Touring Turkey - Goodbye to Cappadocia!

Here's a quick video to commemorate our final moments in Cappadocia. The very funny guy is our guide, Ibrahim. I mentioned him before. I was too sad to say goodbye to Cappadocia, after we'd seen so many awe-inspiring things.

This video was shot at the top of Uchisar Rock Castle, which was one of our last stops. As soon as I saw that our hotel was close by, I made a mental note to climb to the top. It's a long way up, but the view was worth it. Uchisar means highest point, and the view from the castle is one of the best in Cappadocia.

Uchisar Rock Castle

Goodbye to Cappadocia from TAOTerri on Vimeo.

Next stop in Turkey? Ephesus.

Touring Turkey - Up in the Air Over Cappadocia

I've finally saved the best experience we had in Cappadocia for last. Husband J and I took our first hot air balloon ride! I had never been on a hot air balloon before and knowing that I was going to be able to see Cappadocia's landscape in the process was too much to pass up.

There are lots of balloon operators in the Cappadocia area. After doing some research and at the suggestion of the hotel, we decided to book with Royal Balloon, and I definitely don't regret going with them since they were fun, informative and professional every step of the way. Whatever you do make sure to fly with a reputable and trustworthy company (Yes, I know I'm being Captain Obvious, but please do).

Let's start from the beginning...

Most hot air ballooning in Cappadocia starts EARLY in the morning. Be prepared for an early morning pick-up. I hope 5:00am is early enough for you! Royal Balloon dropped us off at their offices/dining room. Part of our experience included breakfast with many of the customary elements we'd come to expect at that point in Turkey: bread, olives, tomato and awesome cheese plus all of the cereal, fruit, eggs, etc. that you could want.

Royal Balloon Headquarters

We took another trip over to a field where we finally caught sight of the balloons preparing for our trip.

I think I enjoyed watching the balloons getting blown up almost as much as the balloon ride itself.

Fire, fire! (Beavis & Butthead reference, and yes, I am old).

Finally done!

Getting into the balloon was a lot harder than expected but the handlers from Royal Balloon were very helpful and accomodating. It was finally time to see Cappadocia from the sky.

Even though the sun had already risen, and it was both overcast and cold, it was still a spectacular sight to all of these rock formations from above. The early morning calm, the stillness of the countryside and the quirky but beautiful scenery was so magical that there were many moments of silence in our balloon.

Here's a little of what we saw:

We flew over the Goreme Open Air Museum. Remember my visit there?

We were having a great time getting to know the other visitors to Cappadocia in our balloon, who turned out to actually be from New York City, too. The older gentlemen in the group knew someone from my childhood. Six degrees, I tell you!

We were just geeked to be there and perfectly happy to show it.

I knew that our balloon wasn't the only one up in the air that morning. It seems that almost all of the companies find the best course for the balloons to follow at that time of day. It ended up being one big balloon caravan.

How many balloons can you count in this picture? At one point we saw 25.

As much as I'd like to think it's the case, I don't think pictures do this experience justice. Below is a quick video to give you a taste of what we saw, heard and talked about (I thought about editing out the background conversation, but conversing with our fellow ballooners was really a pleasant part of the trip.). I'm still learning video editing, so please bear with me if it's not all that great. :)

In the video, I mention the fact that I was a little worried about dropping money on this little excursion. It's the truth. I was. When our Egypt trip fell apart, I had the sole responsibility of planning this trip, and I wasn't sure if it would be worth it or if Husband J would like it. Pressure! Anyway, you'll see what I mean in the video....

Up In the Air Over Cappadocia from TAOTerri on Vimeo.

Who was the mystery person I was referring to in the video? Ms. Martha Stewart herself. She was guided by Royal Balloon when she came to do a shoot in Cappadocia for her show.

If it's good enough for Martha..... :)

When we finally landed, the team from Royal Balloon treated us to a champagne toast. As much as I enjoy a little bubbly in the morning (I guess?), it was FREEZING, and it had started to lightly snow at our landing area.

I know we're smiling here, but we were COLD. Check out how my hand is gripping the glass.

I'm so glad that I didn't chicken out about going on our little hot air balloon adventure. It was by far one of the highlights of our trip to Turkey.

Best Chocolate Cake in the World?

I'm not big into hyperbole, but apparently this international chain of bakeries started in Brazil likes to toot its own horn. They call their establishment The Best Chocolate Cake in the World. Really?! The jaded New Yorker in me was a little intrigued by this, and personally I couldn't walk past this shop and not stop in.

Well, the shop is pretty, but what about the cake?

The Traditional Chocolate Cake slice

The pic above is not really a fair representation of the slice I got to go. I was in a rush and kept it in my bag for about an hour, so I don't think it looks as pretty in the pic as it could.

So how did it taste? Well, maybe they make chocolate cake a little differently in Brazil. The cake tasted more like a cross between a tart and a cake: very thick with little to no give. There was no lightness and not much spongy feel that I think cake should have on occasion. I like flourless cakes, but I was hoping for something more traditional, I guess? The glaze that graced the top was more about decoration than function. I'm not sure if it really helped the taste of the cake all that much. It wasn't as sweet as you'd imagine chocolate being. This chocolate cake was more about highlighting the richness of chocolate as opposed to satisfying your sweet tooth.

