Cappadocia, Turkey: Another World

First off, apologies for getting so behind in my posts! I have more to come on our time in Austria, Czech Republic, Romania and our cruise ports, but right now I am in Goreme, Turkey in the Cappadocia region of the country. I have a little time and I am inspired.


Goreme is a small, touristy town like many others around the world. However, it's in the heart of Cappadocia, a unique place of fairy chimneys that have enchanted me and make me feel like I'm in a dream each day.

There's not a whole lot to do here other than visit, hike around or balloon over these fairy chimneys, but that's a good thing, especially when you've been traveling for four months and are excited for a break from big cities.


So what are these so called fairy chimneys? Well, according to http://www.cappadociaexclusive.com/geological.html these unusual rock formations are a results of volcanic eruptions during the third geological period. The deposits of volcanic ash, lava and basalt laid the groundwork for these rock formations, followed by years of erosion from wind and rain, forming unique shapes that give the landscape an appearance that resembles what many people might think the surface of the moon would be like.

One of the former dwellings at the Open Air Museum in Goreme

Some unique looking fairy chimneys in Pigeon Valley

An amazing view of the valley!

Many of these fairy chimneys were (and some still are) inhabited

During our hike in Pigeon Valley

Now Drew's into "jumping" photos too. Go figure. ;-)

Amazing shapes of the rocks formed by natural elements

So why did we journey here? It's actually been on my bucket list for several years, ever since I saw an article in Budget Travel that displayed an absolutely captivating photo of tens of hot air balloons floating in the sky over a landscape like nothing I'd ever seen. Ever since, this place has been on my mind and my bucket list, and so I am very happy that it worked out for us to visit this magical place during this incredible journey we are on.

I am happy to report that today we took that sunrise hot air balloon ride and it surpassed every one of my dreams of the occasion, despite just how touristy of an activity it is here. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that just yesterday, the region saw its second balloon accident since these flights began twenty years ago. Unfortunately three people lost their lives and many were injured, so my thoughts and prayers are with those people and their families.

Despite that awful accident, I would highly recommend the activity and this amazing place to everyone. It's like nowhere I've ever been.

Getting ready for our first hot air balloon flight!

A balloon rising behind a fairy chimney

Close to 100 balloons take flight each morning

We went as high at 950 meters, 1000 is the limit here

The small city below

An interesting perspective of the canyon below

Holy Toledo! (Spain, not Ohio)

Before we left and while traveling we heard from many people that we had to go to Toledo while in Spain, as it's only 30 minutes from Madrid, where we were flying into and out of.

So...we obliged.

And we are both very happy we did. What an amazing city!

The place we are staying we booked on AirBnB.com, another absolute winner, it overlooks the river and is an easy walk to anywhere we wanted to go. Our hosts, Heidi and Chiqui have been fabulous, and Heidi's lovely mother from Austria even invited us to visit her and her husband while we are in Austria!

We've spent a lot of time wandering and just taking in the city. It's got a very rich history (I'll let you read up on wikipedia for more info), beautiful architecture, and crazy mazed streets (to confuse any would-be attackers back in the day and get them all turned around!)

We bought mazapan (a sweet made by nuns), browsed damascene jewelry, and checked out the swords that Toledo is known for! Check out the city and our experience through the photos below.

A small park near "our" home

A walk by the river

Spring beginning in Toledo: the monastery in the background

The narrow, maze-like streets

On another of the bridges over the river

Plaza Zocodover and the keyhole arch

The city and the river

I'm in love with all the arches

A close up of the monastery

Overlooking the city

Sunset over the city

Many interesting doors and knockers

The Cathedral

The cathedral on the right 

The cathedral at night

Tomorrow (March 23) we head to the capital of the Andalusia region of Spain, to the city of Seville, where Holy Week (Semana Santa) activities should be going on strong! Should be an experience!!!

Part 2: Setting Foot in The Lost City, Machu Picchu Revealed

Continued from Part 1: Our Journey to Machu Picchu: Biking, Trekking, Climbing

Day 4

Waking up at 4:00am is not usually on my to-do list, but for our visit to Machu Picchu, it was a "must-do" in hopes of seeing the sunrise and arriving at The Lost City as it opened. By 4:30 we were walking from our hostel towards Machu Picchu. About 30 minutes outside of town we found the check-in booth where we had to show our passports to the guards before walking through the gate. Then, it was time to climb. Almost 2,000 steps. Not an easy task after trekking a full day and climbing a mountain the previous day. There was some minor complaining along the way, as legs got tired, stomachs got hungry, and sweat soaked through clothes. But as we got closer to the top we were expectant of the amazing place that awaited us and it got easier. Especially as the sun rose and the few clouds around the mountain tops turned pink.

