sandy_gennrich's photostream

We were driving through the little town of Uchisar, Turkey after visiting the ruins. We were chasing the light, looking for a place to take sunset pictures. The little city center was like all the others, with men sitting at tables out on the street, drinking tea and smoking. As we drove through, we waved at the men and one waved back. Even though the light was fading and we had no idea where we'd shoot sunset, I decided we just had to go back and make some friends. The tea shop was out of tea, so we ordered Turkish coffee and sat down with one of the locals. He spoke no English. I spoke no Turkish. We found a barely common language in German. We enjoyed our coffee. We made friends. It's one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. (This isn't the guy who waved and spoke German. But he was an interesting fellow who watched the conversation and didn't mind having his picture taken.)

Flying high above the landscape in Goreme, Turkey was a delight. Cappadocia is a big wine region in the area, and I was struck by how arid this region seems to be. Thee vines don't seem to grow very large and they don't need support wires.

Just as you enter Uchisar from Goreme, there are these cool eroded cliffs that light up at sunset. We stopped just long enough to take a few shots, but this location is worth a longer stop. (BTW -- you should try Snapseed for Windows or Mac -- very cool tool)

Uchisar, like the rest of Cappadocia, Turkey, is rich in history. The fairy chimneys are said to have been carved out during the Roman period as grave sites.

Hot Air Ballooning is THE thing to do in Goreme. About 100 balloons go up each morning, dotting the landscape and skies until about 8:30 each morning.