After some breakfast at our hotel, we set off for Cappadocia. A lot of us were excited to get there since many of us had hot air balloons on the mind. It was a few hours drive with a few stops along the way.
Lake Tuz Salt Flats
Our first stop was the was the Lake Tuz salt flats where a large amount of Turkey’s Salt production is from. We spent an hour here taking in the expanse of the flats and taking a few photos.
From the flats we drove a little further before stopping at a small restaurant for a buffet lunch. We were all pretty hungry by then so we all scarfed down our food pretty quickly. It was tasty but I don’t think it was anything super spectacular.
Derinkuyu Underground City
On the road again we drove a few more hours to the Derinkuyu underground city. This was a network of caves carved out of the rock underground where locals used to hide from invaders. We spent a good amount of time exploring the caves and going up and down the different levels of the city. It’s fascinating how people could live this way!
Cappadocia
After the underground city we boarded the bus again and started our final leg towards Cappadocia. As we neared the the region we were amazed how unique the landscape is! On top of this we arrived around sunset so the sun hitting the side of the rock formations added to the fantastic sight! We stopped at an elevated viewpoint to take some photos and take it in. We were excited for the days ahead.
Hotel Sofa
We checked into our hotel which was this lovely villa in the side of a mountain called Hotel Sofa! There A LOT of stairs to get to our room and it would be a workout every time we needed to get in and out but it was a beautiful place and we would be spending a few days here!
Dinner with a local family
We didn’t have too much time to explore the villa because we had dinner plans. In a nearby village we would be having dinner with a local family in their home. We hopped in the bus and made the short trip over. The family welcomed us in and we sat in a large room where bread and yogourt drink had been laid out for us. Dinner was delicious as we had some home made stuffed aubergine and lentil soup. We had a great time eating, sharing stories and getting to know each other a little better. It was a great end to a long day of driving.
After dinner we headed back to our hotel to turn in for the night. There was bad news, that due to weather our early morning hot air balloon ride would be cancelled tomorrow. But we were still hopeful for the day after. Instead a few of us picked up some beverages from a nearby store and hung out in one of our hotel’s rooftop terraces and chatted with our CEO for a few hours! It was a very relaxing evening full of laughs and talk about Eurovision… We turned in soon after eager for what the next day had in store for us.