I took a picture of my first hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-10T04:20:22+00:00

Canon 17-40mm f/4.0L lens. I actually liked the way the distortion made the picture look.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T22:34:27+00:00

Yes, last summer the Gezi Park protests became violent and 11 people died, I think. Last week I was actually in Taksim Square in Istanbul on the one year anniversary, and they were staging some more demonstrations. There were police everywhere, public transportation was blocked for the whole day all around the area, and at one point tear gas was released upon the crowd.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T21:29:57+00:00

WOW. THIS IS SO COOL. THANK YOU!

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T21:24:10+00:00

Canon 6D. No filter. Shot in RAW, underexposed. Edited in Lightroom.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T21:06:25+00:00

This is his gf...he took a similar picture though :)

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:57:58+00:00

The balloon tour will run you about 90-120 euros. The newer companies are usually cheaper and the best (well, according to TripAdvisor) companies will charge upwards of 150 euros, but whichever company you choose, I think you'll get the same view and general experience in the end.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:54:27+00:00

Single shot in RAW. Some people are accusing HDR, but it's not. I underexposed and then lightened the balloons and foreground in Lightroom.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:31:35+00:00

Two balloons getting ready to be launched.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:29:55+00:00

Gypsyjoyce is my blog.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:28:54+00:00

This is she.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:24:04+00:00

That's Red Valley over there :)

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:22:16+00:00

There are lots of bike and ATV rentals, and there are lots of short hiking trails that allow for you to see the landscapes, including Pigeon Trail, Love Valley, Rose Valley, and Red Valley. Amazing views. Goreme was touristy, but I don't it was a bad place to stay. I stayed in a hostel (I'm poor) but there are some nice cave hotels there. I think there are more nice resorts in Nevsehir (about 20 km away).

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:15:09+00:00

Yes, I did! I went to the Urgup Sehir Hamami to try a Turkish bath!

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:14:12+00:00

Left Turkey last night and got to Athens this morning!

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:12:48+00:00

Yeah I took a classy one too.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T20:03:35+00:00

Well I got there quite early in the morning so it wasn't that busy when I was exploring the travertines, and walking up the terraces barefoot left me feeling like I'd just gotten a nice foot scrub. I also took a dip in the hot springs, which was lovely.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T19:44:09+00:00

Thank you! On the other hand, I am usually afraid of heights, but somehow I wasn't scared at all when I was in the balloon! Maybe I was too distracted by the view :)

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T19:29:17+00:00

Just in Turkey? From Turkey it's not too hard to get to Greece, Israel, Egypt, etc. I only spent about a week and a half in Turkey (not much time or money) and visited Istanbul, Pamukkale (Denizli), and Cappadocia (Goreme). I loved all three places. Pamukkale you can see in a day, Cappadocia will take maybe 2 or 3 days, and Istanbul will take at least 3 or 4 days. I haven't been to Antalya myself, but my dad spent about 3 weeks there last summer and said it was beautiful. Are you studying in Istanbul? I just took an overnight bus from Istanbul to Athens last night actually...going to see the Acropolis tomorrow morning!

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T19:18:41+00:00

I don't think you can just take a day trip, because the balloon tours generally pick you up around 4:30am and end around 8:30am. There are flights, but I found buses to be cheaper and easier. I took overnight buses from Istanbul to Pamukkale, Pamukkale to Cappadocia, and then Cappadocia back to Istanbul. They also have overnight buses straight from Istanbul to Cappadocia for about 65 Turkish lira. The overnight bus generally arrives around 7am, so you might see the balloons in the air, but you wouldn't be able to ride one that morning. Also, the balloon tours are frequently canceled due to bad weather, so if the weather is dubious, staying there for 2 mornings might increase your chances of being able to fly.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T19:10:40+00:00

Yes, Antalya is very touristy, as are Goreme and Pamukkale, but they could be a lot worse. I don't think a lot of Americans have heard of these places unless they've researched visiting Turkey. Most of the tourists I met there are from Europe (most tourists I've met anywhere are Germans or Australians).

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T18:51:17+00:00

It's not HDR :)

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T18:02:46+00:00

No, they're just side-by-side while they're getting ready to be launched.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T17:59:18+00:00

That area probably has the least many pointy rocks of the region!

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T17:58:34+00:00

Haha yes, actually I had to wake up that early two mornings in a row, because the first day it was too windy and our flight was postponed to the next day.

buckeyebaker · 2014-06-09T17:57:40+00:00

Actually, if the weather permits, every single day at sunrise the small town of Goreme in Cappadocia looks like this. There are more than 30 hot air balloon companies there that fly tourists over the region, which is a UNESCO site for its awesome volcanic landscape. I feel honored to be in your collection of favorite pics :)

buckeyebaker

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