The chimney fairies were our last photo stop in Cappadocia. But first, a word from our sponsor…

It seems that some people are a bit confused about this blog, and believe that Burt (aka “me”) is the source of all photographs and writing.  Actually, at least 1/3 of all photographs shown were taken by Evelyn, and all posts go through a final edit from her before being distributed.  I do almost all the photo editing, but otherwise this really is a shared effort, though it is usually written in “my voice.”  And now, back to our regularly scheduled program… ☺

This photo spot is Baglidere Valley, dubbed the Love Valley due to the phallic symbols carved by erosion.  Looking around the valley, it is easy to see a layer of sediment decidedly different on both sides, that corresponds to a volcanic eruption some 10’s of thousands of years ago.  The demarcation resulted in the rock above and below eroding differently, creating the shapes you see above.

There were also numerous rock formations where it was easy to imagine an animal had been carved, and reminded us of the Alabama Hills in Eastern California.  The “rabbit” in the lower left image is one of many such examples.  (The lower middle image shows Mehmet coming out of an alcove where he had been shooting an image framed through a natural hole.)

Enroute to Antayla, we stopped at the Caravanserai at Sultanhani, the best preserved Roman stadium in Turkey, where a local actor hired himself as a gladiator to pose for tourists. Mehmet convinced him to model for us, in exchange for buying a photograph of him with our entire group afterwards.

We then drove to an old Roman Bridge on the Koprupazari River, where we encountered yet another pre-wedding photo session in progress.

Next stop was the Roman aqueduct around which the village Belkis has grown.  After photographing the aqueduct itself, and a lone poppy found in the field (middle left is Rich from our group, photographing the poppy), we explored the village.  As has become the norm in Turkey for us, the people were friendly, open, and willing to let us photograph them.  At one point, a matronly woman (bottom left) insisted we come into her home. She then offered us Turkish coffee (for Evelyn) and orange juice (for me) and introduced us to her entire family (lower right), including mother, sister, and multiple sons, daughters, nieces and nephews.

Along the road to our hotel, Mehmet spotted a farmer plowing his field.  Again, he stopped the bus, got permission to photograph, then had us join him.  Payment to the farmer for his time and helpfulness was a candy bar.  At lunch, we saw how “puffy lava bread” is made (middle image).  Walking around Antalya that afternoon, we came across still another wedding photography session.  This is clearly a popular time for young Turks to get married.  We had dinner on the Mediterranean, watching the sun set.