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Published: October 9th 2011
Tuesday 20th Sept - Green Tour Today we decided to join the masses and go on a organized tour - called the Green Tour (70try = $39.20each) which we booked with Cemil, as we were sure he would get some kind of commission from our booking.
We were escorted to Hard Rock Tours just a block away at about 10 am and managed to get the front seat in one of the two mini buses that were running this tour today. Site we saw today included:
- Goreme panorama (birds eye view of town)
- Selime Monastery (carved in the rock)
- Ihlara Valley (3km walk through the valley)
- Lunch by the river (2 course meal)
- Derinkuyu Underground City (8 stories, 85m underground)
- Visit to Onyx showroom (very expensive, hard to get out of building)
- View of Pigeon Valley
Price of guides and entry fee included, it turned out cheaper than to hire a car and try and find the sites ourselves.
To save time I have just stolen explanations of each site - everything in
italics are not my words. But I guarantee all the
photos were taken by me or Zak or someone we gave the camera to!
Goreme panorama The magnificent landscape around Göreme has been formed from its solidified lava streams, its ash and tuff stone, all dating from Neocene period. It is criss-crossed by deep valleys formed by heavy erosion. This veritable lunar landscape distinguishes itself by its extensive geological formations. The highly typical morphological structures of Cappadocia are the result of thousands of years of continual erosion, which has shaped the tuff deposits into the strangest pyramids and cones. The process was assisted by the different strata of volcanic ash, which through the course of ages were compressed to form firm tuff rocks. In the valley around Göreme one can see how individual rocks have gradually separated from the cliffs. The fairy chimneys also have a great color variety. There are light and dark colors from white to yellow, pink, grey and black. Selime Monastery The biggest rock-cut monastery of Cappadocia with a cathedral sized church. Selime monastery was carved by the monks in the 13th century and apart from the church has monks quarters, a large kitchen, and stables for animals. The walls were once decorated with frescoes of which very little remains.
Ihlara Valley The valley is a 16 km (10 mi) long gorge cut into volcanic rock in the southern part of Cappadocia, following several eruptions of Mount Erciyes. The Melendiz Stream flows through the valley.
What makes the valley unique is the ancient history of its inhabitants. The whole canyon is honeycombed with rock-cut underground dwellings and churches from the Byzantine period.
Due the valley's plentiful supply of water and hidden places, here was the first settlement of the first Christians escaping from Roman soldiers. In the Ihlara Valley there are hundreds of old churches in the volcanic rock caves. Derinkuyu Underground City Is an ancient multi-level underground city in the Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey. With its eleven floors extending to a depth of approximately 85 m, it was large enough to shelter tens of thousands of people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is part of a network of several underground complexes found across Cappadocia.
It was opened to visitors in 1969 and to date, only ten percent of the underground city is accessible to tourists.
The underground city at Derinkuyu could be closed from the inside with large stone doors. The complex has a total 11 floors, though many floors have not been excavated. Each floor could be closed off separately.The city could accommodate between 35,000 and 50,000 people and had all the usual amenities found in other underground complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. Unique to the Derinkuyu complex and located on the second floor is a spacious room with a barrel vaulted ceiling. It has been reported that this room was used as a religious school and the rooms to the left were studies.
Between the third and fourth levels is a vertical staircase. This passage way leads to a cruciform church on the lowest level.
The large 55 m ventilation shaft appears to have been used as a well. The shaft also provided water to both the villagers above and, if the outside world was not accessible, to those in hiding.
View of Pigeon Valley Our last stop, or I should say 2nd last stop was at an Onyx factory. We
got a quick 2 minute demonstration and then were herded into the overpriced show room, where the door was locked behind us. I just stood at the door and made enough noise that someone came and opened it so that I could escape outside. What a crock!
Just across the road was our last stop, the view into Pigeon Valley. This is the valley that links the towns of Uchisar and Goreme. I'm sure on my last visit that we hiked this 4km valley and it rained half way and Lyn almost went over the edge of a cliff where the path we were following suddenly plummeted 100 meters down. Anyway, our stop was just a view from the start of the trail into the Pigeon Valley and a nice view of the town of Uchisar and it's castle.
We had a change of venue for dinner tonight. Went to a little restaurant and I of course started with lentil soup and then we each had pide (Turkish pizza) which was cooked in a wood stoked oven. Very tasty. For dessert we shared a local specialty:
Kunefe which was actually divine. A sweet dessert of
oven baked melted cheese with honey topped with very thin roasted vermicelli pasta on the top. It sounds a bit yucky, cheese and honey, but take my word for it that the taste was yummy. I thought at first the topping was shredded coconut but I googled it and found out it was vermicelli.
So for my chefy friends out there who love to cook, especially desserts, you know who you are (Marcia) here is the recipe. I will be more than willing to come judge the outcome!!
Kunefe-sweet Shredded Pastry With Cheese
Time 20 minutes Serves 12
Ingredients
Sugar 2 1/4 cups 450 g
Water 1 1/2 cups 350 g
Lemon 2 teaspoons 10 g
Kadayif (shredded pastry) 500 g
Butter 1 cup 200 g
White cheese 1 2/3 cups 375
How to make it
SWEET SHREDDED PASTRY WITH CHEESE
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice; stir. Boil for 1 minute. Set aside.
Combine kadaylf shreds and melted butter in a pan. Break kadaylf shreds in butter blending well with tips of fingers. Divide into half. Spread one half in a slightly greased baking pan 25x25 cm (9x9 inch). (ı cook non stick pan)Press with fingers slightly.
Spread cheese over kadaylf shreds. Repeat the same with the remaining half, pressing firmly this time.
Bake in a middel non stick pot for 30 minutes or until golden brown and cook 2 sides ... Remove from stove Let stand for 2 minutes. Pour warm syrup over. Cover and let stand until syrup is absorbed. Cut into 5-6 cm (2-2 1/2 inch) pieces. Arrange on a serving plate. Serve warm.
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