Another quick airplane ride to have a perfectly wonderful adventure. Cappidocia was a seat of early Christianity. Now it is known for its geology and hot air balloon rides. People lived in caves in the large rock formations seen everywhere. They were also used for churches. We stayed in a cave hotel. Rooms were very cool and only had one window. Did not feel like a cave. The high point was the balloon ride. Got up at four to leave at five am. We were going to get in the air to watch the sunrise. We were driven to an area where balloons were being filled on every hill top you could see. First the balloon was taken out of a large duffel bag and spread out on the land. Then large fans attached to generators blew up the balloon to a certain point. The air was heated with blow torches to heat the air. The wicker baskets were then attached. They were rectangle divided into four parts. Some held up more people. Ours had 20. It was amazing to watch hundreds of colorful balloons drifting up and away. We all got into the basket and each stood and had a place on the outside so we could see quite perfectly. Balloon rides are very quiet. We had a pilot and a co-pilot. We drifted through a beautiful valley. When we needed to go higher or to change directions a bit , the pilot used the blow torch to get us where he wanted to go. He had a good sense of humor and always pulled the blow torch on time the rhythm of “ shave and a haircut-five cents. We almost skimmed ground at times. We were up for an hour and then the pilot chose his landing spot and told the ground crew where to meet us. He landed the balloon on the back of the special pick up truck waiting for us! We were treated to champagne and a medallion and a certificate. Next day the balloons drifted right over our hotel. Spectacular! We went to a national park to see the rock formation churches and houses there. We were lucky. The weather and winds have to be perfect or the rides are not permitted by the government.
Where in the world is Dalna 