How Many Steps???

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Clunegapyears

03/08/2025

How many of our readers have heard of the film “the 39 Steps” ? Ok – K and I did the 382 steps today – twice! Up and down into the Ilhara Valley. Plus the 150 or so from the car park. Corrie also did 764 steps – whilst being admired by lots of people.

In the valley the churches in rock were very impressive – I waited outside some resting my slightly dodgy ankle from yesterday. We had a drinks stop – Coca Cola and iced tea and mini chocolate. Corrie drank from the river – until K threw her in!

Back at the same parking as last night, we showered and K prepared Haute Cuisine. Chilling…..

*Best scenery so far in Turkey, could be a Cretan gorge walk!*

*My new grandson went to visit his Great Grandparents. Maddy and Jordan went too!*

Guzelyurt

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Clunegapyears

02/08/2025

We took full advantage of the overnight stop and exercised, showered and did van services.

We parked at the top of Guzelyurt as unsure about the roads. Bonus walk down a little used track full of rock houses. Some had multiple rooms and fine carvings. I just love the idea of carving out a shelf or cupboard every time you need one. New baby. No problem create another room at the back or underneath. Or even over.

The only problem with our path is that the entry to the mosque was fenced off. A small detour to get around the front. J tripped on a loose stone, spraining his ankle, but pushed on.

Into one on the underground cities. Quite a few had internal staircases. People must have had lung problems, as cooking was done on the caves and spotted few chimneys. And risk of rock fall? Some of the dividing walls were quite thin.

*We would be quite happy living in one of these! OK, so no running water or power, but I’m sure that could be sorted.*

From here we could get to St Gregory’s church. The info board said it was the start of Gregorian music. Fact checked – not according to Wikipedia. It had been Greek Christian until the population exchange in 1923. They put a minaret on top and shoved the iconostasis to one side. It’s now a mosque.

*St Gregory’s church, now a mosque. Uninspiring.*

We elected to walk on to 2 rock churches; J’s ankle holding up well. Bit of a scramble to get down one from one. At least it is cool enough to walk about now … just. We were somewhat sticky by the time we got back up to the top of town. Lunch was another Pide and salad in the square.

*Attractive landscape to the rock churches*

5km to a park up with the most amazing views.

Holes in Rocks

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Clunegapyears

01/08/2025

Gemusler Monastery is carved around a courtyard and below ground. Only rediscovered in 1963.

Some fine frescoes, some of the best preserved. The frescoes in the church are C7 and C11. The Virgin and Child is said to be the only smiling Mary in existence. Guess she didn’t have a lot to smile about.
Holes in the ground for wine and oil. A kitchen, crypt and refectory. Stairs to an upstairs bedroom … stairs quite lethal as so worn.

*Outside, left and right, caves for quite a way.*

*Some good scenery. Snow in winter.* *And a lot of high rise accommodation.*

Overnight is another picnic area over a small reservoir. The municipality used to charge. The cafe doesn’t look as if it ever opened. Picnic huts need the felting nailed down. A lot of money was spent here once.

*Outside the cafe that was never finished. There are toilets and plenty of taps. Overcast. Much much cooler and thunder and rain for 20 mins.*

*We tried to walk around the small reservoir, but a large shepherd dog frightened Corrie.*

Granaries

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Clunegapyears

30/07/2025

We left the Konya central, but empty, car parkingand headed SE.

*The scenery as we approached our destination became rugged*

We passed many cave dwellings. But our destination was the Taşkale granaries. C6-7, these 450 caves were hand dug out of the limestone solely to store grain. Apparently for as long as 30 years. Some are 40ft long and are closed off with a juniper door. The wooden pulley systems above each door are starting to decay.

From Taşkale, we drive for 45 mins on a new road. I really need not have checked with a local that the road was suitable for our large camper. Caravan, as Turks call it.

Across the rugged and barren Anatolian Steppe, we passed one hamlet and several concrete trucks. Flat and burnt straw coloured as far as the eye could see.

Our overnight is another picnic area. Worst litter we have seen. Almost as bad as parts of Albania. But first lot of trees, poplars, at the head of a reservoir.

Whirling Dervish

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Clunegapyears

Two reasons to come to Konya.

Laundry. Needed bedding and towels washed now my twin tub washing part on the blink. A couple of pairs of shorts and tops added to the bag … £23 so not cheap. But done. And collected the same day.
Whirling Dervish. Twirling to mostly reed pipe music. Their white skirts flare out and hands are raised to the sky. It’s a ritual meditative dance in a trance to bring you closer to God. Rumi started the Mevlana order of Islam following BC his poetry about love and forgiveness.

*Whirling Dervish. Pix courtesy of National Geographic*

We visited Rumi’s museum / mausoleum. It is a pilgrimage site for Sufis Muslims. Too hot to traipse to numerous mosques and a park.

We wanted to visit a show in the evening. €25 pp was off putting but nowhere for Corrie to go, as even 8 pm too hot to leave her in the van. So we watched the ritual dance on YouTube and were pleased to have saved €50!!!
Spent a little on a magnificent cake instead!!!