There are moments as a traveler when you find yourself running headlong into some of the world’s most inconvenient or forbidding weather. While my trip to Turkey didn’t leave me facing down a hurricane or braving a tornado, it did land me smack center of one of the worst cold spells to hit Europe in more than 25 years. As the front swept across Turkey and into the rest of Europe more than 200 people ended up losing their lives. The cold front brought with it below zero temperatures, snow, and a glimmer of opportunity.
While the storm front and loss of life was a profound tragedy, it also provided me with the opportunity to experience parts of Turkey in a rare and unusual fashion. After having to cut my time in Cappadocia in half due to the cancellation of my initial flight out of Istanbul, I eventually arrived at Kaysari Airport. Once there I made my way, late at night and in below freezing weather, to the small town of Goreme in the Cappadocia region of central Turkey. With just 24 hours to see the region I threw on every warm piece of clothing I owned and set to the task of exploring what is normally a desert landscape but which was transformed by the snow into a strange winter wonderland. I hope you’ll enjoy this video sequence which I shot during my time exploring the above ground parts of Cappadocia.
The video contains footage from the Open Air Museum, Pasabag (Monks Valley), Devrent (Imagination Valley), Goreme, and of a very traditional Cappadocian meal cooked in sealed clay pots. You can see footage from my tour of the area’s underground cities in this video.
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