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Autumn 2024

A mountain road to the cave city

Sometimes the road is more interesting than the place you are heading to. This time it certainly was.

We set off early in the morning while the road was almost empty. First came hills, then the landscape turned drier: ochre slopes, deep ravines, long shadows of clouds. We wanted to stop every ten minutes.

A mountain valley from the pass: ridge after ridge toward the horizon.
A mountain valley from the pass: ridge after ridge toward the horizon.
Russet slopes and gullies washed out by rain.
Russet slopes and gullies washed out by rain.

Along the way we saw old stone walls worn by time and carved pillars by one of the avenues. You will not find such things in guidebooks, but they are exactly what makes you stop and take a picture.

Carved stone pillars by the road.
Carved stone pillars by the road.
An old balustrade against the hills.
An old balustrade against the hills.

The road is shared: cars, cyclists and cows. A cow that has decided to rest on warm asphalt surprises no one, and you simply drive around it slowly and calmly.

A rest by the roadside: the cow is in no hurry.
A rest by the roadside: the cow is in no hurry.

The final point of the route is a cave city cut straight into the rock. Streets, steps, halls with columns and living rooms survive well enough to imagine how people lived here. From the upper platform you can see a wide valley with a river, and the wind there is sometimes so strong that you had better hold your hat in your hands.

The cave city from above: the rock, its streets and the valley beyond.
The cave city from above: the rock, its streets and the valley beyond.

Any dry weather will do for the trip. Take comfortable shoes with a good tread: the stone is slippery in places. Do not forget water and a hat, as there is little shade on the upper platforms.

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