The airport in Istanbul is one of the newer major airports in the world, and it was designed for growth. It was built to support Turkish Airlines, which boasts that it travels to more countries than any other, and it is enormous.
So the connection I booked there was longer than I needed, but I was expecting my fight from DTW to arrive late, and I expected spend extra time at passport control and finding my way to the gate.
I was partly wrong. The flight did arrive late, but the original option of a 1:40 minute connection would have been fine.
As it turned out it all worked out for the best in the end, because I hurried through the airport and got to the gate of the earlier flight with plenty of time to spare, so the agent was able to make the change.
This meant that, after a 1-hour drive in a shuttle bus, I arrived at my hotel in Goreme in the rugged ancient lands of central Türkiye (thats what we call Turkey now) at 7:15 instead of 9 PM.
I’m in Cappadocia, my friends, far from the coastal regions of the country. This is where, for generations, people have lived in caves carved into the rock.
And where fairy chimneys (as the locals call them) rise around us, with their strange domed hats.
I checked into the hotel, where Yusuf (the clerk) felt the need to explain everything to me in painful detail. But he also gave me tea, so that was nice.
When he showed me the room, he didn’t tell me whether I could eat these fruits and nuts, however. Let’s just say the figs (I know you only see one in the photo, but there were two) were delectable.
After cleaning up I headed out and down the hill toward town, where colorful lights twinkled in the distance. I didn’t actually make it to the center of Goreme, however, stopping instead at a place called Turkish Ravioli Restaurant, where I sat across from a small Turkish family and gazed out the dirty window at the lights below.
Turkish ravioli, known as manti, are generally delicious. I was slightly disappointed with the menu here, simply because I was hoping that there were different types of manti available. There was only one way to order it, with sauces of yogurt and tomato ladles over the top. And it delicious.
After 20 hours of travel and one sating meal, I was ready at last for rest. I headed back to the hotel, slid into the cave where I will spend the next two days, and slept.
I am in Goreme, Cappadocia, my friends. This is ancient land that bears the fingerprints and chisel-marks of generations of humanity.
And I can’t wait to see what’s here.
butterblogger 