Erin arrived in Ankara, Turkey on July 28th. Well, actually after a several hour delay – she arrived on the 29th. In any case, we picked up our rental car and returned to my mom’s house for a few hours of sleep before heading off to Cappodoccia – the land of 1,000 horses. We didn’t see any horses – but the land formations cause by wind and rain erosion make this region of Turkey a very popular destination.

A fairy house in the town of Goreme

The land formations are called “fairy chimneys” becuase of their unique look. Some of them are said to look like animals. See if you can guess what animals these look like:

What am I?

And...what am I?

Wait for it….

Wait for it….

1) camel and 2) angry monkey face!

These formations also became homes to early Christians, and Christian churches during a period of persecution. From the outside they look like any other fairy chimney, but inside you will find frescos of bibical scenes as well as alters and pews.

A view of a church from outside. Photography inside the churches is forbidden in order to preserve the integrity of the frescoes

Exploring the houses…

…and learning about life in ancient Cappodoccia….

They used a mail carrier pigeon system!

Erin loves the evil eye – the Turkish symbol of protection. So she went on the search for the biggest one she could find. She found it here, in evil eye paradise. If you want to see the gigantic evil eye we bought, you will have to visit us in Pacific Grove!

While you can’t tell from the pictures – it was over 100 degrees out, and Erin had just arrived the night before. She was a trooper, but at the end of the day, I think she was ready to be done! Stay tuned for Part II coming soon!