Cappadocia, the Balloon Capital

 Cappadocia (Turkish= Kapadokya) is world famous for its hot air balloon launches.  Every day, weather permitting, you will see balloons beyond counting launched at daybreak.  Proper balloon handling requires an extensive ground crew, chase trucks, passenger vans, refreshments, marketing, etc.  A balloon ride is not cheap, but demand for balloon rides is strong.  While we were there, about 70% of tourists were from Asia which, we were told, coincides with an extended holiday period in China.

Inflating our balloon from the installed burners, pre sunrise.

These balloons are really big.  At this point, the balloon is self-supporting but not ready for lift off.

The balloon starting to build lift.

The two men standing in blue are the crew.  Everyone else is gawking at the scenery below.

We flew Turkish Airlines to Nevsehir Airport and used a shuttle to the town of Goreme in the Cappadocia region. Early the following morning we were up and ready for our balloon flight.  The typical balloon holds about twenty passengers with two crew members.  The 'basket' is actually rather large, a rectangular metal frame with four sections, so you don't feel crowded.  The crew is able to rotate the balloon so that you get a 360-degree view of surroundings.  Of course, they also control altitude, dropping low over some features while rising to 3-4000 feet altitude at other times.  The ride is very solid, like you are standing on a platform.  You just have to trust that they know what they are doing.

Balloons, beyond counting, rising to feel the warmth of sunrise.

Balloons at initial launch before sunrise touches the land.

Looking down on a village, we see true visible topography in three dimensions.

A hilltop village.  At night it was illuminated by the glow of many windows with an engaging effect.

After an hour of floating in the sky, the crew brings the balloon down while coordinating with the ground crew.  They were able to accurately land that basket right on a towed trailer.  

When windy, the landing can be exciting, but on our day winds were calm.  The balloon and basket were brought down in a farmer's field onto a trailer towed by a chase truck.  Then we all had a sip of champagne.  For those not participating in a balloon ride, hundreds of people also get up early to watch the mass launchings from atop cliffs surrounding Goreme in its valley.

These are natural stone shapes that have been hollowed out to create homes inside.

Rock formations waiting to become a new housing subdivision (I am kidding).

This is the natural terrain before being altered by civilization.

Observers on the ground gathering at sunrise.

Looking down on Goreme from the surrounding plateau in early evening.  The area is greatly supported economically by balloon tourism.

Many trinkets for sale.  Also, jewelry & leather goods.  Our concern was finding a laundry service.

Really pretty when the entire balloon lights up in the predawn darkness.

At this point, Goreme is prosperous and expanding; new hotels going up.  Tourists really seem to enjoy sleeping in cave rooms dug into the volcanic stone.

When the balloons fire off their burners to gain altitude, the entire balloon lights up.  

I lost count, but a typical morning includes about 100 balloons.  Figure 20 people per balloon and about $250 per person.  That is a half-million-dollar spectacle.

It seems like no two balloons are the same color.  Do they remind you of Christmas tree ornaments?

Goreme experienced record tourist visits this year.  It is at the point where the number of tourists is starting to adversely affect the enjoyment of the experience.  Our hotel was at a great location, but the staff seemed to do the minimum to earn their paychecks.  Our room looked worn and neglected.  Some entrepreneurs were starting to charge people admission to walk the trails from the valley to the overlooking cliff plateaus in order to watch morning or evening sights.

This underground church was completely chiseled out of the lava rock.

We did a day long excursion of the surrounding area.  Geologically, the area was formed from a soft lava flow.  Early settlers discovered that the thick but soft rock could be carved or excavated to create underground homes and other buildings.  Something I didn't know previously was that early Christian communities came here to avoid persecution by the Romans and built what is now called an "underground city" to shelter themselves.  They did not actually live in the underground complex, but it included kitchens, storage areas, shops and defensive positions where up to 5,000 people could hide in an emergency. 

Istanbul, first encounter

Istanbul is one of the most fabled cities on our planet.  It is the meeting place of Europe and Asia.  It was at the forefront of a historic struggle between Christianity and Islam.  Istanbul and Turkiye control access to the Black Sea where the current war in Ukraine is taking place.  Turkiye is the refuge for many Middle Eastern refugees from the conflicts taking place there.  (And the EU is paying Turkiye to keep the refugees there instead of proceeding into central Europe.)  Turkiye is controlled by the dictator Erdogan (in power 20+ years) but no one in Turkiye will call him a dictator because they may then lose their job, end up in jail, or suddenly disappear.  The population of Turkiye is about 85 million of which 20 million live in the Istanbul area.

The Turkish Lira is the national currency, but everyone asks to be paid in Euros, often in cash. (We spent about 900 Euros cash there.)  The Turkish lira is suffering from serious inflation.  Many Turks are trying to establish a second citizenship elsewhere.  People can see and sense the worsening conditions.  Refugees without money or jobs still tend to have large numbers of children which become a burden.  As we have seen elsewhere, the actual Turkish people are open and friendly, but their government is corrupt and oppressive.  This should be a lesson for all of us.

