When I arrived in Cappadocia, the very first advice I heard was: 'Don't leave without waking up early in the morning.' It was still night when I opened my eyes, but I was so excited that I forgot about my tiredness. Even just watching the balloons being prepared was an experience on its own; the sound of the flames, the balloons slowly rising like giant swans… When the sky turned pink, hundreds of balloons floated all at once and I felt like I was inside the pages of a fairytale.

During the flight, the fairy chimneys, vineyards, and winding dirt roads beneath me looked like an endless painting. Time had stopped, and the world was nothing but silence. When we landed, it felt strange to realize the day had only just begun; I was so full that it felt as if I had lived for days. Sitting down for a village breakfast among the stone houses, the smell of hot gözleme mixed with the colors still dancing in my mind. Cappadocia reminded me how nature and history can exist in perfect harmony.