ALİ DAĞI - DISCOVER KAYSERİ

If you are from Kayseri, you've most certainly heared about Ali Dağı, but probably never visited it - for some reason, it seems like the nice people of this city, especially the youngsters, prefer to hang out in commercial centers, rather than to explore nature (but maybe that's about to change ;)).

Since i got here, I kept asking "Where are the trees and the birds and the bees?" - there were no bees, I can tell you that much (it's winter, after all) and, as far as I can remember, there was only one pigeon surveiling the airspace, and even that one seemed to be lost, whereas for trees... no secular woods here; still, I promise you, it is well worth climbing to the top, the good, old Ali will reward its hikers with a bewildering view of Mount Erciyes and of the surrounding hills.

We begun our ascent at around 10 o'clock in the morning and it only took us about one hour and a half to get to the top, maintaining a decent, moderate pace, while enjoying the scenery and taking loads and loads of pictures.

To tell you the truth, the pictures don't do this place justice, as it so often happens with nature, there's always more to it than meets the eye - maybe the smell of winter in the air, or maybe that worm feeling you get from the sun caressing your face, or the wind whispering in your ears and the dazzling light reflected by the snow blinding you, or merely the good company of nice people, all these add up to the experience, making it hard for one to be impartial when asked "How was it?".

The ruins of houses tell the story of a simple, yet peaceful and happy life, I can only imagine what it would be like to wake up in the morning and be faced with the stunning, almighty volcano, trying to make ends meet in such a harsh environment, raising a family, living long, full lives without smart gagets or fancy toys.
Just wake up one morning, put on your mountain boots and run away from the city and don't look back for a few hours, it's far more rewarding than a shopping spree at the mall. We allow ourselves to get absorbed in the realities of daily life and we forget to enjoy the little things, like a breath of fresh air, the calming sound of steps in the snow, or the “sound of silence” away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

One last thing: whatever you do, please leave everything the way you've found it, nobody needs to know what you had for lunch or the name of your secret crush, forever scarring a tree.

That goes to show that there's beauty to be found even in the unlikeliest of places...