Ok, so remember I said yesterday was the best day, and that the cafe on the river was my favorite part of the trip so far – well forget that! The hot air balloon ride this morning was definitely the most spectacular thing I have ever done! This was an extra event offered only to the adults on the trip. Four of us were brave and got up at 4:45am for the 5:30am pick up! I will admit that I was a bit nervous. Not so much of the height it may travel but of the feeling – I don’t even like the roller coasters at Disney! But this was just something I knew I had to try! The kids had been asked to set a goal for the week – to try something new, out of their comfort level. Well this was definitely out of my comfort level!
It was still dusk when we arrived at the balloon ride location. There are many companies that offer rides so the area was covered in large colorful balloons being filled and slowly rising into position. It was a beautiful site! We slowly climbed into our basket. Each ballon was separated into 4 smaller baskets which fit 4-5 people. We had a total of 18 people plus the pilot in our balloon. The pilot then reviewed the landing procedures incase we had a rough landing. (I’m trying not to be nervous!) Then it was time to take off! Now this was the amazing part; this massive balloon with 19 adults simply, well, it just floated up like, well, a balloon! Never once did we bump or slide or anything. We took off into the air so smoothly – it was beautiful! Many balloons were taking off around us and it was such a peaceful sight!
The pilot explained that he could really only control moving up and down but not really side to side motion, that was directed by the wind. So what about the landing I’m thinking? His crew actually follows us in a van and would meet us at the end to bring us back!
I didn’t know where to turn first! It was about 6:15am and the sun was just peeping out over the volcanos! There were now about 20 other balloons in the sky and it was a magnificent sight! We floated at about 1500 feet for a while, but then dropped a bit into a cavern. This gave us a real close up look at the rock formations and layers of lava. Then we slowly rose again and for the last 15 minutes we floated at 2800 feet! At this point it did get a bit chilly with the wind! But still the ride was extremely smooth! That was the real surprise to me!
We then began our decent at 4 meters per second. But it didn’t feel like we were traveling that fast! As we approached an open field we saw his crew waiting for us. Our pilot joked that he would land the balloon on the trailer of the van. We all laughed. But I kid you not, he actually landed the balloon gently down right on the trailer! It was amazing! I was actually sorry it was over! Definitely worth getting up early for! We were dropped back at the hotel and just in time for breakfast! All gloating about our fabulous morning!
This morning we were off to visit a pottery factory in the town of Avanos. This town is actually known for it’s terra-cotta pottery. This particular factory was a family owned “institution” that had seen 8 generations of potters work there. The kids enjoyed watching a master potter use the potter’s wheel to throw a tea kettle in a matter of minutes! But the real fun came when they took the group into a work room and allowed the kids to each sit at a wheel and make something. It was much harder than they all thought it would be! Then we saw where the master painters add the color to the pieces by hand. In the store at the end of the tour I fell in love with a piece that the senior master potter had made himself! I did a little bargaining and even got him to sign the piece for me! I can’t wait to place it in the foyer at home!
After lunch back at the hotel, we were off to the Goreme Open Air Museum. This area had been a very important center for Christianity between the 6th and 9th centuries. There were as many as 400 monasteries at one time here in the cliffs. Here they had built men’s and women’s dormitories in the cliffs also, which surrounded the various churches. The kids were able to climb inside. Frescos covered the ceilings in many of these churches and I was impressed at how well preserved they were. Many told the story of the life of Jesus.
Our trip is quickly coming to an end. We are flying back home tomorrow. The kids – and adults – are exhausted, so a decision was made that we would cancel the original evening plans and get everyone to bed a bit early tonight. We also tried to convince the kids to begin their packing! They had been accumulating souvenirs and we worried some kids wouldn’t get their bags closed in the morning! I had done my share of supporting the Turkish economy myself and was worried about my own bags! We promised the kids that they would have a chance to shop a bit more in the morning before we departed. But it appeared most were happy to just chill out with their friends. While this trip provided an opportunity to learn about a new culture and a part of the world most of these kids had never thought about, it was also a time to bond with the other students in their grade. Sara roomed with 2 girls that she hadn’t known very well at the beginning of the trip, but by tonight had learned a lot about. In this regard, the trip was a success!
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