Pamukkale

A mountain of white glows in the dying light of day.  A full moon rises over this glacier that is not of snow and ice, but of solid rock deposited by cascades of water laden with calcite.   

Rising several hundred feet above the plateau below, terraces of the milky white stone embrace azure blue pools of water.  Rivulets of water warmed by thermal vents gurgle from the earth and  constantly renew this glacier.  Shifting patterns of water flow, now aided by UNESCO, fill some pools while others lay dry.  Water pours over soft edged terraced pools to another pool below.  At the bottom, the water collects in a small lake to make a home for ducks, geese and paddle boats.

The ancient Greeks and Romans bathed in the warm blue mineral laden water.  They believed these waters to be restorative and a cure for all sorts of ills.  These beliefs persist to this day. 

Above the pools, the Greeks first settled the ancient city of Hieropolis as a thermal spa in the 2^nd century BC usurped a few centuries later by the Romans.  

The ruins of an extensive complex of roads, public buildings, and baths, capped by a well-preserved amphitheater, rise on the plateau above the thermal pools.   

A necropolis on the outskirts of the city provides a somewhat sobering entrance from the north.

A tomb in the necropolis

Today visitors still frolic in the pools and wander over the travertine terraces.  While the water flow has diminished from ancient times, it is still a remarkably beautiful place.

Kate takes the plunge

Ephesus

Ephesus was one of the most important cities of the ancient world.   One of the major trading ports in the Mediterranean, it was originally settled thousands of years ago, and reached its zenith in the first and second centuries AD.  It remained an important port until the fifth century. However, by the time it was abandoned in the middle ages it was little more than a village.

The main drag through Ephesus

We follow in the path of ancient Greeks and Romans down streets of marble stones polished by two thousand years of footsteps.  A walk along a colonnaded arcade  brings us to an ancient 25,000 seat amphitheater built into a hillside.   It is believed to be the largest theater in the ancient world.  Plays, concerts, poetry readings, speeches and gladiator bouts  entertained patrons for over two thousand years.  Sting played here in the 90s.  Katherine McDowell even recited Shakespeare here in 2012.

Kate holds forth in the amphitheater 

 We wander among the tumbled ruins of ancient fountains, houses and shops in the Agora.  Fragments of towering columns,  great arches, and mortarless stone walls stand as reminders of this once great city.   Slaves, saints and sinners called it home.  Once an important seaport, Ephesus  fell victim to siltation of its harbor from the nearby river and the remains of the city is now miles inland.   Abandoned in the Middle Ages, Ephesus was literally buried by the sands of time.  Today as we pass, the ancient stones bake in the afternoon sun.

Hadrian's  Gate

The remains of the Celsus library

Ephesus; where  visitors and residents  were a veritable who's who of the ancient world including:  Heraclitus, a pre-socratic philosopher (the expression, "Know thyself", has been attributed to him), Zeuxis a 5th century BC painter,  Agasias, a 2nd century BC sculptor, Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaianus, founder of the Celsus library in the 1st century AD and Manuel Philes a 13th century AD Byzantine poet.  ( I know you never heard of any of them but you should look them up).  Later such luminaries as St John, St. Paul (Bible type people) visited or lived here.  Even  Mary (yes, that Mary) is said to have lived here in her last days

Medusa pediment over a fountain 
(Don't be fooled as countless have...the Afro is made of snakes...so beware)

Ephesus was an important site even as far back as the 8th century BC.   Here, too, is found the remains of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the Temple of Artemis.  The temple now lies in ruins and rubble with one lone column still standing to mark the spot. 

Antipater of Sidon, who compiled the list of the Seven Wonders, describes the finished temple: " I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus: but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy", and I said, " Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand".

Statue of Mary  (I have included this as a tribute to Deb's mom.)

TURKEY-FIRST IMPRESSION

Karacabey at night

Turkey has leaped into the 21^st century with both feet.  Modern highways whisk cars, trucks and buses to all corners of the nation.  Skyscrapers dot the skyline of every major city. (However, I am not too impressed with the architecture.  I am equally unimpressed with traffic engineers). Supermarkets, gas stations,  and outlet malls are on every corner. Urban factories churn out cars, washing machines and TVs.  Every man, woman and child seems to have a cell phone, every guesthouse has Wi-Fi, and English is spoken almost everywhere. 

Deli case at the local supermarket

Karacabey main square

At the same time,  village life goes on much as it has for thousands of years.   Olive trees dot the hillsides.  Fields full of tomatoes, cucumbers and squash cover every bit of arable land. Near the coast acres of hothouses look like snow on the ground.  Flocks of sheep graze every patch of available forage.  Little old ladies in babushkas and wildly patterned balloon pants and skirts ride  tractors alongside  their husbands and sons who are invariably clothed in horizontal striped sweaters, dark vests and snap-brim caps.  Their dour faces look like dried apples parched and wrinkled from years in the sun (and possibly too many cigarettes).

Despite their generally dour appearance, the Turks are friendly and helpful.   Throw out a few words of Turkish  and one is rewarded with a big smile and a new friend.   Although generally very quiet, the Turks become gregarious with a little encouragement (or a few drinks). We feel very safe here and Turkey is one of the easiest places we have traveled.

Countryside on the way to Izmir

Room for one more?

My impression of the food here is mixed.  Most rooms come with a breakfast of cheese, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, jam, boiled egg, and tea or coffee.  The bread is usually white and tasteless.  However, the cheese is usually a very good feta or cheddar. In a few places we have had some of the best yogurt I have ever had. I am not fond of boiled eggs and am already tired of the breakfast here being a granola and fruit kind of guy.  Restaurant food is good if one takes the time to find where the locals eat.  Lamb and chicken predominate and we have had some great fish as well.  The best food has been in locansas which is the local equivalent of a diner.  The mezzes or appetizers are served cold but are a vegetarian's delight with eggplant, beans, tomatoes, and olives.  Salads are fresh and dressed with lemon and oil and, as a bonus, safe to eat.

City goats grab a bite

A happy? local

Driving in Turkey is an adventure but no more so than driving in New York or Los Angeles.   Turks, like good race car drivers, treat the other moving objects on the road as static obstacles to weave amongst.  To the casual observer, the Turkish style of driving looks crazy, but when one finds the rhythm of the street, it is actually predictable, relatively safe, and  a fun place to drive.  (Deb probably disagrees with this last statement).  Roads are good and well signed but cities can be difficult to navigate.  However, our new best friend (our GPS), whom we have dubbed Lady Garmin, guides us in and out of the cities.  Also, she somewhat reliably finds us diesel when we are low on fuel, a place to spend the night and restaurants when we are hungry.

Horse carts compete with automobiles

Turkey has not been my favorite place to travel but it is growing on me.  So far we have seen some spectacular antiquities, some beautiful beaches and dramatic landscapes. The Turquoise Coast is among the best in the world.  The mountains, which often plunge directly into the sea,  are barren on top and pine or scrub clad at lower elevations.  The condition of the antiquities doesn't  compare to other places we've been but the history oozes from the stones under our feet  

Sunset over the mountains