Cappadocia was praised by everyone before and after the tour. It was once an active volcanic area, where the magma and ash condensed and raised the ground hundreds of meters. Over the past tens of millions of years, the wind and rain above and the undercurrents below have made the entire land bumpy, as if you were on the surface of the moon.

Most famous tourist attractions are always a little worse than expected. Cappadocia is praised by everyone before and after the visit. It was once an active area of ​​volcanic eruptions, and the magma and ash condensed and raised the ground hundreds of meters.

Over the past tens of millions of years, the wind and rain above and the undercurrents below have eroded the entire land, making it look like the surface of the moon. Since the stone is soft and easy to dig, many people have carved out rooms directly from the stone. The youth hostel where Yunluo lives is converted from such a room, which is quite novel.

But this Yunluo has no windows-_-There are many valleys of different sizes around Goreme. I originally planned to go to the most popular Red Valley & Rose Valley, but after coming out of the Open Air Museum, I saw a sign at an inconspicuous intersection saying "Zemivalley". I took out my LP and flipped through it. It said "Zemivalley (Love Valley)". Huh?

Lovevalley? (Please search for pictures by yourself if you are innocent) How could I miss such a unique view? So I set off excitedly. Later, when I returned to the youth hostel and looked at the map, I found that Zemivalley and Lovevalley were in two different locations. LP can also cheat people-_-make up a fake Lovevalle to get rid of the high expectations.

Zemivalley is quite quiet, with the iconic evil mushrooms on the roadside from time to time, and other forms of weathering. Maybe the national parks in Utah and Colorado are similar. The disadvantage of being too quiet is that you won't meet anyone along the way, and you can't ask for directions.

The trail here is even more hidden than the Tontotrail in Grand Canyon that made Yunluo grit his teeth. You can't see the road at all. Only when you walk into a bush do you know that you "probably" went the wrong way. You also have to go through tunnels like the one below from time to time, so you can only take the riverbed as a road.

Without knowing how far the exit was or even if there was an exit ahead, we could only keep going forward. Fortunately, a valley is still a valley, and at least the direction was correct. Although it was the coldest time of the year, the grass on the ground was occasionally covered with a layer of ice, but the whole valley was still green, and there were trees with wild fruits hanging on them pointing straight to the blue sky.

A touch of red adds a bit of warmth to the cold season. In this state, I suddenly heard the sound of a car horn overhead, which made me feel relieved. The beeping sound that I used to find annoying became the best stimulant this time, haha. As expected, the path in front of me gradually emerged.

More than 10 minutes later, Yunluo was finally able to stand on the road and look back at the Zemivalley he had just walked through. After drilling out of the ground, Yunluo finally recognized that the towering castle in front of him must be Uchisar Castle. It turned out that Yunluo had walked to another town without realizing it.

This castle is hollowed out from a whole piece of volcanic rock, it looks majestic. (Photo taken at night) On the way to Uchisar Castle, there is a great viewing platform. Below is Pigeon Valley, where the locals carved various pigeon cages out of the stone, although Yunluo doesn't know why they raise pigeons now.

On the other side, you can see the town of Uchisar, which, like Goreme, is mixed with all kinds of hideous rocks. In fact, I had never thought of coming to Uchisar (the poor recognition of this area on Google Maps and the lack of maps that can be searched online made Yunluo not consider going to towns other than Goreme).

At this moment, I suddenly realized that I didn't want to take the hot air balloon this morning. I didn't get to see the sunrise; now I can climb to the top to see the sunset. Although it is 200 meters lower than the balloon, it shouldn't be much different. I looked at the watch and it was less than 20 minutes to sunset (traveling in winter is miserable). I quickly rushed to the roof.

The roof is as expected, with potholes and potholes, but there are only a few railings, which is always scary. Looking out, you will feel relaxed and happy. In the near distance, there are jagged stone forests, and in the distance, there are rolling waves of stones on the ground on all sides, and in the distance, there are the highest peaks in the whole of Cappadocia: Mountercyies.

The towering snow-capped mountains were dyed orange-red by the sunset. It was quite shocking. At this time, another tourist came. They probably spoke Spanish. I couldn't understand them, but when they saw the LPs in each other's hands, they smiled knowingly. After that, Yunluo and Nalan Shiqi just focused on emptying their minds. Until the sunset took away the last beam of light, the night covered the earth with stars and lights.

