Today, we visited two UNESCO world heritage sites ... What an amazing program for the benefit of the world and of local communities.
First, we went to the Goreme Open-Air Museum and walked through a valley of monasteries, churches, nunneries, houses, all carved inside the rocks. Some with amazing frescoes still visible. The combination of religious archaeology and climbing proved irresistible for Alexandra.
I also learned a great word ... Pantocrator, the "ruler of all" in Greek, but also used for a very specific depiction of Christ around these times.
At the end of the day, one wonders why if carving rooms inside rocks gives you the freedom to carve rooms in any shape, why did they decide to carve cubes? : )
The second site we visited was the underground city of Derinkuyu. What an amazing and hard to believe thing. An entire "city" down to 50 meters below the ground. Very narrow passageways and rooms everywhere ... even a church all the way to the bottom. Spooky at times. Also, water wells, ventilation shafts, and huge round rocks to roll over to completely seal passages. The only question that comes to mind is ... why??
The good part is that it was like a playground ... we were going down dark passageways, climbing tunnels, running around, taking pictures and movies. A good time.
Cappadoccia is a good reminder that Turkey has always been where things ebb and flow between East and West ... an amazing testament to religious persecution.
Tomorrow, we resume our journey. On to the Black Sea.
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