Up early to do a little barter/swap in Arasta Bazaar then a whirlwind trip on the tram over to check out the view from the Galata Tower. We’d walked by the tower at night, but never actually entered! Elevator up, 5 minutes to smush by tourists and check out the 360 degree view, then back down. So hurried, that you can see I’m anxious about getting it all done:
Had to go and buy another one of those cool t-shirts, so I raced through the streets to pick one up. Unfortunately, due to my haste, I ran downhill and reached bottom while realizing I had headed down the wrong street. I ran back up (and I do mean UP!) a different street and still no luck. Too bad Deb! Headed back down to the tram and ran all the way to the hotel. A quick shower, in the cab and off we head to the airport. Of course, when we arrive, we see that our flight is actually an hour later than we thought, so I would have had plenty of time to effectuate my transaction had I checked departure time in advance (I guess I didn’t learn my lesson on the way our of Denver, where the same thing happened!).
A bit to eat in the airport, and off we fly to Kayseri. Turkish airlines? Super comfy leather seats and a snack on a 70 minute flight: sandwich, eggplant salad and chocolate banana pudding. Just like US airlines…not!
We land, gather our bags and find the man holding a banner with our names on it and ride the one hour shuttle to our cave hotel in Urgup: Esbelli Evi. Super cool with a great view overlooking the town. We get a tour from the most gentille manager,
get settled in our room, then walk down the long, sloping hill into town. We do a lap around the town square to see what’s what, and then end up at an incredible restaurant that she recommended. We sit up on a terrace, with a canopy cover under the stars, and enjoy a truly gourmet meal. I start with a large salad of sorrel, pomegranates, and dates stuffed with lamb cheese that they make on premises. Next up, chard stuffed with rice and chopped eggplant and tomato. Eating light tonight! Pair all of this with some local wine (there are six wineries in the area) and I am feeling good.
After a leisurely meal, we walk back up the hill to our room and settle in for the night.