Down for breakfast at 7:30AM. I’m trying to eat less – starting to get worried about my knit pants fitting on the ship. Breakfast is a nice buffet. Not as elaborate as what we had in Istanbul, but a nice selection all the same. Mostly cold dishes, although they did offer one or two hot items. They had a nice date/nut bread which we enjoyed a bit too much.

Off to the bus at 8AM and heading for Capodoccia. Very desolate landscape here. We passed a large salt lake and saw a number of sheep herders. Stopped for two “comfort stops”. The second one had a 500,000 lira pp charge. Worth every cent – it was very clean and well-kept. According to Selim, charging for restroom use is very common in Turkey. Again, as I’ve noted before, if you don’t at first see a western-style toilet, keep opening stall doors. We always found at least one lonely little toilet in with all the ceramic pits.

Next stop – the caravanserai.

Interesting… much of it has been torn down. Selim mentioned that most guides won’t admit it, but much of it was torn down by the local people, who used the materials for homes. We saw the spot where they kept the animals. Apparently, in the old days, wooden platforms were erected above the animals. These platforms were used as sleeping quarters for the travelers. The heat from the animals helped them stay warm. But… can you imagine what the smell was like???????

Right in the center of the caravanserai was a small mosque. Nothing fancy, just a place to pray.

Stopped for lunch in one of the small towns we passed. The restaurant, Hanedan, was built to resemble an old-style caravanserai building. Very good lunch. They had a choice of two entrees. Most of us opted for the trout, which was excellent. They really feed you here. (Like cattle for slaughter, actually.) We started with a huge salad. (Lots of veggies plus grilled chicken.). Next, they brought out a meat pastry of some sort. The entrée came next. As I mentioned, we opted for the trout, but they offered a beef kebab choice as well. Fruit with some sort of frozen milk concoction for dessert.

Off to Zelve next. We walked around a bit, then Selim asked if we’d like to do something a bit different than usual. Several of us were definitely interested, so he took us on a climb. Wow! They could never do this in the state, the liability carriers would choke. We climbed up into one of the tunnels. First off we were outside most of the time. After a few minutes, we climbed up a large staircase and stepped onto a tunnel entrance. (I’m not great with heights, so I just looked ahead and had the sense not to look at how far up we were. I probably would have had a stroke.)

We walked through the tunnel for a short distance, then Selim got out his flashlight and pointed to a vertical passage leading to the next level. No steps, just a few handholds and footholds. Selim went first, then shone the flashlight downwards to give each of us a bit of light to climb with. Luckily, Todd has a small flashlight with his camera and he was able to shine that upwards from the bottom as well. When we reached the top, we were in pitch darkness. We all moved forward slowly, keeping bent over until we reached the larger cave opening. Still pitch black, so we kept holding out our hands and calling to one another until everyone reached the area. Then we climbed out. Definitely an interesting experience. The overall conclusion: we were glad we did it, BUT we weren’t sure we would have done it if we’d known what to expect. Jack was our hero. He made the whole climb. We were bent over much of the way. Jack is about 6 foot 3 inches, so that was tough enough. Here’s the kicker. Jack is 82 years old! Talk about an inspiration to us all. He was to continue to serve as our group mascot throughout the remainder of the trip.

On the way to our climbing spot, we had seen all the damage from the recent earthquakes. Unfortunately, some of the dwellings will likely not survive the next quake. Huge structural cracks extend all the way through the rock.

Next was a stop at a well-regarded local porcelain factory. Fascinating demonstration. The workmanship is extraordinary. And the setting is so interesting: The shop itself is hidden deep within an underground workshop. We were incredibly impressed with a number of pieces, but they were a bit out of our price range. Plus, I couldn’t decide who’d break it first, our dogs or our cleaning person!

Checked in at our hotel after 5PM. In a nice touch, while Selim got the room keys, a waiter offered around trays of wine and soft drinks. For those of you taking the tour, just be aware that the star rating is a relative thing. I believe this was marked as a four-star hotel. Think Holiday Inn from a room standpoint. Our room in particular had a very strong propane-type smell. Even though it was quite cold out, we had to keep the window slightly open.

The common areas were very nice though, and the dinner and breakfast buffets were nothing short of extraordinary. The dinner buffet changes nightly and offers a large selection of both Turkish and non-Turkish items. Two tables were reserved for our group. The hotel was really hopping, Provi had been down for a walk before dinner and had seen two large tour buses filled with German tourists pull up.

Several of the group favorites the first night included Moussaka and a cauliflower au gratin dish. The salad bar offered one of the largest selections I’ve ever seen. Two or three very long tables, just for the salad bar. The main courses and vegetables were divided into a number of serving stations. Several of the cooks were making items to order.

And the desserts...

Those of you who have read my posts know I am a total dessert hound. I was in seventh heaven. Two long tables simply groaning with the weight of all the desserts piled on them. Todd and I quite happily took samples of lots of them. So much for those knit pants... :)

Your reviews are so very good - fun to read and we all appreciate the time and effort you spent making them so wonderful - joanna

Kathleen, I am so enjoying your reviews! Now you make me want to see pictures! Any way you could post them to ofoto or some other site so we could see them? It will be a long time before I get to this particular spot on the earth, but would love to see your experience to augment your reports!

Forget about those knit pants and enjoy!

Excellent, Kathy! Thanks for sharing your extraordinary experiences with us!

Really great and so descriptive! I got the creeps, as I'm claustrophobic, abot your cave exploration, and in the dark, as well! Kudos to Jack and you all.

Thanks Kathy.

Desserts...you're my kind of girl, Kathy!

Quote "I’m not great with heights, so I just looked ahead and had the sense not to look at how far up we were. I probably would have had a stroke"

Howling!! I have height issues as well so I can totally relate.

:)

R

Robert, height issues have recently hit on me, too. (Of course, you are obviously much younger, and I do not consider myself old!) I feel much more steady with a rail when I am going down steps, and believe me, those old Roman theaters and stadiums in Europe are definitely not ADA compliant. I was told that if you walk backwards to pattern your brain, you would not have as many balance issues. Who has the time or inclination to walk backwards around the kitchen island or DR table several times a day?

Actually, I'd probably end up falling and giving myself a concussion before I could pattern my brain. Definitely don't see myself walking around backwards. :)