A good change of pace from what's being offered as chocolate cake? Yes. The Best Chocolate Cake in the World? Probably not.

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

55A Spring Street

New York, NY

Touring Turkey - Some Things You Might Not Know about Turkey

I know that I've shown you a lot about Turkey's food, landscape and history, but there are probably some things that you might not know about the country.

Cappadocia is a wine-making region.

I didn't know Turkey was a wine producing country, but it is. The wine is pretty darn tasty wine at that. Apparently, Cappadocia is know for its white wines, but Husband J and I enjoyed the reds much more. My personal favorite Turkish wine was from Kocabag, a winery right outside of Uchisar. We didn't make it there, but we did get a chance to visit Turasan, another popular local winery.

We grabbed a bottle for later in the evening, and it was quite nice. :) I'm still a major fan of Kocabag though. I also find it ironic that Turkey is a wine producing country where many people actually don't drink wine (the Koran discourages the consumption of alcohol).

Turkey makes some awesome carpets.

Turkey also has its own style of handwoven carpets. If you're a tourist, you'll definitely encounter someone trying to sell you a carpet at some point during your trip. We'd avoided even looking at carpets until we got to Cappadocia. I actually brought a very small one home from my trip to Morocco, but was interested in seeing the differences between those and the types of carpets from Turkey.

The main difference is in the technique. Unlike Moroccan or Indian carpets, Turkish ones are double knotted as a way to ensure that they are extra sturdy.

We went to Bazaar 54, a local weaving cooperative where local women learn and hone the craft of carpet weaving so that they can have a valuable, marketable skill.

Getting some instruction!

It's a lot harderd than it looks!

Here's a sample of a traditional Ottoman wool handmade carpet (this is a 15th century design):

In Cappadocia, sometimes you'll see the darndest thing floating by your hotel window..... :)

More on the balloons another time....

Contrary to some claims, the original Star Wars movies were not made in Cappadocia.

It looks like Anakin Skywalker's home, doesn't it? Much of the filming of those scenes was done in Tunisia. Is it bad that I'd totally forgotten about this aspect of Star Wars? I wouldn't have even thought of that unless our guide, Ibrahim, mentioned it.

Have you ever learned something new and unexpected about a place that you've visited?

Rediscovering Niagara Falls

I hadn't been to Niagara Falls since I was about four years old, which is essentially a very, very, very, very long time ago. :) Just kidding, but I'd only been to been to this part of Wesern New York once before, and I had no recollection of what Niagara Falls looked like. I was grateful and excited that The Profs, our friends and hosts, had decided to take us there as part of our weekend in Buffalo.

The Profs, Husband J and I made our way from where we parked towards the falls, and the water on the Niagara River changed from virtually calm to this:

It was surprising to see the change, but it only got even more busy and downright dangerous.

If you've ever gone white water rafting then imagine Level 6 hard core rapids. Crazy. Mind you, we haven't gotten to the falls yet....

We finally made it to the fall themselves, and there are some things that you should know. First this is the U.S. side pictured below.

Lots of mist!

There are two sides for viewing the falls. One is actually across the border in Canada. Since I decided not to bring our passports (more on this in another post), we kept ourselves in the U.S. The two sides are very different though. The U.S. side is actually a national park. Based on my observations and from what The Profs mentioned, the Canadian side is much more developed with lots of hotels, restaurants and entertainment. The U.S. side allows you to get a little more up close and personal to the falls so that you can see how the water flows downward. The Canadian side seems to offer a better overall view, especially of the Horse Shoe Falls.

The Canadian side of the Falls as viewed from the U.S. side

This is what I mean about seeing the water descend. Cool, ain't it?

What's all of that white, hazy stuff in the background? Well, that's mist. The impact from the water falling so hard results in rather thick mist that floats upwards. Sometimes it felt like it was raining. Really...

There's more to do at the falls than just stand there and gawk. :) You can take a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist to try to get as up close and personal with the falls as possible. Husband J and I thought about it, but we weren't really in the mood (signs of becoming old fogeys perhaps?). I think we'll try next time especially if it's warm. It was relatively cool that day.

I'm smiling because I'm not wet with water from the falls. :)

There's an opportunity to walk behind the falls and explore the Cave of the Winds. Yeah, we declined that one, too.

The people dressed in yellow are standing in line to descend into the falls. Those are The Profs on the right walking ahead of us.

Check out the Maid of the Mist! Apparently those people get so drenched that they give them head to toe rain ponchos for the quick tour.

Maid of the Mist post-drenching

I was really glad to go back to Niagara Falls and to reacquaint myself with this gorgeous site that's right in my home state.