Istanbul as seen from an open rooftop restaurant near our hotel.  We are looking to the south toward Topkapi Palace on a wooded peninsula.

People we met near home who had visited Istanbul previously had called it "amazing".  Amazing, yes, but in a good way?  We planned our own visit to this exotic site.  Who speaks Turkish?  Only those who live there; thus, we were more careful than usual in booking our transport and stays in this country.  Our initial stay was in the Taksim neighborhood in central Istanbul.  Our hotel had an excellent location and helpful staff, but sleeping was difficult.  The bed was small; the blankets were even smaller.  We were on the first floor (in Europe the ground floor is floor "0"); just below us were narrow, crowded, busy streets where loud conversations took place until at least midnight.  We had a police station next door.  A plain clothes policeman stood guard with a submachinegun next to the restaurant we frequented.

Our police station next door.  We witnessed two men being brought in wearing handcuffs.

Domes in these mosques were impressive in their detail and structure, especially when you consider how old they are.

One of many mosques.  In Europe, we saw Christian cathedrals of similar magnificence.  Are these structures built to celebrate their god, or to demonstrate the power of the church leadership?  Think of what could be accomplished if the same cost and labor were devoted to public health, education, basic utilities, food production, etc.  Meanwhile, the common people live very modest lives.

Notice the concrete street markers to keep vehicles off the sidewalks (as seen from our hotel).  Streets are so narrow that, to turn a corner, often the vehicle would have to stop and back up and get a second approach angle.  

We spent our first day visiting the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Royal Cistern, and Grand Bazaar.  Those major mosques were feats of engineering when first produced and are still impressive today.  You can easily get lost in the Grand Bazaar.  The Cisterns were a private source of water for the palace royalty. We were supposed to attend an evening cruise/dinner on the Bosphorus, but I came down with a strange ailment.  We still have no idea what to call it (no appetite, no energy, chills, and sharp pains on the right side of my head); fortunately, it only lasted for a short time.  We were able to walk the nearby areas including Istiklal Street, a major shopping district.  Of course, each of these areas included major crowds; more likely locals than foreign tourists.  Three nights in Istanbul, then it was off to our next destination.

Dawn shopping at the Grand Bazaar.  We bought nothing, little room in our suitcases, and we are not into trinkets.  It is said that the Grand Bazaar has 10,000 shops.

Evening shopping on Istiklal Street, along with about 50,000 other persons.  You could come to Istanbul with no luggage; buy yourself a suitcase and fill it with high-quality knockoff merchandise to take home.  All the famous brands are here, but are they authentic?  All we bought was sorbet/ ice cream.

Same street but earlier in the day; our hotel was only two blocks away.  When you live in the city, apparently shopping is a major evening activity.

  
    

Salzburg, Munich, and onward

 The trip from Hall to Salzburg, Austria is an easy drive.  In fact, along the way, we stopped in the village Reit Im Winkl and revisited the guesthouse where Dawn's father was stationed for several months after the end of World War II.  At that time, the village posting was sort of an R&R for her father after enduring all that he had since D-Day.  Her father had crossed Utah Beach on D-Day and stayed with the Allied advance across Europe until Germany surrendered.  Once back in the States, he did not talk about his war experiences for the next forty years.  While we were stationed in Europe, he came to visit and retrace his path across France, Belgium, and Germany.  Dawn and our son, Colin, accompanied him for part of that journey.  Now Dawn was visiting again, with a first time visit for me.   Reit Im Winkl is still a mountain village but with growth occurring.

Salzburg as viewed from our accommodation in Bergheim.

Our Gasthof overlooking Salzburg.  As you can see, it is located in a rural pastoral location with walking trails nearby.

Salzburg was our goal.  It is still advertised as the site of the "Sound of Music" movie location and, we discovered, attracts legions of tourists.  We came for the setting and architecture, but found mainly crowds of tourists when we ventured into the city.  Our accommodation was excellent in the suburb of Bergheim, farmlands surrounding a repurposed monastery overlooking the city of Salzburg.  Instead of wading through city crowds, we elected to take a 'Sound of Music' hike to the mountain meadow where Julie Andrews sang her famous lyrics.  It was actually a decent hike, starting in a village, then upward through the forest, and finally opening up to the actual meadow with an ingenious monument through which you can view the movie characters in place against the mountain backdrop.  There is an adjacent farm, and I would guess that Julie & company drove to the location using their driveway rather than the hike we took.

What an idyllic background for the Sound of Music!  Note the castle.

Note the same castle in the background.

Now note the same castle in the background with the film characters superimposed, painted onto a clear glass pane.

From Salzburg, it was back to Munich for two nights to turn in our rented car (a new KIA), visit central Munich, and prepare for our next flight.  Munich was beginning their Octoberfest celebration and, again, it was a city besieged by hordes of tourists. We took the train into town and back (standing room only) to Hallbergmoos, again appreciating our quiet village.