Smiling through the pain because the scenery was amazing 
and we were getting close to the top!

About an hour after we began our hike up the steps we arrived at the gate. (Machu Picchu is still just an image in your mind at this point, nothing can be seen until after you show your passport (again) and pass through the gate.) We met up with our guide and began to walk forward, towards a place we've only seen in photos, yet dreamed about. Suddenly we were inside, and there it was: The Lost City, found. The energy of the place was amazing, especially at 6:30 in the morning. My eyes were searching, scanning, hungrily trying to take in everything around me, but it was impossible, overwhelming. Instead I tried to simultaneously focus on our knowledgeable guide and the awe-inspiring sights as we walked through them.

One of my favorite shots, "con llama "

After our two hour tour of the ruins, we had some time to explore some more and then relax before our scheduled time to hike up Waynupicchu Mountain. We found a sort of secluded spot climbing over some rocks to get a nice view of the ancient city around us. This was a great time to soak up the energy and magic of the place and try to take it all in.

Just after 10:00am we walked over to an unexpected queue which we had to wait in for 20-30 minutes before we were allowed to hike up Waynapicchu with the other 198 people who purchased a ticket for that time. It was a relatively difficult hike, but not as intense as our hike up Putucusi the day before. The biggest difficulty was the many other people around, especially at the top. To get to the very top for the best views and to be among the Inca terraces located on this mountain, it was necessary to climb up (and then back down) very narrow stairs (which you can see on the left hand side of the photo below).

Looking down from the top, see the narrow stairs on the left

View of Machu Picchu from the top of Waynapicchu 

After our hike up and back down Waynapicchu we took more time to explore the beautiful ancient city and soak up its energy. Here are a few more of my favorite pics!

Us in front of the classic Machu Picchu photo spot

It was an incredible day - magical, mystical and gorgeous. (And yes, exhausting - we took the bus back down the mountain!)

Check out our Shutterfly page for more pics (we are adding them slowly each day)!

Part 1: Our Journey to Machu Picchu: Biking, Trekking, Climbing

We set out on a four day, three night “Inka Jungle Trek” on Wednesday morning. We knew we would be biking, trekking and (most importantly!) visiting Machu Picchu, but no amount of research, dreaming or anticipating could prepare us for the experiences ahead of us!

Day 1

After an included breakfast and a couple hours riding through the mountains by van it was time to gear up for the mountain biking portion of our adventure! 55 kilometers (three to four hours) of biking from high up in the Andes mountains down into a sleepy mountain “town” (if you can call it that) for a traditional homemade lunch. From there we continued by van to the town of Santa Theresa where we rested for the night after a relaxing soak in the relaxing natural hot springs.

All geared up for biking through the mountains!

A stop along our gorgeous biking route

Day 2

The next day’s agenda was over six hours of trekking and we woke up to pouring rain. The rain delayed our departure for an hour or two, but we had an agenda to keep, so once it let up enough we were off! We hiked through the jungle, along a winding mountain road, through some more paths along the raging Urubamba river, and then following a path along the railroad tracks. After about four hours we stopped for lunch, when it stopped raining. We continued two more hours until we reached Aguas Calientes – getting a small glimpse of the splendor and magic of Machu Piccchu that awaited us in the days ahead through a few ancient terraces that were visible along the trek.

Our sexy ponchos to protect our bags from the rain
(they clearly didn't do much for our heads!)

Hiking over the railroad tracks

Happy because we dried out after lunch!

Aguas Calientes, an adorable town situated on either side of 
the powerful Urubamba River, connected by several bridges

Day 3

On our third day, Drew and I hiked up Putucusi Mountain on our own. Our guides from the previous day had told us about it and we were intrigued. It was a free climb and supposedly provided an incredible and unique view of Machu Picchu, which we were getting anxious to see! It is not a very well-known climb, but is becoming more popular as a way for people on a budget to glimpse The Lost City without paying the steep costs of entering Machu Picchu. (Sidenote: the hike was incredible and view pretty awesome, but it does NOT substitute for actually being in Machu Picchu and experiencing it face to face.) The best part of the hike was the ladders, the view, and the fact that we only passed three other people the entire time, on our hike down.

One of the several ladders we climbed along the way

View from the top (Machu Picchu behind us)

Drew gazing out at the incredible Andes

A much-needed jumping photo
(Machu Picchu is just across the mountain just to my right)

A better sneak peak of Machu Picchu

Next Post: Part 2: Setting Foot in The Lost City, Machu Picchu Revealed