I've either been pixie dusted or turned into Barney Rubble. Everywhere I look, towering rock "fairy chimneys" dot Turkey's fantastical wonderland of Cappadocia. I'll also explore mystical age-old cave churches, sleep in a "cave hotel" that entombs guests and wine, and scoot-duck-gasp my way through a spooky ancient underground city, one of dozens burrowed here. And wait until I dreamily float over it all in an Oz-like flame-breathing balloon.
"A prince fell in love with this beautiful fairy," begins my guide, launching into a tangled tale meant to explain this sprawling surrealscape. The truth is, over millions of years, Mother Nature eroded soft volcanic tuff into majestic "fairy chimneys" vaulting up to 130 feet high and shaped like cones, spires, obelisks and mammoth mushrooms. Just as extraordinary, medieval monks and other troglodytes chiseled out still-existing cave chapels, cave dwellings, cave castles and subterranean cave hideouts.
I so dig Cappadocia. Although it's just one highlight of my colorful, culture-rich travels in Turkey, which begin in exotic, mosque-graced, spice-hypnotizing Istanbul and end near the Aegean Sea in the fabled ancient ruins of Troy (where, history buffs will remember, Helen's face launched a thousand ships).
But you ask, is Turkey safe? Tourism is slowly rebounding following a series of terrorist attacks and an attempted coup in 2016. I go with a friend in August and feel as secure as anywhere else. Official U.S. and Turkish relations may remain strained, but I can't stress how warm and hospitable Turkish people are, especially when they find out I'm American _ besides beaming smiles, I receive customary kisses on each cheek and have a continual buzz from accepting nonstop offers to drink cute demitasse cups of thick Turkish coffee. During my trip, there's just one little glitch, and it is handled swimmingly _ our 170-passenger ferry runs aground and we have to be rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard (keep reading; details to come).
