An Underground City

 On Tuesday, September 22, we went to the airport and flew out on Turkish Airlines to Nevsehir, in Cappadocia, a region in central Anatolia famous for '"fairy chimney" rock formations, medieval "underground cities," churches dug out of caves and hot air balloons.

 

We went directly to Ozkonak, one of the underground cities.

 

 

Selim, several times during the trip, had fun using AI to tinker with our group pictures.  Since one of them was in the "dungeon" at Ozkonak:

 

After some snacks, we went on to our hotel, the very nice Barcelo Cappadocia Hotel, where we had dinner with the group.

 

Istanbul Old City: Part 2

 On Monday, September 21, we drove to the Topkapi Palace, which was the principal palace of the Ottoman Sultans for more than 400 years.

 

We broke for lunch nearby, then went down to the Basilica Cistern, a huge water vault from the time that Hagia Sophia was built (sixth century.  Supported by rows of columns recycled from ancient Greek and Roman buildings.  Very impressive.

 

Then, we walked to the Grand Bazaar, where we were left on our own for awhile.

 

That evening, Mary Joy and I had a very nice dinner at a restaurant called Salon, down the street  from our hotel.