Ürgüp

My slumber was most enjoyable again as my room had a very comfortable bed. After breakfast, I bought a bottle of local wine for my hosts in Ankara from the Pension. Then I caught the bus to Ürgüp, another important tourist town in the Cappadocia region. I wanted to experience staying in a cave hotel. The one I picked, the Esbelli, was a bit of a splurge, but I reckoned that I deserved luxury now and then. Unfortunately the map in the guide was slightly misdrawn and I worked up a sweat looking for it in vain on the wrong road.

But it was well worth it. The room, which was carved into the soft tuff of the hillside, was comfortable and cool inspite of the heat outside. There were extras thrown in. They had an Internet connection so I checked my email and sent a message to my hosts in Ankara. I could help myself to free cans of drink from the fridge and use the laundry. I spent the afternoon getting a fresh set of clothes.

Here's another shot showing the strata in the rock and the ventilation hole in the ceiling. Note the clothes "closet" carved into the rock.

The hotel has a commanding view of the town in the valley and I took pictures from the terrace and from nearby Temini hill. The town itself was sleepy when I was there for lunch.

In the evening I walked down to the town and passed these homes built into the rock. Some of them looked like they had seen better days.

In town I had a dinner of tandır güveç (a clay pot) followed by a pistachio pastry from a confectionery bar. The town had come to life. Families were out enjoying the evening air.

Then it was back to the hotel to watch the town in the fading light of dusk.