Vera Hotel Tassaray

Also available in Urgup !

by FAIRYCHIMNEY

Breakfast : A Turkish breakfast normally consist of fresh crusty bread,olives,tomatoes,cucumber,cheese, jam or honey and sometimes a boiled egg.
Meze(hors d’oeuvres): Plays an important part in Turkish meals.They are often so delicious and satisfying that they can often be a meal in themselves , and vegeterians will find plenty of choice.There is a great variety , but the following meze are some you will find in local restaurants :
Sigara börek (filo pastry wrapped around the cheese and herbs)
Potato croket
Cacýk ( yoghurt with cucumber ,herbs,garlic and watercress)
Piyaz( haricot bean salad)
Ýmambayýldý (Aubergines with minced meat,onion and tomato )
Dolma (stuffed vegetables,peppers,vine leaves,cabbage or tomatoes)
Tursu (pickled vegetables)
Meat : Kebabs date back to the time of nomadic Turks who learned to grill and roast their meat over campfires.There are numerous varieties , some of which are named after the place where they were first prepared.Adana kebab is spicy with a sprinkling of purple sumak , betraying its Arab influence ; Iskender kebab consist of pide bread , a layer of döner lamb topped with fresh tomato sauce and yoghurt.Köfte is meatballs,usually without ay sauce and yoghurt.Lamb is undoubtedly the most commonly eaten meat in Turkey , but chicken and beef are also generally available.Being a Muslim country , pork is more exceptional.
Vegeterians : Vegeterian dishes are widely available or olive oil using seasonal vegetables.Turkish rice ,pilav , is especially good and so are the couscous and cracked wheat , bulgur pilav dishes. Desserts : Turkish people have a sweet tooth ! On the menu you will find delights such as ‘lips of the beloved’ , and ‘Lady’s Navel’
By far the most common dessert after meal is frest,seasonal fruit.Spring starts with strawberries,followed by cherries,figs, and apricots.In summer come peaches,watermelon and honeydew melon, and in late summer grapes,followed by plums,apples,pears and quince.Oranges,mandarins and bananas are available in the winter.
If you ask for fruit in a restaurant, you will normally be given a plate of mixed fruit,peeled,sliced and beatifully presented.In addition to fruit , you will find a variety of milk desserts including rice puding (served cold) and cremed caramel,pastries,baklava (filo pastry with honey and pistachio nuts) and ice cream.

try try somine restaurant : one of the 'up market' restaurants in Urgup

Yilanli Church

by ozalp

This is one of the many churches in Goreme Open Air Museum.
There was a strange fresco in this church: A saint with a woman body and beard. According to story, St. Onuphrios was a beautiful and attractive woman. Men disturbed her very much and she prayed to God for salvation and slept. When she awoke, she found herself with beard and moustache.
Turkish name of this church (yilan means snake) is coming from the other fresco just across the one I mentioned above. In this picture, you can see St. George and St. Theodore’s battle against the snake.

St. Barbara Church

by ozalp

You can see the evolution of the decoration styles in this small church. It is just after the monastery. The only decoration had been the lines and simple figures in same red tone over the yellowish rocks first. Then, oil paintings had been discovered and more colors had been used. In St. Barbara Church, decorations of both eras can be seen.
This church is all carved but with the former decorations, it seems like it is masonry.

Goreme At Night

by ozalp

I think the only place that you can drink and have some action for night is Goreme in this region. We’ve visited it in our last night. It was colorful and crowded. Also I’ve seen some café’s here, too.
We’ve visited a big carpet shop. It was open at night. I touched some silk carpets. They give a nice feeling when you touch them. You can shop here at night.
There are several places to eat, few to drink here. But I think Goreme has more opportunities than Urgup, Uchisar, Avanos or Ortahisar.

For Hippies who like slippers in their hotel room

by Firestar24

"The Poshest Part of the Hippie Trail."

Urgup is Goreme's smaller and less popular neighbour. The cave hotels here are of a better standard and generally come at a greater cost. Bars and restaurants are fewer and if you book a tour here you will probably be taken to join the rest of your group in Goreme. We chose to stay in Urgup rather than Goreme because we wanted the peace of a beautiful, secluded cave hotel and were happy to travel in to Goreme when we wanted.

I was happier in Goreme - but I was more relaxed in Urgup.

I think most travellers tend to work the other way round and generally we found people had booked accomodation in Goreme and took a day trip into Urgup to visit the tombs at Temenni Tepesi. Urgup actually features quite importantly in Turkish and Byzantine history but in my Lonley Planet Guidebook only a small section was dedicated to the town. I'm not sorry we decided to stay in Urgup rather than Goreme - the views and the peace and the stunning hotels made it worth it. And besides, Goreme's only a short taxi ride away.