By the way, all of those hotels remind me that this area was a hot honeymoon spot for years. Married folks, would you have honeymooned here? :)

I Did It! My First 5k! (Plus a Quick Trip to DC)

I'm back from our quick trip to the Washington, DC/Northern Virginia area this past weekend. It was nice to see Husband J's friend, Davey. I actually mentioned him last year.

Most importantly, I FINISHED the Christopher Carter Foundation's first annual 5K and Fun Run/Walk! It was sooo much harder than I thought it would be. Why? Because of the HILLS. No matter how much I would have worked out in relatively flat Brooklyn, nothing would have prepared me for the approximately four large hills and three plus small ones that I had to jog/run up, BUT I DID IT!

Husband J and I before the race

I didn't walk AT ALL. I actually got a little bummed because people WERE walking. I know that it was a fun run, but I just couldn't walk my first time out. I had a lot to prove to myself, and I was really thinking about why I was running (for Chris' memory and for my own personal goals). There were people who would pass me, and I felt sorta dumb, but I knew that I was going at a pace that I could handle even if it was slow as molasses. It didn't help that I was appreciating some of the many cute houses that I was passing by in Arlington, Virginia. It was such a pretty neighborhood, and we had lots of residents cheering us on.

Seeing the sign for mile three made me VERY happy. I was so happy that my not very good high school sprinter's kick came through, and I finished really strong (which means I can go faster that I actually do). Here's some pics that our friend Davey took of me finishing.

Husband J and I joke that this looks like I finished last, but I actually didn't. I was surprised that there were people behind me (although not that many).

We actually ended up doing quite a bit for less than 24 hours in Washington, DC. We took a quick boat ride on the Potomac River with some of Davey's friends. Even though I had lived there for a short time, I didn't realize that there was a small boating community in DC.

A view of the Lincoln Memorial from the Potomac. I didn't have my camera, so my IPhone with no zoom had to take this pic.

We also went out for dinner on 14th Street in the Logan Circle area. 14th Street has changed so much in the five years since I left DC. I'm glad to see more dining options in the area. We had a very late, but fun dinner at Masa 14, a Asian-Latin fusion restaurant and lounge. I think it was a good place for me and Husband J. Loud enough to make you feel like you went out without feeling like you actually went out for the night. Hey, we're old married people. :)

Tuna Sashimi Flatbread from Masa 14.

Well, that was my quick weekend away. How was your weekend?

Runners, what was your first race like?

For all of you, is there a personal, physical or other goal that you were determined to accomplish? What was it?

My First 5K & Why I'm Running It

** Thanks, everyone, for the kind well wishes on my Blogaversary! I appreciate it! :)**

Tomorrow I should be running (okay, most likely jogging) my first 5K. I am by no means a "runner." I kinda amble along and try not to complain too much while doing it. :) I like the safety of my treadmill. I even asked my Super Runner Friend, Mara, of A Runner's Life how to kick my treadmill safety blanket (here's her answer). Mara is a badass distance runner and completed many a marathon including the Boston Marathon a few months before her wedding! Go girl! If you can believe it, I have been too shy to run by myself on the sidewalks of Brooklyn because I feel super self-conscious. I've done a few "runs" by myself now, but it's still something that I am getting used to.

Obviously not me :)

(source)

I'm not really sure whether or not I want to become a real competitive runner doing multiple races, etc. I'm happy to just have another outlet that I can add to my exercise repertoire. At the same time, I do harbor this strange secret desire to actually run a marathon someday or even better a triathlon (Apparently, I might want to learn how to really SWIM). If you want me to cry like a baby, sit me in front of the Ironman Triathlon. I find it so inspiring. Seriously, I'm weird like that. :) By the way, the major Ironman in Hawaii is a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a marathon back to back without stopping really, so I hope you realize why I have such admiration for the people that do it.

Honestly, I don't really care how fast I finish tomorrow. To me, it's really about finishing period, which I think I will do. It will feel like a major sense of accomplishment for someone who hated the idea of running anywhere for any reason last year.

I writing this post actually to tell you WHY I am running this 5k. It's the inaugural 5k run for the Christopher Carter Foundation. Husband J knew Chris from their college fraternity days. Chris fell ill in the Spring of 2009. Thinking it was just a cold or something benign, he tried his best to kick his illness. What he did not know was that he had diabetes and what he was experiencing was an aggravation of that condition. He passed away shortly thereafter. He was only 34. Although I only met him once very briefly, I remember him being very sweet, personable and extremely funny. I know that his friends and family miss him dearly.

Chris' friends established this foundation in his honor to promote diabetes education, prevention and awareness in the Northern Virginia area. They are hoping that through their efforts, in conjunction with the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia, they will be able to create a diabetes treatment and education clinic within that hospital, an awesome goal!

This hits home for me as well because Chris was African-American, and sadly for a variety of public health and sociological reasons, Black folks are 2 times more likely to be able diagnosed with this condition. Check out some stats from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Office of Minority Health. They are sobering to me.

Anyway, this is all to say that I won't be very self-conscious tomorrow as I will remembering why I am running and very proud that I will be helping promote this cause and remember Chris' life.

Chris Carter

(source)

Have a great weekend, everyone!