Cappadocia

PSHHHHHRRR

My eyes opened. Blink. Blink.

“What’s that sound?” My voice was still painted with sleep.

My partner and I locked eyes in half-awake confusion.

PSHHHHHRRR

The balloons! The hot air balloons that burst into the sky to catch the sun rising over the rock formations!

“Gosh, it must be awfully close to be so loud.” I thought.

My partner hopped up and opened the curtains across from our bed. We were staying in a cave suite, carved out of a fairy chimney rock formation over 1,500 years ago. These rooms had been hewn out by hand by early Christians who had come to this region to escape Roman persecution.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. A hot air balloon was coming around our fairy chimney, where we were snuggled up like two bugs in a rug. The massive balloon was only a stone’s throw away from our window and was half full of tourists.

“Wave!” my partner giggled, hopping back into bed. 

We waved from the safe invisibility of our dark room.

To my utter embarrassment, the whole balloon waved back!

I melted into the mattress and covered by head with the blanket as my partner erupted in laughter.