C for Cappadocia

So, we have left Banganga tank behind, and traveled far away again in both space and time. You see, in 2009 - The Greek, The Greek's father and I went on a road trip. The 3 of us set out from home ( Kavala, Greece), and drove east to Turkey: first to Istanbul, onward to Ankara and then further south... to Cappadocia. It turned out to be one of the most memorable trips I have ever made.

The amazing scenery of Cappadocia will take your breath away. I promise. The deep Grand-Canyon-like valleys, and the intriguing history of the inhabitants living in the hills. Yes, whole villages were made inside the strangely shaped mountains of the area. You can actually follow steep stairs down until you are 7 floors under the ground. I did it... But - NOT a good idea if you have as much as a hint of claustrophobia... Below 2nd floor we were more crawling than walking ( in not very elegant moves, I'll tell you) through the narrow tunnels deep down under. Puh!

A village in Cappadocia - yes, people lived inside these mountains:-)

The most emotional part of our trip was re-discovering the village, street and house that my father-in-law's father and grandparents had to leave in the 1920' in the population exchange between Turkey and Greece. You see, most villages in this area were populated by Cappadocian Greeks, and after they left, some of them were taken good care of by Turks, but others fell to ruins. We stayed at a small pension that used to be a house owned by Greeks, and the Turks living there now had taken good care of the past, so it was a moving place to visit.

Breakfast (with tea) at the pension  - with father-in-law:-)
The table was made of an old door to an ex-Greek home.   

Picture at the pension - from when the Greeks packed up and left..

It became even more emotional when we visited the village that my father-in-law's family had abandoned. Walking down a muddy street, looking right and left, seeing some houses, a barn, some goats and some local ladies watching us from behind some fluttering curtains in the windows.... Walking there side by side and suddenly realize that: yes, this has to be it. The remains of the house they left behind, so many years ago. Only ruins were left of it. It was so strong and special - to be part of this journey to the roots. This dream of being where the ancestors had used to be, had become reality. Sad, yes, but also a relief. We had been there now.  

Cliffs, hills and village in Cappadocia. 

An old abandoned Greek monastery. A scenery like nowhere else.. 

Well, following our dreams may lead us to unexpected destinations, right? And for me, who was more in it for the ride really, it turned out to be a dream-chase I will always remember and cherish. I hope you enjoyed coming along (maybe with the exception of the 5 floor below ground..?) Tomorrow we are going somewhere quite cheerful, and it starts with a D......

1-30 April I participate in the A to Z blogger challenge, and this post is written as a part of that challenge. Check out some amazing participating blogs here. My theme for the challenge is Dream Destinations. I hope you had fun coming along? Please stay tuned for a new destination tomorrow. 

Go to a-to-zchallenge.com