First of all, I would like to thank the editor for his invitation to join this circle and to all of you who might follow these stories from now on.

I had the chance to visit Turkey in October 2006. It was my first time in the country and also my first time –after lot of travelling around Europe- to feel so deeply as if I was at home. Coming from Argentina and having European ancestors, I would have never imagine to find myself so happily close to the Turkish flair.

After having spent some days in Istanbul, I decided to go down to Kapadokya and have a look around this wonderful piece of natural art. I arrived there quite late in the evening. There was almost no light on the streets but darkness demonstrated not to be a problem to find the place I was looking for: it was enough to show the piece of paper I was handling –and where the address was written- to the first person I have crossed to get this unknown person leading my way up there. No doubts this unknown person was a very kind one !!!

The following 3 days I visited Avanos, Göreme, the Devrent and Red valleys, Ürgüp, Nevsehir, and other small villages in the region.

The open air museum of Göreme, with its churches carved in the rocks, its paintings, its antique and religious origin is still an unforgettable place for me. The Red and Devrent valleys, so eroded by time, displaying a palette of warm and bright colours, homing vineyards and small trees in the vicinity of water streams but otherwise being a dry and luminescent place, surprising us with amazing figures modelled by wind and air; those valleys were my favourite spot in Turkey.

Avano’s ceramic and the craftsmanship of those still using that colourful earth to make deliciously decorated vases, dishes, and as many other articles as you can imagine, constituted an insight into the past and present regional artistic activities to me.

People carving their houses in mountains and eroded hills of volcanic origin, clean blue skies, children freely playing on the non-paved streets, a still rather low tourism, and the welcoming charm of Kapadokya’s deserved all my admiration and motivate me to come back soon.

Yours,

Mariana