Turkey - Olympos and Goreme

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Olympos and Goreme

We are continuing our way through Turkey on the way to Syria on our big yellow truck. We had a quick 2 night stay at the Roman runis of Olympos. The ruins themsleves are okay but we were probably more excited about going to the beach, unfortunately it was a rocky beach of which can prove to be difficult to get in and out of the water. We took the opportunity to relax and unwind - travelling can be hard work! I sometimes do not think that everyone relises how tough it can be spending every day visiting new and interesting places.
The place that we stayed at in Olympos was like some strange kind of hippie commune- everyone was really laid back (perhaps a little too so), we all ate meals together and played volleyball etc etc. The whole place used to be in tree houses but then a fire came through 2 years ago and everything was burnt down.

We left Olympos and went to Goreme in the Cappadocia region. This area is famous within Turkey for its very surreal and interesting topography. Apparently a volcano erupted and spread volcanic ash over the area, then over time water and wind erosion has created these strange columns of rock. The local people have all built there homes within these columns - some even went underground. Although the majority of the population are now muslims; among the early populations of the area chrsitianity was dominant. This is evident within these ancient cities where many churches can be found. The most impressive of these was found just outside of Goreme in a church called Karanlik Kilise or the dark church. Only a very little amount of light is able to enter into the room - which has preserved the fresco artwork to its almost original condition. The whole city was built into the cliffs and was like something out of Star Wars.

Speaking of which the area is considered a major UFO spotting region, although we didn't see any UFOs we did try to visit the UFO museum. Unfortunately it was closed (perhaps because of an abduction) but our visit to Goreme was still worthwhile.

We left Goreme early in the morning after 3 days exploring the wierd landscapes on our way into Syria

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Photos

Houses in Cappadocia
The houses here have been carved into the rock columns

Dark Church
These paintings were found in a church within a rock column. The lack of light within this church has allowed the photos to be preserved.

UFO museum
Apparently the Cappadocia region is within the top 5 places in the world for UFO activity. A visit to the UFO museum seemed like an opportunity of a lifetime. Unfortunately it was closed- perhaps due to an abduction.....