I have other photos of Munich, but they all look about the same with a multitude of tourists.
         

Garmisch, Germany to Hall, Austria

 Garmisch is incredibly scenic, located in a valley surrounded by tall, jagged mountains.  It is also touristy, but surprisingly we hear very little English spoken and only a small portion of commercial signs include English versions.  Since we are staying in a large American hotel here with American customers, that seems odd.  Perhaps our sample is not representative.  We have been renting bikes to explore the area, much better than fighting traffic in a car.  Parking is at a premium.  Today we also took a gondola ride to a mountain top for a true panoramic view.  The peak still had substantial snow from a recent cold front that came through.  The peak is also a launch site for paraglides.  I watched a woman unsuccessfully launch.  She misjudged the wind, didn’t get as much lift as needed, and failed to clear some trees.  She was not hurt.  The pine trees snagged her and her canopy but cushioned her descent to the ground.  The weather was perfect, it was the weekend, and everyone was outdoors enjoying the sun before winter truly sets in.

She didn't make it.  Too low with trees ahead.  But she was unhurt and gathered her gear for another try.

Recent snow on the mountain top, but beautiful weather today.

Preparation for a paraglider launch.  Like launching a kite.  You run down the slope, look up to see the canopy inflated, then accelerate for liftoff.

Doesn't that look like an amazing experience?  Like a bird high above the Garmisch-Partenkirchen valley.

We visited the Olympic ski jump stadium, recalling memories for me of when I took a paragliding /hang gliding course here and our final exam was a paragliding launch from atop a ski slope with a landing in this very stadium.  I was too busy then to pursue the sport, and now I am too old.  Nearby is a deep & narrow gorge where they have created a narrow walkway by excavating into one wall of the gorge.  It was worth the ten Euro entry fee.  The passage through the gorge was narrow and wet.  It was also popular; at times we needed to wait for other tourists to pass through a narrow spot before advancing through the gorge ourselves.

A waterfall coming off the side of the gorge wall.

A guardrail has been placed to protect people from slipping off the narrow, excavated path in the gorge wall.

 From Garmisch, Germany, we drove to Hall in Tirol, Austria, a beautiful drive through forested mountains and only about 1 1/2 hours away.  We found Hall to be even more enjoyable.  Our first night there, Sunday, we had difficulty finding an open restaurant for dinner.  Our Gasthof hostess gave us an address; after walking to the indicated location, we saw no sign (it was dark, and the sign was small and unlit), no people, only an unlocked door.  Entering and ascending a stairway brought us the sound of conversation, the warmth of occupied space, and the smell of cooking.  The evening was very enjoyable with a friendly host to interpret and advise on the menu. The goulash was wonderful.

A beautiful day in Hall, Austria.

We have escaped the tourist hordes in this neat little town of Hall, very walkable.

The view from our Gasthof room balcony.  Our accommodation is located on the Inn River.  Crossing the river on a pedestrian bridge brings us to the actual town of Hall.

We started climbing the valley slopes with our mountain e-bikes on quiet country roads until we came to this scenic chapel.

Looking down on the fields below in the Inn valley.

The terrain got much steeper as we entered a rough logging trail.  We lost our GPS signal and took a wrong turn before finding the trail (and by-passing a red crossbar) we wanted as shown on a paper map we were using.

To our right, the narrow trail dropped of steeply into a thousand-foot-deep ravine.  Keep your eyes on the trail; stop before turning to look to the right.

Finally at the top, the trail opened up into a broad meadow.

The following day we rented mountain e-bikes from our Gasthof hostess and ascended above the Inn River valley to get a better view.  We came across a steep logging trail (closed by a red crossbar) which climbed the backside of a mountain to where it eventually crested the ridged peak.  Bypassing the bar, we started up the rough trail.  At places, small avalanches had crossed the trail from recent heavy snow, leaving limbs and mounds of snow behind. There was no turning back. When we traversed the peak, we had gained more than 3000 feet in altitude.

These were pedal-assist bikes with limited battery capacity.  If you don’t pedal, they don’t go.  If you use too much assist, you are left with an exhausted battery and heavy bike to pedal on your own.  There was no cellular coverage on the backside of that mountain.  If we had a flat tire or mechanical problem, we were on our own.   But the views were spectacular, and we made it!  On the front side of the mountain was a restaurant with paraglide launch where we could get a drink and some apple strudel to refresh ourselves.  The frontside road (with very little traffic) was paved and included many switchbacks in its descent. We coasted, swooping through the curves, for 20-30 minutes, riding our brakes, coming down that mountain, curve after curve.  But with a great sense of accomplishment.

At the paraglider launch site, looking south across the Inn River valley to snow-crested peaks on another mountain range.

The following day we took the tram to nearby Innsbruck, a much larger and more touristy city.  We have found that a good travel formula is to stay in a smaller town and commute to the metropolis nearby.  In this case, the tram ride was free both ways.

                                            

Innsbruck, Austria, more sights to see, more shops to explore, and more tourists.