On the second day, we took part in the Green Tour, which included walking through Ihlara Valley. To be fair, Ihlara Valley is also spectacular, but it is naturally small compared to Grand Canyon. A stream at the bottom of the valley that is neither big nor small is a plus. Overall, there is nothing surprising, so I just mentioned it in passing.

If it is just the karst landforms with jagged rocks, it is beautiful, but it can be seen in many places, so it is not particularly surprising. The charm of Cappadocia also lies in its unique cultural heritage. When Christianity first originated, it was persecuted by the Roman Empire as a cult.

The early Christians who were unwilling to give up their faith traveled a long way to this remote place and found their own hiding place. After going through hardships, Christianity finally became the state religion in 312 AD. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. From the 7th century onwards, the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire in this area was gradually eroded by the Sassanid Empire.

Until the 11th century, Cappadocia fell into the hands of Persia and Christianity became a heresy again. Christians who were unwilling to give up continued to hide. They built hidden holy places among the boulders, which complemented the unique local terrain. In modern times, it has become one of the two natural and cultural heritage sites in Turkey.

In the 16th century, the powerful Ottoman Empire swept across Turkey, and the craze for secretly building churches ended. However, even after occupying Cappadocia, the Ottoman Empire was unable to destroy the many churches that were densely scattered and hidden, so many treasures have been preserved to this day.

It can be said that the history of Cappadocia is a history of Christian refuge, and the name of Goreme comes from this - its original meaning is: to make you invisible. If you want to see the church, the best place is the Open Air Museum next to Goreme. There are dozens of churches of all sizes here.

Many of them still retain exquisite frescoes from the 10th to 12th centuries, which still have bright colors. The door opens at 8:30. If you want to experience it before the large and small tour groups arrive, you must try to enter before 9:30. Although it is the off-season, Yunluo still saw crowds like domestic scenic spots around 10 o'clock-_-before entering the scenic spot.

The ruins of churches carved out of stone pillars can be seen on the roadside. Although only the shape of the rooms remains, the church form can no longer be seen. Today, people have long forgotten what sacred names the believers gave these churches. They can only be nicknamed apples, snakes, buttons, etc. according to the characteristics that can be seen now.

The lost name cannot conceal the piety that has been passed down to this day. The last resting place of the believers was dug out on one side of the church. The coffin has long been gone, leaving only the simple and vicissitudes of death. Although the cave is small, it has all the necessary structures, including the dining table, which is also well-carved. The interior decoration of the early cave was still quite simple.

Almost only monochrome lines were used to outline the shape. However, people at that time already knew how to use lime water to paint frescoes. This was more than 300 years earlier than the Italians' proud creation. More complex patterns began to appear. Various patterns filled the entire space.

The snake church actually depicts the famous St. George slaying the dragon, but the dragon is not really like a dragon. So the name snake has been passed down. The apple church has made a qualitative leap in painting quality. This is gorgeous. The masterpiece from 1,000 years ago still exudes a warm atmosphere today, shocking every visitor who stops by.

In fact, it is strictly forbidden to take photos inside the churches. Thanks to the off-season, there was no one there, so I could take photos without hesitation. I still don't understand why. If the flash is turned off, will taking photos damage the murals? After the apple church, what was even more shocking was the thedark church, the only one in the scenic area that required a separate ticket.

The church itself is higher than the other churches, and it looks very imposing from the outside. There is only one small window in the whole church, and the long darkness has preserved the murals in the church vividly. It can be called the essence of Byzantine art. There is also the largest church in Goreme at the entrance of the scenic spot, nicknamed Church of the Buckle.

Although not as well-preserved as the Dark Church, the architectural style is more neat and grand. In terms of age, the murals in Cappadocia are several centuries later than those in Dunhuang, but they still reflect the East and the West. Similar murals can also be seen in Ihlara Valley on the second day of the green tour. When you arrive in Goreme, the most popular way to travel is still by tour.

Although Yunluo is someone who wants to avoid tours, he has no choice but to compromise in the face of the extreme scarcity of map resources. The most common are greentour and redtour, the latter being relatively less cost-effective. In addition to ihlaravelley's hiking, greentour also has two other highlights.

One is the Derinkuyu underground city. There are more than 40 underground cities of various sizes in the entire Cappadocia region. As mentioned above, they were all dug by early Christians who hid themselves to escape persecution. Derinkuyu is the deepest of them. Its original meaning is a deep well. It goes more than 20 layers underground, and there are countless corridors winding to other underground cities. A real tunnel war.

