Cappadocia on Film: Balloons at Sunrise and Göreme Valleys

Field notes from a life in transit ● currently: Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia

9 frames · 20 to 29 August 2026

Cappadocia, when the sky fills up

In Cappadocia I set an alarm for the sky. On calm mornings, just before sunrise, the balloons rise over Göreme, dozens and then a hundred of them, lifting out of the valleys like a slow, silent argument about who gets the best light. I watched from a ridge with cold hands and shot more frames than I could afford.

The rest of the day is quieter. The cave churches of the Göreme Open Air Museum hold frescoes in rooms the size of kitchens. I walked the ridge above Pigeon Valley, went down into Derinkuyu, and spent an afternoon at a potter's wheel in Avanos. In the evening, testi kebab, cooked in a sealed clay pot that they crack open at the table. Dramatic, but edible.

Field notes · Cappadocia

Balloons fly at sunrise only when winds allow, so plan three or four mornings; the hills above Göreme give a free view without a flight.
Go to the Göreme Open Air Museum at opening, and buy the separate ticket for the Dark Church, which has the best-preserved frescoes.
Walk Pigeon Valley or Love Valley in late afternoon, when low sun turns the soft volcanic rock gold and pink.
Rent a car or join a day tour for Derinkuyu and Avanos, and try testi kebab, a stew slow-cooked in a sealed clay pot.