We'd heard about Cappadocia and the fantastic shapes of the terrain there, but seeing and walking around it was something else. If one picture is worth a thousand words, it'll take more than a few pictures to show you what I mean.

It all started about ten million years ago, when volcanic eruptions showered this area with 100 feet or more of hot ash. The ash hardened into a soft stone which is called tufa. Rains and winds eventually eroded much of the tufa, but some of it was protected by huge boulders that were blown out of the volcanoes. And that eventually created tall columns of pumice that survived because of those boulders perched on top of them.

These are the fairy chimneys. Hundreds of these giant columns remain in Cappadocia, making the region one of the geological wonders of the world. One of the great photographic wonders, too.

Take a look .