Being a troglodyte in Göreme

Troglodyte, me? Well yes sir, but only for a little while!

For those perhaps a little less erudite (meaning me before I visited Göreme), the often pejorative word troglodyte actually means cave dweller and alludes to the lack of sofistication it takes to live in such places.

Well, as I see it, any civilization that is capable of carving their homes through solid rock and of creating entire cities onto the side of mountains is far from unsofisticated!

In Göreme, Capadoccia, we had heard that it possible to stay in actual cave hotels and as we arrived there in the middle of a winter snow storm to discover an absolutely magical landscape covered in snow, we were completely in love with the place.

Göreme is a relatively small city surrounded by hills and rock formations called fairy chimneys. It is mostly on these rock formations that caves can be found. Though their origin is somewhat wrapped in mystery, it appears that these caves were carved by early Christians escaping Roman persecution and that some of them could harbor thousands of people at a time!

Today, far from hiding from anything, tourists can rejoice at the experience of sleeping inside caves carved into the Göreme hillside filled with all of today's modern amenities and often with surreal views over the city.

Living inside a cave is curiously cozy when it is cold and wet outside and the sound insulation is pretty useful as well.

Beyond that, Göreme feels and looks like a postcard place.

Filled with labyrinthic little streets that wind up the hill, cafes and restaurants puting out super tasty food, this city allowed us to relax, enjoy the amazingly beautiful views and enjoy a bit of trekking, horse riding and even balloon riding.

This was easily one of our favourite places during our crazy trip and I whole heartedly hope that you manage to experience the joy we did in this magical place!