For that evening, we had reserved a sunset tour of Rose Valley for around $17USD. We thought it was a heck of a deal since this Cappadocia was pretty touristy (pricey), and then it turned out to be a walking tour. ha! Anyways, it turned out to be one of the best things we did in that area!! We had a friendly tour group, a hilarious guide, and some amazing views.

At 5pm, we made our way to the meeting point, and got shuttled to the trailhead; right when the light was starting to get nice!

It was a bit tricky to capture, but the taller rocks had a really nice red hue to them

Along the trail were private farms, where locals grew apples, grapes, and other fruits. There was a rest break at a small cafe (an old cave area), which was next to a chapel with a nice fresco

Being tourists!

After the break, we made our way up to a viewpoint to catch the end of the sunset

Once the sun was under the horizon, we started our descent. You can see some of the gardens from here

Blue hour

The next morning, we had a super early flight to Istanbul. We got to the airport on time, where we each had mini-heart attacks when the airline rep said we were at the wrong airport. Then a local explained that we were simply in the wrong line. Phew!

^hot air balloons, one my greatest fears…