Taking To The Skies In Cappadocia, Turkey

Nigel began flying balloons at 16 and has continued to fly for the duration of his life. His experience coupled with his English accent and sense of humor made me trust him.  “Alright guys, this is my first time up so hold on.”  I think I was the only one with white knuckles.  As we left the ground and floated up above the fairy chimneys and into sun streaked sky, I relaxed my hands and realized…hey, that wasn’t scary at all.  In one elegant motion, we had lifted off into the sky and were floating away into the experience of a lifetime.  

Cappadocia from the ground makes you giddy.  You begin walking and think to yourself “this really can’t get much better.”  And then it does.   What seemed incredible five minutes before has somehow paled in comparison to what is before your eyes now, and you just cannot wrap your mind around it.  From the air, the experience is magnified x1000.  Adjectives escape you as your eyes try to take in the landscape below. 

Fairy chimneys and pigeon holes defy imagination.  As the balloon floated down towards the rock formations, I was thankful for the deft hand of Nigel who expertly lead us as close as possible to these beautiful places below. 

 Cappadocia was formed by a volcanic eruption between 3 and 9 million years ago.  Earthquakes and erosion have continued to create the fascinating landscape seen in the area today.  Because the rock below the top layer of basalt was incredibly soft, groups of people took advantage and created entire cities in the caves or “fairy chimneys” as they are known today. Beginning in the fourth century AD, an urbanized cultural landscape was created here.  As we fly over Goreme’s Open Air Museum, I see the honeycombed residences, churches, and storage areas that once housed – and hid – Christians fleeing from Rome’s persecution.

 As we ascended, I became lost behind my lens in an attempt to capture the beauty all around me.  The sky was dotted with the reds, yellows, greens, purples, and blues of over fifty balloons that seemed to have been painted onto the skyline.  The Rose Valley below was striped with pinks, whites, grays, and light browns.  Finally, I put down the camera and just stood quietly in the basket of the balloon and tried to memorize the lines and colors in front of me. 

 I am often in search of those happy places - the places you can retreat to when you close your eyes after too many hours in front of a laptop or behind a textbook.  The warm bursts of air from the gas flame, the cold crisp air in that cloudy Turkish sky, and the colors of the rocks and balloons all around will forever be etched in my mind as a place to retreat to. 

Somehow, an entire hour had passed and the balloon began drifting towards Love Valley.  The landing was as delicate as the Cappadocian bubbly we enjoyed afterwards.  After being awarded our Royal Balloon medallions to commemorate our successful flight, I walked towards the edge of the Love Valley to stare at the alien landscape below.  “You know, Love Valley goes by another name here too.”  “Yea, what’s that?” I asked Suat who had just rejoined our group.  “Clinton Valley.  I thought you would appreciate this since you’re from Arkansas.” “You know, he probably doesn’t hate you guys for naming these rocks after him.  They are pretty impressive.” And just like that I’m snapped back into real life while Suat and I laugh at the ridiculously large and phallic rocks in front of us. 

 Penis rocks and all, Cappadocia is a place to be marveled at.  It’s a place to see from below and above whether it’s on foot or by hot air balloon.  If you do choose to visit the towns in the region, you would be remiss not to give Suat a call.  My flight with Royal Balloon was absolutely the highlight of my time in Turkey, one that I hope I can repeat again in my lifetime. 

*While my journey with Royal Balloon was complimentary, my thoughts and opinions, including my belief that Royal Balloon offers the best hot air balloon tours in Cappadocia, are entirely my own.