00:02Some destinations are all about what you see, this one is about what you feel.
00:14Today I'm exploring Afion Caraissar using my senses and I'm starting with one of the most spectacular perspectives you can
00:22imagine.
00:23In a few moments I'll be taking off above the Phrygian Valley. Let's go!
00:30We are in Central Anatolia in the region of Afion Caraissar, also known as Afion. Just a few kilometers from
00:37the city this is the Phrygian Valley.
00:39It looks like we are on another planet.
00:42It's one of Turkey's most remarkable landscapes shaped by nature than the Phrygians who carved monuments into these rocks over
00:513000 years ago.
00:54And from up here you can see why.
01:24And that comparison comes up a lot.
01:26But unlike Cappadocia, the valley remains blissfully uncrowded.
01:31The alarm went off very early this morning but it was absolutely worth it.
01:42I've seen the region from above. Now it's time to feel it.
01:47For centuries people have traveled here for something else entirely, thermal waters.
01:54People have come to these springs to heal since the Phrygian era around 1200 BC.
02:01It's earned Afion Caraissar its nickname, The Healing City.
02:04We are in the history.
02:08We are now in the history, from the moment.
02:10We are only in Turkey, not in the world.
02:12We have the sea.
02:15The sea and the mineral waters are so much more clean.
02:18We have the sea.
02:23The sea and the sea and the sea are so much clean.
02:30in this the warmth of the water the steam in the air the scent of the minerals every sense gets
02:38its
02:38turn here here the buffs aren't a seasonal escape they are part of everyday life all year round
02:50the lands around the afion carris are famous for something else too every spring poppies bloom
02:57across these fields assemble of the region and a staple in its cuisine after sight touch and smell
03:04it's time for the most delicious sense of all taste afion is recognized by unesco as a creative
03:10city of gastronomy and i'm going to learn how poppy seeds find their way into traditional local recipes
03:18to taste the region's cuisine at its most traditional i've come to ayasimi a tiny village of stone houses
03:24where recipes are passed down through generations meriem has invited me into her kitchen to make
03:31a cat mer one of afion carahisars most loved pastries but before the cooking starts there's one scale i
03:38need to learn with the poppy seed paste ready it's over to the expert katmerimiz bu yöresel afion
03:58atalarımızdan 100 yıllık diyelim ise elimiz hamuru yoğuruyoruz sonra haşasımızı
04:04kavuruyoruz hamurumuzu ezdikten sonra hamurumuzu tekrar hamur açıyoruz haşasımızı sürüp tekrar
04:10pişirmeye geçiyoruz pişirmede de tekrar açıyoruz kare şeklinde sacımızın üstüne atıp pişiriyoruz
04:17katmer is just one of many local dishes made with poppy seeds an ingredient at the heart of afion carahisars
04:30cooking there's one final challenge before i go the climb to afion carahisar castle around 550 steps
04:38straight up from up here the whole city is at my feet and all i can hear is the wind
04:47and the birds
04:48what a way to end my journey in afion carahisar go to shuruz
04:52you