Even though only the top seven floors are open now, it is still enough to amaze people. Thinking back to how the believers thousands of years ago spent hundreds of years in darkness without knowing when it was the present day, the power of faith is really strong. Going deeper and deeper into the underground along the stairs, the noise on the ground is gradually replaced by the faint sound of dripping water.

The tunnels are narrow and short, and you have to bend down to enter and exit, just like being humble before God. The intricate structure is like a maze. You have no idea where you are when you walk through it. Although it seems that everything is the same, the entire underground city is strictly divided into many areas such as living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, storage rooms, brewing rooms, and even stables.

Except for the need to go up to the ground to replenish food every few months, it is enough to meet daily life. The reception room is located at the intersection of many paths and is connected in all directions. As a Christian, the church is indispensable. There should have been beautiful murals here, but it is too humid and the murals have faded beyond recognition.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

There is even a temporary morgue for the bodies. Back on the ground, the last highlight that you can't see is Selime Monastery. This huge monastery built in the 13th century hollowed out half of the hilltop and is hidden in the mountains. I'm afraid you may not recognize it even if you walk to the foot of it.

It is said that the filming location of Star Wars is in the distance. For Yunluo, who loves monasteries, seeing such a huge building is undoubtedly exciting. In addition, the numerous natural or artificial paths in the monastery connect the excavated stone chambers one by one, which adds to the fun of jumping up and down.

Many stone steps have collapsed and broken, and you can only climb up with your hands and feet. The so-called trails are often just deep trenches that are just wide enough to accommodate one foot. Going up the stone for dozens of meters, you can see abandoned caves all the way. Looking out from the stone, the blue water is as clear as a mirror, and you can seem to feel the breath of the Holy Spirit filling your body.

Going up further, we came to a large platform, and the main rooms of the monastery were in full view. Double-decker classrooms. Very imposing, but always feel oppressive. The so-called power of knowledge, haha. Although simple, the door is still meticulously decorated with carvings. A church with a complex structure, how much patience and perseverance can be polished to create such a majestic place.

On the beams and pillars of the church, you can still vaguely see the remnants of the murals. In fact, there are many things worth seeing in the entire Cappadocia region, and two days is too hasty to rush through it. Later, a Taiwanese couple I met in Ephesus said that they had been to Turkey five times and felt that Cappadocia was the most wonderful place.

Yunluo thought it made sense. Of the nine world heritage sites in Turkey, Xanthos-Letoon is probably the least well-known. Its special feature is that it was once the ancient capital of Lycia. However, Yunluo had the impression that Lycia was a country with no outstanding features. This country, which had very close relations with Greece, fought a war with Greece (and won) in order to refuse to join Greece.

However, it eventually fell under the rule of Persia until Alexander liberated it. In terms of cultural achievements, it pales in comparison to Greece. I still don't understand why this place was selected as a World Heritage Site. Later, I chatted with a friend. My friend said: It's because it was a city-state in the Greek period. That's ancient Greece!

It was immediately clear that the Roman ruins were quite widespread, and there were probably very few ancient Greek ruins outside of Greece, so I was determined to find out. Having said that, I was in a dilemma when doing my homework. I couldn't find it on Google Maps, and all the Turkish bus companies with websites didn't have buses going there.

There were not many travel notes to be found, and even on the almighty LP, the description of these two places added up to less than one page?? But Yunluo didn't believe it, thinking that Turkey, with such a developed tourism industry, would be impossible to go to, so he left this day's itinerary blank with a nervous mood. He took the night bus from Goreme directly to Antalya.

Because there were travel notes that mentioned that the bus from Antalya to Fethiye might pass by Xanthos. Another selfish thought was that even if there was no suitable train, I could temporarily change the day's content to Antalya. This famous city on the Mediterranean coast should not disappoint people. After arriving at the station, the first thing I did was to rush to the ticket office to ask.

(Each bus company in Turkey operates independently, with a row of ticket counters spread out, and you have to ask each one one by one). After all the efforts and text communication, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is a local minibus to Xanthos, so I immediately decided to give up Antalya. Mediterranean, I will visit you later.

The minibus ran through the mountains, and the scenery was breathtaking. Occasionally, there were beautiful views of lakes emerging from high gorges. Or there were towering snow-capped mountains. What's more, there was a miniature glacier park that complemented the two? According to the information I found before, there are two roads from Antalya to Fethiye. One is a long route along the coastline, and it is this route that passes through Xanthos. (To be continued...)