Cappadocia Getaway: Saving the Best for Last

On our last day, we enjoyed one  more family hike. We saw this interesting cave behind us, so one of the kids took my picture in front of it. Before I knew it, Miss Middler was scaling the slippery rock to get into it. It's impossible to see in this picture, but there was a deep valley behind me. I am on a hilltop in front of it. Getting into it seemed impossible.

 In she went, then started yelling, "You've GOT to come in here!!!"

 My little girl discovered what is probably my favorite church in all of the region. Perhaps because it was so hard to get into, it was preserved and not as marred as some of the others around. And it was far more elaborate. I think we walked into 5 different connected rooms. Countless others were impossible to enter. To get in the cave itself, we had people at checkpoints to grab little hands and haul them up. Maybe some adult hands had to be grabbed too.

And inside were these beautiful, nearly-perfectly preserved reliefs on the ceiling.

 

 We found the early church folks had carved a channel all the way from the top of the rock mountain side to drain water into the church.

 And fill this baptismal.

The paintings were beautiful. I can only image what they looked like when only a 100 years old. This scene depicted cheubim with six wings.

Anyone recognize this scene? Revelation 4.

We had to somehow get back down. Miss Middler ran all over the cave looking for a better way down. In the end, we decided the best spot was to leave the same way we came in. This was the way out.

 I loved it! I loved finding it on our own. I love that my child found it and showed me. I love that the history of my brothers and sisters from so long ago was preserved for me to see. It was my highlight.