Blogs from Pamukkale, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East

Setting off early with our driver and guide we learned a bit more about modern Izmir and the history of our destinations. After a 2.5 hr card ride, we started at Aphrodisias. This city, previously unknown to us, was once home to over 100,000 people. Amazing remains exist that demonstrate daily life in the ancient world. This city was contemporary with Hierapolis which was about the same size but much more famous for its hot springs, said to have healing powers. The friezes decorate the entire city and were depictions of actual citizens of note, some were historical figures and some were mythical. The emperor Diocletian, concerned for the welfare of all his citizens, issued an edict of maximum prices. The prices were “posted” carved in marble on the walls of the market square, for all ... read more

Heute habe ich wieder ausgiebig gefrühstückt und bin dann mit dem Taxi nach Pamukkale zu den Kalksteinterassen und der Ruinenanlage Hierapolis gefahren. Beides war sehr sehenswert. Ich hätte eigentlich gerne an einer Tour teilgenommen oder einen Gemeinschafts-Minibus benutzt. Aber das Hotel meinte, dazu müsste ich wieder zum Busbahnhof und dann hätte ich dafür auch wieder ein Taxi gebraucht. Daher hier einmal eine teurere Lösung, aber für die etwa 20 Kilometer einfach waren die insgesamt 30 Euro noch im Rahmen. Wenn ich aber von Izmir nach Ephesus will, sind es dann vielleicht 50 Kilometer und ich hoffe, ich finde dafür eine Halbtagestour. Da war das Hotel in Istanbul etwas geschäftstüchtiger, denn die wollten mir eine Bosporusfahrt vermitteln. Der Taxifahrer versuchte mir auch noch den Besuch einer Bergbahn schmackhaft machen (nach vielen rein türkisch sprechenden Kollegen, konnte er ... read more

Anticipation, expectation, inspiration,giddiness, baited breath… no thesaurus could list enough words to describe my feelings as we pull up to my most longed for experiencing of place. Pamukkale, known as 'Cotton Castle’s is laid out before me in all its glistening white splendour and I can't wait to get up there and see it in close up. Sometimes if you big things up too much they disappoint in reality but not this time. As we reach the start of the white calcified surface of the mountainside with warm water trickling down we have to take off our shoes and walk to the top bare footed so as not to damage it. The feeling under foot is a little rough, the surface made of pretty ridged patterns a little like wet sand on the shore. We pass ... read more

The travertine terraces of Pamukkale must have been pretty striking in ancient times, too, because a Hellenistic king founded a city called Hierapolis on the plateau above them. It was quite large and a few parts remain impressive today, such as a theatre on the hillside, the northern city gateway and an enormous area full of fancy tombs. I spent several hours roaming around the city (at a much slower pace than we did on the tour - there were certain people always keen to wrap it up and get to the beer!) The sun was blazing and I got burnt in unexpected places, such as strips on my feet where my sandals have gaps.... read more

We arrived in Denizli, the main city near Pamukkale, a little than expected. Along the way our bus stopped to pick up a guy on the side of the road; it looked like his whole village had come out to say farewell. There was lots of dancing, cheering and throwing him up in the air. Eventually he climbed onto the bus and we continued on our way towards Denizli…with a motorcade of his (drunk) friends driving in front of us very slowly, weaving in and out of each other and blocking entire width of the road so that we couldn’t overtake. After about 15 minutes of that they stopped in front of the bus and the guy got off the bus to dance with them for a while longer before he finally hopped back on and ... read more