The aliens have landed!.. and they landed in Goreme. This is without a shadow of a doubt the wierdest place I have ever seen, by some considerable margin.
Goreme is situated in a valley that has been carved over millions of years from the soft volcanic rock that is a characteristic of the region. The erosion process has created a valley that is filled with wierd conical shaped rock formations, some with bulbous tops. Standing on the rim of the valley you get the impression you are looking down into the mouth of some ancient carnivorous beast. Wuierd enough all by itself, but the peoples of this region have taken things a whole lot further than that - oh yes. Not content with a wholely alien landscape that in and of itself almost defies description, the wierd rock formations have been shaped over the ages into cave dwellings. And so this wierd landscape is riddled with the artifacts of civilisation, windows, doors and tunnels appear in odd places in the cone shaped rocks, many exquisitely carved into architectural references we would recognise today in, for example, the centre of london.
Wierd enough, you may think, but this region continues this day to be populated, and the result has been a fusing of the old with the new. The ancient rock structures now house hotels and restaurants, shops and houses, and these have been enhanced and extended where necessary with modern architecture forming a composite architectural style that is truely truely alien and has genuinely to be seen to be believed. It is now entirely possible to get lost amongst the rock formations and ancient dwellings and to round a corner only to find one such dwelling sporting double glazing and offering Turkish tea at very reasonable rates. Wierd, wierd, wierd!
Goreme is unashamedly a tourist trap, and the possibilities for things to do here are, if not endless, certainly extensive. The bi-endian candle burning therefore continued with a day of skiing on the side of an extinct volcano, a turkish evening, a day spent exploring the landscape of Goreme, including an astonishing tour of an underground city (I now know how it feels to be a mole) a sunrise balloon flight, the eclipse and a turkish bath.
Stunning! The beauty of this landscape continually defies description. If you visit nowhere else in Turkey, visit Goreme.
Goreme is situated in a valley that has been carved over millions of years from the soft volcanic rock that is a characteristic of the region. The erosion process has created a valley that is filled with wierd conical shaped rock formations, some with bulbous tops. Standing on the rim of the valley you get the impression you are looking down into the mouth of some ancient carnivorous beast. Wuierd enough all by itself, but the peoples of this region have taken things a whole lot further than that - oh yes. Not content with a wholely alien landscape that in and of itself almost defies description, the wierd rock formations have been shaped over the ages into cave dwellings. And so this wierd landscape is riddled with the artifacts of civilisation, windows, doors and tunnels appear in odd places in the cone shaped rocks, many exquisitely carved into architectural references we would recognise today in, for example, the centre of london.
Wierd enough, you may think, but this region continues this day to be populated, and the result has been a fusing of the old with the new. The ancient rock structures now house hotels and restaurants, shops and houses, and these have been enhanced and extended where necessary with modern architecture forming a composite architectural style that is truely truely alien and has genuinely to be seen to be believed. It is now entirely possible to get lost amongst the rock formations and ancient dwellings and to round a corner only to find one such dwelling sporting double glazing and offering Turkish tea at very reasonable rates. Wierd, wierd, wierd!
Goreme is unashamedly a tourist trap, and the possibilities for things to do here are, if not endless, certainly extensive. The bi-endian candle burning therefore continued with a day of skiing on the side of an extinct volcano, a turkish evening, a day spent exploring the landscape of Goreme, including an astonishing tour of an underground city (I now know how it feels to be a mole) a sunrise balloon flight, the eclipse and a turkish bath.
Stunning! The beauty of this landscape continually defies description. If you visit nowhere else in Turkey, visit Goreme.
posted by Al at 6:59 am
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