A landscape in use

I went walking in Cappadocia. I lived in the region for seven months, but never saw it like I did these last few days. That’s because Evelien – or Elif as the locals call her – showed me the way. She’s Dutch, lives in the small village of Ortahisar and organises walking tours. During the walks, the perspective on the spectacular landscape changed all the time, which made me look at it as if it was the first time. In the meantime, we saw how people fit in this beautiful landscape and make use of it. We saw small gardens in the valleys, close to natural water wells. A hammock between two trees, an old Turkish guy in it. A natural cave, totally open on the front, with cushions alongside the walls and a teapot in the middle.
Some time ago, I went ballooning over Cappadocia. Which was amazing. But from above, you only experience half of it. If you ever go to Cappadocia, I would suggest you keep your feet on the ground. Being part of the landscape is much better then floating over it.