At 6:30 AM on Saturday the gang headed out of Istanbul towards Safranbolu. This was the first stop on our 10 day adventure! Safranbolu is famous for the Ottoman style houses that remain in the old city today and the fact that it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arriving in the town we immediately went and had a good old Turkish Brunch and then hopped out of our bus and onto Golf Carts! (That's right ladies and gentlemen Turkey has golf carts too) There are so many houses, fountains, mosques, and other buildings that we had to see that doing it on foot would have been very difficult, so why not take golf carts. The Old town is situated in a deep ravine and from several different points on our tour we got some awesome views of the entire town. This was the start of me constantly thinking, "How has all of this survived so long?" The houses that we were seeing had been there since the Ottoman era and that era lasted for over 600 years starting in 1453. So you see these houses were old but amazingly well preserved. After the golf cart trip we had the chance to explore the old town's market. Safranbolu is also famous for Saffron and their Lokum (Turkish delight). After sampling many pieces of Lokum and enjoying a nice cup of Saffron tea we headed out of Safranbolu and on towards Ankara.
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and if you talk to any of the natives that is about the only reason people know it. We began our morning by learning about the different periods and civilizations who were living in Turkey or then Anatolia by visiting the Ankara Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. This gave us some excellent background before we delved into seeing the actual capitals of many of the civilizations. The most fascinating thing I think that we saw in the museum were statues of Mother Goddess. The most impressive statue shows her taming two leopards while giving birth. For the Hittites a major civilization living in Anatolia she was a major religious figure but then again they are also known for being the civilization with 1,000 Gods and Goddesses. Leaving the museum we headed to Ataturk's memorial that was built several years after his death. Many people consider him a dictator and in looking at the definition of a dictator he kind of was, but the turkish people look to this memorial and do not look at him as one. It was a really impressive complex filled with a lot of symbolism and nationalist pride. It was kind of overwhelming how much many of the turks loved him and their love carries over to today.
For those who do not know Ataturk was the creator of the Turkish Republic after the Turkish War for Independence at the end of World War II. He created their government, their laws, everything that is Turkey today. While many do love him still, there is a huge movement of conservatives to return Turkey to what it was like before the Republic and Ataturk. Because of this there are many Turks who fear that within ten years the Turkey they know and love today will no longer exist. I also walked away from the memorial with an unsettling feeling in terms of the power we allow leaders and our government. Yea Ataturk was a great leader and loved by his people, but what if this wasn't the case. All anybody needs to do is look at the upheavals in Syria and see the negative effects of allowing one person complete control. 
The rest of the day we traveled to the capital of the Hittites and had the opportunity to see the foundation of their city, center for worship, and the gates to the city. Walking around the area I did my best to use my imagination and see what life must have been like for them. It is crazy to think that the foundations still exist. So many times throughout this trip I have been so overwhelmed by the history and artifacts that we still have today. It makes me realize how young of a country America really is and makes me wonder what will be left from our day and age for people to see in the future. We ended the day in Capadoccia exhausted from the long day of traveling but so excited for the day ahead. 
On Monday we woke up at 5 am, I know you must be thinking these people are wearing us out and while yes I am exhausted we were getting up so early to go HOT AIR BALLOONING!!! So needless to say getting up at 5 am was a small price to pay for the amazing adventure we had. It truly was like a dream (especially since I am pretty sure we were all half asleep still). Fitting all 22 of us into a basket our balloon took off and we sailed up into the clouds. But it wasn't just us in the sky, there were about a hundred other balloons taking off and floating around the sky too. It was amazing getting to see the sun rise above the most mystical landscape I have ever seen. 
You see, the fairy chimneys and landscape that Capadoccia is famous for was created as a Volcano erupted spilling lava onto the Earth. As the lava cooled into rock it was covered over the years by softer rock and earth but then as rain fell the softer rock was eroded away leaving the amazing rock formations that we see today. The erosion remains a problem and is something historians and archeologists are constantly fighting against but just like the other historical sites we've seen there is an amazing amount of structures that they have been able to restore and protect. Some of those are the churches and monasteries that ancient Christians built as they were fleeing Roman persecution. Not only were the artwork incredible but the structures themselves and the time it must have taken to carve out the areas was astounding. Walking around the area and seeing the fairy chimneys felt like we were on another planet uncovering an unknown civilization. It was a really cool experience and all of that happened before lunch! 
After lunch, we headed to an old family run ceramics studio. It turns out that Capadoccia is famous for many things other than the fairy chimneys- their pottery and wine being just a few. It was really cool to see the studio and then watch one of their masters work on the wheel. After this we headed to watch Whirling Dervishes perform in an old Caravansary (trading post built by a sultan). The whole performance was really fascinating and mesmerizing. We were not allowed to take pictures or video as the Dervishes were performing for us but what they were actually doing was a very spiritual connection with Allah and prayer. While they are spinning they are entering another mental state and transcending the worldly and enter a spiritual place. After their performance they return to their own rooms and meditate. For me the experience was really amazing but I also felt sad that they had taken this very personal and spiritual experience and made it into a tourist attraction. I feel that religions pride themselves on being very traditional and personal but when it comes to making money religious institutes just like anybody else will do whatever it takes. Every day I find myself sadden by how much our world and lives is run by money and the need to make and spend it. Look forward to more exciting adventures as we continue our 10 day journey around Turkey/Anatolia. Some major places coming up include Ephesus, Troy, Pamukkale, and Gallipoli!!
Sending you All my Love from Turkey <3
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