Güle, güle Mediterranean, merhaba Cappadocia
The weather is on our side, and so are Maude and Pierre 😊. We’ve done some wonderful hikes again, where the magnificent landscapes reward our efforts 💪, like at Simena Castle,
where we met the lady of the house 😂,
and also at the Gelidonya Lighthouse.
During these walks, we saw traces left by the Lycians and the various people who inhabited the region during antiquity, most likely coming from Greece. Most of the remains date back to the 5th or 4th centuries BC. We saw quite a few tombs here and there along the way,
Fruits, vegetables, spices, cheeses—we wanted to buy everything!! And we didn’t miss the chance to try gözleme, stuffed flatbreads filled with spinach and cheese… delicious! 😋
In the region, there are also many, many greenhouses. Tomatoes, peppers, and avocados are grown there and exported all over the world. In some places, they stretch as far as the eye can see—it’s impressive.
We also see fruit trees everywhere, especially citrus trees. Oranges, mandarins, lemons—there are so many that people don’t even bother picking them. So there’s no need to buy any; you just have to chat with the locals a bit, and they happily give you some. This is one of Jérôme’s favorite activities at the moment. In France, he goes mushroom picking, and in Turkey, he goes orange picking 😆. And we have to say that the Turks are extremely kind. Smiling and welcoming, they’re eager to connect, and even though they speak very little English, we manage to communicate thanks to the translators on our phones.
But without a doubt, the most unusual site in the region is Chimaera. A mythical place where flames naturally emerge from the ground… witchcraft 😮!!
These flames are actually methane emissions that ignite when they come into contact with air. The site has naturally fueled many legends as you can imagine. We took the opportunity to grill a few things there, at the risk of displeasing one god or another 😅.
The day after this little BBQ, we hit the road again, and under pouring rain, we turn our backs and say güle güle (bye bye) to the Mediterranean—and also to Maude and Pierre, whom we’ll surely meet again a bit further along. The Big Blue sea, which has been more or less our guide over the past three months and has delighted us with its full palette of colors and its mild climate right from the doorstep of our little home 😍.
We’ll meet it again someday, that’s certain—but not on this trip. Now we head northeast toward Cappadocia. 500 km to cover and two days of rain in the forecast… perfect scenario!! We still make a few stops along the way. First stop: Beyşehir, to visit the Eşrefoğlu Mosque. Built in the 13th century, magnificent with its cedar wood columns and its tile and mosaic decorations, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Second stop: Konya. A large metropolis of more than 1.4 million inhabitants and a major religious center, as this is where Jalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī is buried. Commonly called Mevlana (“our master”), this Persian Sufi mystic founded the order of the Whirling Dervishes. His mausoleum can be seen in the beautiful Ala’ ad-Dīn Mosque.
The Whirling Dervishes are known for the Sema ceremony, where dancers dressed in large white skirts spin in circles and around themselves with their eyes closed in prayer… quite unique.
And finally, we arrive in Cappadocia, very eager to discover this supposedly magnificent region that everyone talks about! We were also excited to reunite with Sarah and Renaud, with whom we celebrated Christmas in Greece. They had been in the region for two weeks and postponed their departure until the next morning so we could spend the evening together. They arranged to meet us at one of their favorite spots above Love Valley. On the eve of Valentine’s Day, now that's good timing 😂. But things didn’t go exactly as planned… Misreading the GPS, I (yes, it was late in the day, so I was driving) took a small sandy road, and very quickly, because of all the rain that had fallen, we got completely stuck 😟. Luckily, Renaud and Sarah were there!! They came to our rescue, and the four of us managed to get us out 💪. Then we followed them carefully to the right place, and the next morning we were rewarded with the view. If you want to know why it’s called Love Valley, just look closely at the photo 😂.
We’ve already begun exploring this unique region, but since we’ll be staying a few days, we’ll tell you all about it in the next episode. And to make sure you don’t miss it, here’s a little teaser 😎.
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