When You Go to Göreme and Can't Stop Talking about It

Already posted these to Facebook, but I'm guessing at least one of you isn't a Facebook friend. This is Göreme, Turkey, a tiny town in Kapadokya. Everyone told us we needed to get to Kapadokya, and we didn't know what to expect but went anyway, and it was some incredibly well spent money. These rock formations and valleys were formed by water a long, long time ago. Best impulse decision ever = drive ATVs through the valleys and rock formations. Also, the only night we were there was the same night the Court ruled same-sex marriage constitutional, so an exorbitant amount of money was spent celebrating.

The last three pictures are from an underground city near Göreme that people inhabited 1,500 years ago. They had underground streams deep under the city and built multiple levels of rooms and corridors above the waterways.

Also, if any of you are reading this blog wondering if you should study abroad in college, the answer is an unequivocal yes. The 36 hours or so we spent in Göreme are some of the best in my study abroad career. For whatever reason, you will form amazing friendships and spend the entire trip laughing and feeling warm/fuzzy. (Perhaps it's because a large majority of study abroad is sightseeing, culture/food and great weather.) Even when our bus broke down for 2 hours in the middle of Nowheresville, Anatolia, we had fun—and taught our new Turkish friend how to ply euchre.

These videos show the rock formations, in which people built houses and castles:

SPEANs on ATVs!!!