Pamukkale

Pamukkale Turkey


We spent the day in a small town of about 4000 called Pamukkale which means “white castle” in Turkish. This name comes from the travertine terraces and hot springs on the hills above the town. As you drive into town from quite a distance away you can see what looks like hills full of snow in a green fertile valley, though they are a geographical wonder that have been there for thousands of years.

Marsha and Don climbing the travertine hill

A city was founded there in 2nd century based on the therapeutic quality of the waters and continues to attract people there today to swim on the terraces or in the pools. This city called Hierlopolis was tolerant of all religions including sun pagans and the worshippers of Apollo and became a place for people to recover from their illnesses.

One of the pools on the way up

We hiked up over the travertines which we expected to be slippery but it was more like walking on soapstone. Over the years as the hot waters ran over the travertine there were many streams and pools formed. We had to remove our shoes as over the years there has been damage to the structures which can be fragile with continued use. At the top some of us visited the ancient ruins and the rest of us went to the ancient pools. It was quite a treat.

Some of us in the ancient pools,it was warm and full of algae.It also tasted sweet

Then at the end of the day we met up and went to watch the sunset from the terrace while enjoying a drink or two. We then went back to a local hotel that had hosted us for the day to one of the more familiar meals we have had since we left home…roast chicken.

This was a treat

After the great meal we took the overnight bus to Istanbul which was 11 hours, quite the experience! The bus is equipped with good wi fi, lots of movies and an attendant serving drinks and snacks. There are large reclining seats but the bus stopped so often it was hard to sleep. The bus system in Turkey is quite large and efficient as millions of Turks do not have cars. The bus stops are quite interesting for as soon as the bus pulls in and the passengers get off the men start with the water hose cleaning the bus as all of them are sparkling clean inside and out. The merchandise in the bus stops ranges from mounds of sweets of all kinds, bags of nuts, junk from China and piles of sock and underwear.

We arrived in Istanbul about 7am put our luggage in the day rooms and then spent the next few hours in the neighbourhood as we couldn’t check in until 1pm. Don and I decided to visit the Basilica cistern which was quite unique. It was built hundreds of years ago by the Romans who developed a system of collecting and storing water for the use of the city. It is quite large and supported by large huge columns of all descriptions. It seems the Romans were great engineers and architects.

Not too much light underground but a sense of the scale of the place

 

One of the columns with the upside down head of Medusa

Then back to the room for a nap and a shower to meet the group for our last meal together as everyone set out to go their separate ways. We took the ferry across the Golden Horn with Ozan to another neighbourhood which was very lively and full of locals rather than tourists and had a meal of plates that he ordered for us.This meal was very delicious because of the distinct flavours in all the dishes.

A night view of Istanbul from the ferry dock

We then said goodbye and thank you to Ozan followed by a few rounds of toasts to our leader and to a great holiday.This was another awesome group of people and we wish all of them safe travels as they return home or continue to other parts of the world.