Capadoccia III
Monday Nov 6th, Urgup, 26 degrees clear with full moon after heavy snow
I know I repeat myself but Cappadocia in winter is surreal. We were awakened this morning at 4:45 AM to drive through ice covered roads for about a half hour to our balloon rendezvous point....joined with an American guy from San Francisco, two Australian couples (they had never met), the young travel writer couple from London whom I have mentioned (and like a great deal).....to board our balloon...a freezing morning but with calm winds....we stand there in every bit of clothing we can muster (I wear Aysegul's extra mittens, Eyup's extra wool cap as the balloon is slowly inflated....then we climb up toe holes in the large basket....I feel like an elephant but the crew assists wonderfully reminding me of getting into those longboats off the ARANUI in the Marquesas.
Rebecca, the English writer friend, is terrified of heights...I am moderately.....mountains don't bother me but I can't walk over a railroad trestle comfortably....we clutch each other and ascend. Cappadocia is surreal in deep snow, the Gaudi-esque landscape looking absolutely impossible as though it were some Hollywood computer animated scene....we go as low as tree tops (at one point I plucked a brilliant yellow fall foliage leaf and gave it to Aysegul)....then we ascend and ascend more...through the total cloud cover to about 7500 feet......One could see a number of extinct volcanoes, the Taurus mountain range super snowy towards to the Syrian border about 225 kms away... utter silence... only the occasional blast of fire to keep the balloon filled....was it scary?
AT one point I couldn't decide if I were more scared or frozen....it was VERY cold.....probably about 20 in the near-stratosphere.....Cappadocia it seems has the finest thermals/winds etc (much better than our best which is the Albuquerque region) in the world...our captain is a Swede with a French wife...he is very competent thank god...there are about 8 balloons in sight across the horizon despite the freezing weather and formidable snow on the ground....I am loving the ascent....there are a coven (or whatever they are called) of foxes playing in the snow as we ascend....the combination of trees in high Fall foliage Lorraine poplars, maples, little apricot trees and the freak heavy snow is mindboggling pretty.....We are aloft for 2 hours....descend then to have champagne and warm pound cake and coffee.....all of us feeling as though we have communed with another plane somehow...I guess we have....
I know I repeat myself but Cappadocia in winter is surreal. We were awakened this morning at 4:45 AM to drive through ice covered roads for about a half hour to our balloon rendezvous point....joined with an American guy from San Francisco, two Australian couples (they had never met), the young travel writer couple from London whom I have mentioned (and like a great deal).....to board our balloon...a freezing morning but with calm winds....we stand there in every bit of clothing we can muster (I wear Aysegul's extra mittens, Eyup's extra wool cap as the balloon is slowly inflated....then we climb up toe holes in the large basket....I feel like an elephant but the crew assists wonderfully reminding me of getting into those longboats off the ARANUI in the Marquesas.
Rebecca, the English writer friend, is terrified of heights...I am moderately.....mountains don't bother me but I can't walk over a railroad trestle comfortably....we clutch each other and ascend. Cappadocia is surreal in deep snow, the Gaudi-esque landscape looking absolutely impossible as though it were some Hollywood computer animated scene....we go as low as tree tops (at one point I plucked a brilliant yellow fall foliage leaf and gave it to Aysegul)....then we ascend and ascend more...through the total cloud cover to about 7500 feet......One could see a number of extinct volcanoes, the Taurus mountain range super snowy towards to the Syrian border about 225 kms away... utter silence... only the occasional blast of fire to keep the balloon filled....was it scary?
AT one point I couldn't decide if I were more scared or frozen....it was VERY cold.....probably about 20 in the near-stratosphere.....Cappadocia it seems has the finest thermals/winds etc (much better than our best which is the Albuquerque region) in the world...our captain is a Swede with a French wife...he is very competent thank god...there are about 8 balloons in sight across the horizon despite the freezing weather and formidable snow on the ground....I am loving the ascent....there are a coven (or whatever they are called) of foxes playing in the snow as we ascend....the combination of trees in high Fall foliage Lorraine poplars, maples, little apricot trees and the freak heavy snow is mindboggling pretty.....We are aloft for 2 hours....descend then to have champagne and warm pound cake and coffee.....all of us feeling as though we have communed with another plane somehow...I guess we have....
Later today we explore back roads of this remarkable area of the world...going into little non-tourist villages, to a charming folk museum filled with delicious naive art (including naive art mannequins)...we take salep (the delicious winter hot beveerage of Turkey...vaguely cinnamon tasting...it is its own peculiar spice and I like it)....Cappadocia is a major wine producer and we go to the Koc (the great tycoon family of Turkey) family tasting area (where Eyup and Aysegul buy 3 cases of remarkably good cabernet sauvignon-type red).....It is a lazy day after the drama of the balloon.
We motor off towards Istanbul tomorrow....Aysegul wants me to see the reworking of the pre-Greek (mostly Hittite) museum in Ankara....which I remember vividly from that visit with Fred Darragh an aeon ago....with Billy and Linda Brown too whom I think about in frigid Cappadoccia. We will stay a couple of nights in villages at little inns....then on Friday afternoon I will be put on the plane for London for a weekend at the Goring....a transition which ought to be pretty breathtaking in its contrast to where I am now.
posted by ultimatetraveler at 10:25 PM
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