This morning we watched the sun rise from our lovely hotel room in the cave-sie dwellings in Cappadocia. As the sun turned from pink to gold and lit the valley rim, the hot air balloons began to drift silently up our valley. We had a long day ahead of us so we were up ant to breakfast at 7, for a 7:30 pick-up by our driver and guide. We climbed carefully down the cobblestone hill and around the the corner, down 3 sets of stairs to the dining room, where we were the first to breakfast this morning. We enjoyed our typical Turkish breakfast of lovely fresh cheeses, tart cherry juice, boiled egg, cucumber and tomato slices, pastrimi (Beef air dried sausage", and olives.

We set off in the early morning sunlight, sadly leaving behind the most fantastic scenery we have ever enjoyed, knowing we will probably never see it again. And so thankful that we have experienced it once in our lifetimes! THe morning drive was across rather tedious plains that were much like Eastern Washington farmland.After 3 hours it began to climb and mountains appeared on the distant horizon. Before long we were in an Alpine Environment as we clibed through the Taurus Mountains. LOng after our stomachs demaded their lunch, we arrived at a magical spot! It had that feeling like stepping out in the alpine sunshine and clean air under pine trees. We were at an Organic, Homegrown restaurant, and the picnic tables and benches used ole wagon wheels for the legs. It was pretty darned cute, and the food was lovely! Howard was able to get a beef and vegetable stew, and I enjoyed very tender organic lamb kabobs, with green salad, yogurt, the usual, (but delicious!). after lunch we climbed higher and higher over a spectaclar mountain pass before swooping down it to the Mediterranean Sea. We were in a race with time to get to the Anatollian Museum before it closed since it would be closedo n Monday when we were scheduled to see it. We made only one more stop...at a roadside stand for locally grown baby bananas. They are very sweet. And the Museum was wonderful! It contains many statures dug up at a near by site. Tomorrow we will visit the site and learn about it.