Enroute to Istanbul...

Manti...

Beyti Kebab...

Homestay Dinner...

Testi Kebab...

Q: What is Testi Kebab?

A: A Goreme specialty consisting of

a combination of meat and vegetables

cooked slowly in a sealed terracotta pot

which is broken open before serving.

The result - the perfect antidote to a long, tiring day on the road.

Goreme Restaurant...

The most comfortable seat we've had all day!

First Shots of Goreme...

A long overnight train trip via Ankara - thankfully a much more comfortable experience than the Plovdiv to Istanbul overnight train!

A quick breakfast of firin sutlac (baked rice pudding) followed by a long bus trip via Kayseri,

a quick roadside lunch of lahmacun (a thin Turkish style pizza snack),

and we are finally in the magical landscape of Goreme, Cappadocia!

Dinner and Lollipops...

Chargrilled vegetables and bacon with sheep's cheese...

And then off to bed in the Chupa Chups Building - our window is in the red painted area!

If you also want to sleep in the Chupa Chups building then it's Hotel Maya that you'll be searching Lonely Planet for!

Serendipitous Discoveries...

On the way back from Cisnadioara we stumbled across this:

In the top left hand corner you can see the blue, red and yellow stripe of the Romanian flag:

At the fruit and vege market this lovely old lady offered us some fresh herbs:

How delectable does this produce look?

On Romanian menus there are generally three salads on offer. Tomato salad which consists of chopped tomatoes with no dressing, Cucumber salad which consists of chopped cucumbers with no dressing and Mixed salad which consists of - you guessed it - chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with no dressing.

At least the tomatoes and cucumbers are incredibly fresh!

Random Sighisoara...

Tokyo is a long, long way from here:

One of the 9 remaining towers of the city walls. Originally, there were 14:

The Citadel viewed from below:

Saint Treime Orthodox Church on the banks of the Tarnava Mare:

It's not exactly a Caramello Koala...but it was tasty nonetheless!

Fast food for Dragons?

Dinner:

Dinner:

Meatballs, salami, cheeses and...bacon fat:

Chicken and sauerkraut:

Strawberries:

A perfect end to the day...

First shots of Romania:

We caught a rickety old train (not the one below!) from Debrecen and crossed the border into Romania:

Bombi Star (sponge cake filled with apricot jam and covered in chocolate) accompanied us for a short time on the train journey:

Dinner:

After a hard day's sightseeing we treated ourselves to dinner at Arany Pince Etterem:

Where we indulged in steak and grilled vegetables:

And peach stuffed duck breast with potato croquettes:

A fitting end to the day.

Rolled up goodness:

Step 1 - Roll dough into long worms:

Step 2 - Roll worms around wooden post:

Step 3 - Cook in Sweet Dream oven:

Step 4 - Roll in desired topping:

I had cinnamon sugar...and it was divine!

Mercato di Rialto:

Fresh produce abounds in the Rialto markets:

These tomatoes were divine with some fresh basil:

A spice shop near Campo San Giacomo:

Melons - among other things - just delivered: