Ten days in Türkiye - Istanbul and Cappadocia

Last March my daughter and I spent ten days in Turkey, splitting our time between Istanbul and Cappadocia. We had a wonderful time - we loved the history and architecture in Istanbul and the unique landscape of Cappadocia. Highlights included a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, two food tours with Culinary Backstreets in Istanbul, Topkapi Palace, the architecture in general - especially the Iznik tiles (obsessed), and a hike in Red Valley in Cappadocia. Although we did enjoy everything we did. We liked visiting both Istanbul and Cappadocia as they were different experiences. This was our itinerary:

Day 1: Two Markets, Two Continents Food Tour with Culinary Backstreets
Day 2: Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque, Spice Market, Rüstem Pasha Mosque, and Istanbul Modern
Day 3: Hagia Sophia, The Grand Bazaar, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Galataport, and Beyoğlu District
Day 4: Bosphorus cruise and Anadolu Kavağı
Day 5: Dolmabahçe Palace and Hidden Beyoğlu Food Tour with Culinary Backstreets
Day 6: Topkapi Palace and City Walls and Neighborhoods Walk
Day 7: Zelve Open Air Museum and Pasabag Valley
Day 8: Hot Air Balloon Ride, Göreme Open Air Museum, and Red Valley Hike
Day 9: Morning balloon launch, Ihlara Valley hike, Derinkuyu underground city, and Uçhisar Castle
Day 10: Avanos Ceramics

Loved all the cats and we probably consumed our weight in baklava. Other foods I really enjoyed: kaymak (and a quince with kaymak dessert), pilavcısı, pide, halva, adana kebabs, and a pureed eggplant with beef dish I still think about. On the food tours especially we got to try a lot of foods and overall I really liked everything we had.

I have full galleries labeled with trip notes here:

https://pbase.com/pudgy_groundhog/turkiye