Sunday, October 17, 2010

Ortahisar

Tuesday, after departing Camping Kaya, we spent the day mostly in scenic driving, walking, gawking, etc. Fortunately, all the relevant sights in Cappadocia are pretty close together. Unfortunately, low-sulfur diesel in Turkey is now well over $8 per gallon.

First up was the village of Ortahisar, famed
for its "castle," a huge spire carved up into
a variety of chambers, terraces, etc.





















Parking with the big dogs; despite the appearance,
Ortahisar is one of the least touristy of the sights; the buses
roll in, park on the square, everyone runs out and snaps a
few pix of the castle, buys a half kilo of dried apricots, and
hops back on as the bus continues its rounds



















We liked our parking spot so well we stayed a couple hours,
walked the main drag, did some grocery shopping, had
lunch in the camper, and watched as--for once in our
experience--the call to prayer occurred, shops and cafes
actually closed, and the men walked to the mosque (the
women stayed home preserving their modesty, no doubt);
there were many other manifestations of traditional,
unaffected village life to see, some of interest, some pitiable





















Preview of upcoming "cats of turkey" post















View from the top (of the castle); another castle

2 comments:

MartyR said...

Loving your fascinating blog. The pictures are amazing as are your travel tales. Peter L. from RT shared your URL with me and it is my new favorite! We are far less adventurous - our RS will most likely never leave North America, but at least I can experience the rest of the world through your stories and fabulous photos! Many thanks.

Mark said...

Marty,

Thanks for your comment. I shall keep you in mind when posting. Peter has been a wonder for us, answering every question, giving all kinds of great advice. We hope we are a good advertisement for RTs.

Best,

Mark