Early in the morning, I said goodbye to the beautiful resort at which I would stay once again on my way back from Cappadocia.
From Antalya the highway crossed flat lands with poplar trees and it continued across the Taurus Mountains that separate the south Mediterranean coast from the center part of Turkey. It was a nice trip with very nice scenery through a pine forest and a good road through an 1800m high mountain. High enough to have snow at the top. You could also see picturesque villages perched on the landscape.
After a 'technical stop' at a restaurant next to a petrol station, the driving continued towards Konya - the second largest city in central Anatolia, after Ankara, founded by the Romans in the 2nd century - where I had lunch at a caravanserai. Caravanserais were camel stops on the silk route. Traders used to gather at these caravanserais built every 50 miles along the trade route, a resting place that provided food and shelter for men and animals. Rooms once served as stables, prayer rooms, baths, and bedrooms.
After lunch, I visited the Mevlana Museum, a small museum that is next to a 16th century mosque. The Museum used to be Mevlana's lodge, the founder of the Whirling Dervishes. The lodge was a very interesting place. Regretfully, camera shooting was not allowed inside.
I had time to give a quick look at a cemetery. Tombstones were beautiful examples of the language. I was told that dead people are buried in graves usually without coffin. However, sometimes a dead person may be buried with coffin. It is a widespread practice to inscribe and cut epitaphs and signs on tombstones for the purpose of describing identity, sex and destiny of the dead person.
From Konya to Nevsehir (Cappadocia), the highway crossed flat grasslands as far as the eye could see. Its infinite plains gave me the feeling that I was really far from home. After 6 hours of driving, I arrived at Nevsehir, the major city in Cappadocia. I checked into the hotel, went straight to my room and had rest... the following day would be a bit tough...
