 — Back at our cave hotel we visited an 11th-century church which was included in the set of caves purchased by the hotel. Carved from rock it was only a single floor but very spacious.

turkey2026 — Byzantine saint on the wall. This could depict Saint Romanos the Melodist on the right, holding a small box-like container, likely a reliquary, while a smaller figure stands below him.

turkey2026 — Another Byzantine figure on the wall.

turkey2026 — The interior of the cave church.

turkey2026 — We were driven to a scenic overlook for sunset. There the guide had arranged for a Turkish rug and table set with all kinds of appetizers. Then we received glasses of local red and white wines to taste. The experience was very tribal.

turkey2026 — The sunset at the Red Valley Terraces.

We headed back to the hotel and did not need dinner after our large lunch and the appetizers.

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