I'm back...

I've been having difficulties posting this entry, so I'll try omitting the pictures for now and see how it goes.

As you may know, I went to Cappadocia this weekend with a big group of exchange students. Cappadocia is about 12 hours from school--we left at 9 Thursday night and arrived at 9 am on Friday. The bus ride was about as enjoyable as you can imagine... so Friday was spent resting up and enjoying the spa at the hotel. Some students went horseback riding, but I decided that would not be a balance-friendly activity. Good thing, too-- two kids fell off after their horses took off running. So I spent Friday night in a clinic with a friend who sprained her ankle; it was certainly an interesting way to see another side of Turkey!

Saturday probably had the worst weather I've seen here. It snowed in the morning and drizzled almost the entire day. Regardless, we continued sightseeing as planned. We began with a trip to see the fairy chimneys, surreal-looking pillars formed by the erosion of lava from a nearby volcano that was active millions of years ago. But the coolest thing about the area is not the science fiction-y landscape but the caves carved into the pillars as well as larger cliffs. The rock is fairly soft, so early Christian hermits and monks created retreats in the forbidding landscape. They even created chapels with frescoes all over the ceilings and walls dating back more than 1000 years-- indescribable. Unfortunately we were unable to take pictures as the flash damages the paint and it was too dark to take photos without flash. Sorry!

On Sunday we stopped at several points specifically for the view-- it was much nicer, almost sunny, so I got some great pictures of the fairy chimneys, caves, and dramatic vistas in general. But the highlight of the day was the underground city, began 4000 years ago by the Hittites and expanded 2000 years ago by early Christians. It was only used for short periods of time as a refuge from hostile invaders, but was complete with storage rooms, a kitchen, and two wineries. I certainly don't envy the inhabitants, since the access points to the wineries were tunnels just 4 feet high. I can't imagine climbing up and down them every day, let alone doing it with full barrels of wine and grapes!

The weather continues misty and grey. Maybe I'll see the sun sometime before I leave!