You’re probably tired of caves, but we weren’t. The last stop on our tour would have made the “tour experience” worth it all on its own because it’s something we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
About an hour from our hotel is this extensive cave monastery that I can’t do justice to with words. I also can’t do it justice with my photographs, but whatever, this is all I’ve got.
It was a long, goat scramble kind of climb up. I wish I could show the perspective from the bottom of the mountain. It was so steep in places we had to grab on to the sides of the rocks with our hands.
One of the main “buildings”
At the top it plateaued and there was a level of caves to explore. The caves went up several levels above that, but those were off limits.
Some were connected by tunnels
Some of the rooms were two stories and had balconies that overlooked the main rooms I couldn’t really take photos inside because they were dark and it’s not much to see. It’s an amazing place, but I can’t imagine living there pre-electricity.
She was a trooper
inside the church — there were frescos at one time, but everything just looks black now.
Carter is up where they used to keep the pigeons, in the top of one of the peaks
The niches in the wall are where the pigeons used to nest
This was a steep tunnel — Camille was shrieking the whole way down.
See the pointed fairy chimneys in the background? These are a special kind and this shape only appears here. Near our hotel they look more like mushrooms or phallic symbols (one of the areas is nicknamed Love Valley for a reason). George Lucas was inspired by this location and wanted to shoot Star Wars here, but couldn’t get permission from the Turkish government so instead he built his set in the desert in Tunisia.
I have almost no pictures of the boys because they kept running from cave to cave and disappearing into the tunnels
On our way home: a view of the valley near our hotel.
Playing chicken on the edge, of course.
We got back to the hotel and after a great day things went downhill when Camille started getting sick (fever) and cranky. Thankfully I had a warm fire, a comfortable chair, and my knitting to keep me company while she slept in our room and the boys and Josh all went to play cards and drink tea.
I made a baby hat with tassel. My own design.
We had a very Merry Christmas.