Ihlara Gorge

On the day we left Goreme for Konya, we stopped at the town of Ilhara so we could walk the gorge for which it is famous.

Fatih briefs us on today's mission.

Descending into the gorge.

Friezes in a rock-cut church.

There are little Christian churches cut into the cliffs in some places, including this one (above) with intact friezes on the walls and ceiling.  To avoid unwanted attention many families made their own little churches, in discreet locations.

At the end of the walk Fatih had arranged lunch for us at an open air restaurant right beside the river.  In fact there were platforms actually standing in the river, with low tables and cushions as an alternative place to relax if you wished.  Many places in Turkey provide this alternative - low tables and piles of big cushions you can recline in while you eat or drink.

Lunch beside (almost in) the river.

While we were waiting for our lunch to cook we started to hear distant thunder, and a few minutes later it started raining heavily, then hailing.  Our tables were mostly under cover, but we had to withdraw from the end of the table to avoid getting wet.  The ground under our feet starting puddling then running with water, which is when the cat featured elsewhere decided to join us at the table to keep its paws dry.

The thunderstorm with hail.