CAPPADOCIA DAY 1: SUNRISE BALLOON RIDE

Our first full day in Cappadocia began with what could be the highlight of our trip – a sunrise balloon ride over the valley.  We were up well before dawn, dressed as warmly as our wardrobes would allow, and were whisked away to the launch site. 

The balloon was already being raised as we got in the basket.  The hardy souls from our tour got in one side of the basket, and folks from another tour got in the other side.  The basket could hold about 12 people on either side, with the pilot in the middle. 

It was a surreal view of the valley, both because of the other balloons taking off all around us, and because of the silent floating above the valley floor.  Our pilot pointed out various sites, and talked about the history of the villages below. 

 These are grape vines, with the raisins drying in the sun.

 Our ground crew rushes to meet us; the wind had taken us about 30 minutes and several miles past our expected landing site. 

 Just a lot of hot air. 

 Soon our basket was all decked out for her photo op! 

We enjoyed champagne and juice while the crew gathered up the balloon and packed it away. 

After the flight, the crew set out champagne and juice.  We missed most of the celebratory program, though, since a fellow from the other side of the balloon came over to us and we realized that he and Tom had worked together 35 years ago.  So we spent the post-flight time catching up and hearing about their tour of the Silk Road.  

 Our intrepid group, with our pilot, Mustapha, in the middle. 

By the time we got back to the hotel, we felt like we had put in a full day of touring, even though it was only 8:30 AM.  So we had a quick breakfast, left our jackets and sweaters in the room, and headed out for the rest of the day.