Guzelyurt

Hard to get to, but what a great place! Higher altitude, cooler air, big views of mountains, a lake and a ruined church on a hill. Arrive mid-avo and wander on up to the town to checkout the party scene. Not. And not. We are just about the only tourists in town. The main hotel is empty and we have to book dinner one day ahead. The place we are staying at has us and one other couple tonight but not tomorrow. Riots in Istanbul have led to major cancellations (40,000 fewer tourists in Goreme we are told). Lots of locals sitting round playing games on tables in a tree-filled park and umbrella-laden square.

 Dinner was spectacular, as was the stunning  sunset, overlooking the scene in the first sentence. Trout, giant chilli pepper and some superb salads and rice washed down with a litre of Cappadocian wine which, it must be said, got better and better! Fabulous hosts, full of advice and stories. David gets to try out a suze (sp?) - 3 double-stringed instrument with a bowl at the end and an amazing sound that gets right inside your head. Might just buy one in Istanbul.

 The beauty of language #1 - we pull up to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant of no particular distinction and order a plate of salad and two plates of chips for lunch. Two identical sized plates arrive, one with salad, one with chips. The chips are over-priced about $4.50. We think, they've forgotten to give us two plates. We ask for the second plate, nothing happens, then remind the guy that we want two plates (sign language, lots of smiles, everyone understands, yes?). Long wait. Suddenly, a further two small plates of chips arrive. Seems like we have ended up ordering 4 lots of chips for $18. Sigh...

 Day 2 and we set out early in the cool but sunny air to walk up a canyon. Small stream and big trees and perfect stillness in the middle, lots of rocks, churches and caves on the sides. We sit down in the trees, and can hear music wafting in from above somewhere far away. Magic moment.

 Another highlight was the Sivisli church with some damaged but still fine frescoes and an incredible panorama from the top (with a ticket man waving at us to come down and pay up - seems like we snuck in the back door so to speak!).

 In the evening we walk up to a former Greek Monastery (oops, the guide books got it wrong, it was a girls' school), sit alone in this huge empty hall laid out with tables for 100, but with a setting for 2 person for dinner. That's us. And it was worth it - fabulous food: lightly spiced lentil soup with lemon, mezes of eggplant, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, carrot and red cabbage, yoghurt/garlic/fennel something, and home-made chips. Fresh bread, grilled chicken, rice and garnish. Cold water. Weight gained. Tummys happy.

 Coming back through the square, we hit a Turkish wedding, the whole village invited, and the white-gowned bride and groom dancing very uncomfortably while everyone else watched and took photos. Live music, still cool evening air and lots of magic around, which we sit down to enjoy for a while. Then back to the ranch for a drink and a chat with the owner and manager for an hour or two. A very good day.