So on a whim, Chrissie, Morgan, and I decided to grab the overnight Pamukkale Express train to Pamukkale (in SW Turkey). 15 hours later, we were there. On the train, we met a guy who was going home, and he invited the 3 of us to his place for breakfast. We were a little hesitant, but decided to take him up on the much-talked-about Turkish hospitality. I’m so glad we did, because it made finding the bus from Denizli to Pamukkale much easier, and when we arrived, his mother and sister had been cooking an amazing flat bread with what looked to be spinach in it…. cheese, veggies, tea, along with a sweet flat bread and rose jam made for an amazing and filling brunch. They called up one of their friends who work at the Venus Motel, and hooked us up with a very nice room for the night.
After a short nap (the train ride was not very restful at all…) we decided to grab a Fanta and head up to check out Pamukkale and Hierapolis. After paying 5ytl to get in, we had to take off our shoes and start walking up the path. Right away, we noticed there were an unusual amount of people just walking around in their bathing suits…. After rounding a corner, we see why. The travertine terraced pools are right in the middle of the path, and people are lounging everywhere in the cool water. So we strip down and do the same…. A couple of hours in the sunshine and cool water was just what we needed. We strolled to the top of the hill next to check out Hierapolis, an old Roman city dating back to 190BC. Amazing ruins there, and some more Greek ruins at the bottom of the hill. We again took off our shoes and headed back down the travertine pools to catch the sunset off the water…. Not a bad experience for only 5ytl!!!
Dinner at the Venus Motel was amazing, and after lentil soup, lamb meatballs, and a bottle of Efes, we were off to bed…..
The next morning we had the hotel arrange a taxi for us through the mountains to Afrodisias, ruins of an ancient Greek town, dating back as early as 5000BC. The structures that are standing today are from around the 6th Century BC. We had a ton of fun running around doing mock races in the stadium, and acting out plays on the stage of the theatre, and pretending to be statues…. After a good few hours there, we had our taxi driver drop us off at the train station to catch another overnight back to Istanbul. A little better sleep on the train this time around…. But I think I’m just about ready for a nap now. Enjoy the photos!!!
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