On my way from Syria to somewhere else, my first stop was Istanbul’s airport, where I took a short flight to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a region in Central Turkey called Anatolia that’s famous for its “fairy chimneys” — geological formations created by volcanic eruptions that occurred when the region was underwater. That was about millions of years ago.

I stayed in the town of Goreme, right in the middle of the rock fun. Goreme is charming (except for the $30 charge at the ATM machines). It’s usually crawling with tourists but March is off-season so the town was quiet and I felt more welcome than annoying. Goreme is famous for its hot air balloon rides over the surreal landscape. When I was there, the weather wasn’t suitable for ballooning, but I wasn’t too upset that I didn’t have to spend $150 to feel terrified for an hour.

Here is the only hot air balloon I saw.

Compare to the photo I found of Goreme in summer.

One of the most interesting things about the fairy chimneys is that, in previous times, many became houses for whole villages of people. For example, in one area, an ancient community of Greeks lived in rock formations to hide from the Romans who, at the time, were persecuting Christians.

A community of Kurds lived in a village of fairy chimneys near Goreme until a landslide occurred in the 1950s, making their rock houses subject to collapse.

Apparently, the rocks won’t collapse on tourists.

Or these government offices.

The region also has dozens of underground caves with elaborate networks of living areas, storage spaces, stables and communication systems. The caves were inhabited for centuries mainly by Greeks. The Greeks were expelled during hostilities with the Turks after World War I, and the caves were abandoned. Today, some of them are open to the public. The sites don’t provide much information about their history, but they are beautifully lit and seem full of spirits.

Besides exploring the natural geologic sites and riding hot air balloons, Cappadocia has other fun activities. You can hike, (although I didn’t because it was snowing. in the campo).

You can ride a camel. (These two are in front of that one balloon I saw.)

You can ride a horse like the one on this mural near the caves (but avoid the horses carrying vintage televisions).

Anyway, Cappadocia should be on your list if you go to Turkey. It’s a miracle of nature.