We spent the next four days based in Goreme exploring the region, mostly on foot. First stop, the Goreme Open Air Museum, a Unesco World Heritage Site and excellent introduction to Cappadocia’s faamous fairy chimneys, rock-cut churches, and underground dwellings.

Re-connected with LEMA (Lindsay, Edwina, Mona, and Adrienne) that first evening for dinner at their hotel in the nearby town of Uchisar.  We took the local bus (dolmus) there and had a fun time catching up and enjoying the views over the countryside from the restaurant patio. Beef cheek for me, lamb shank for Mark, and lots of local red wine – yum yum yum!! It does get chilly here in the evenings though, so the restaurant kindly provided blankets for us. On the way home we apparently missed the last bus, but within a minute a couple of friendly local lads offered us a ride and dropped us near our hotel. Did I mention people are friendly here?

Other highlights included:

- an early morning walk from the lookout above Goreme down through the Love Valley where we had a friendly canine companion for the entire time.

- a challenging afternoon hike down the White Valley from Uchisar. There was some bushwhacking early on which was definitely not to Mary's liking, but soon the trail improved and with it her mood.  Later we came upon a rustic open air shop and stopped for tea and some water. The owner, Yilmas, loved animals and had a bit of a menagerie including a very pregnant mare that literally wandered in.

- a morning hike up the Pigeon Valley and a climb to the top of Uchisar castle.  

- a morning hike down the Red, and Rose II Valleys past more rock-cut churches, cliff-side pigeon houses, Anatalyan vineyards, orchards, and stunning rock formations.

- and an afternoon hike that same day up the Rose I Valley to the lookout on the Red Hill, and a lucky hitch back to Goreme along with a young couple we'd met on the trail.

These were all interspersed with some proper R&R, dinners at both fine and simple restaurants, and a memorable trip out to the ancient underground city of Derinkuyu which we toured along with a Brazilian couple and their delightful daughter.