I love accomplishing something before breakfast, but this morning was early even for me. We woke at 4:00 am in order to be on time for the 4:45 pick-up. We were going ballooning and the best flight time was just after sunrise when the air was cool and calm. We weren’t alone: more than 30 other beautiful balloons launched from the same valley. They formed a kaleidoscope in the sky against one of the most stunning natural landscapes I have ever seen. Cappadocia is often called the land of “fairy caves” because of the distinctive geological formations that have evolved over thousands of years of volcanic activity and natural erosion. We had never seen anything like it, and certainly never from the perspective of a giant wicker basket supported by wire cables and an oversized Gymboree parachute! The flight was smooth and so silent we could hear birds chirping below. Our pilot took us up to 600 meters (yes, that is almost 2,000 feet) before bringing us back down to 200 meters where we could wave at the early morning breakfasters on the terraces below. Amazingly the wind took us right over our cave hotel and we could even see our own door. We landed gently in a field (actually, we landed on the back of a flat bed in the middle of the field). Then we toasted with mimosas made with champagne and the local cherry juice. The sun was fully up and so were our spirits. It was a going to be a good day.