Pamukkale

Walking across the travertine formations (no shoes allowed)

Our most recent sailing trip was from Kaş to Marmaris which is about 100 miles up the coast in order to arrange some boat work.  After Talaria was put on the hard in Kaş last September the starboard fuel tank started leaking.  Captain Andrea cleaned it all up but we now have to replace the starboard tank.  Marmaris has a big boat yard with many skilled workers able to complete just about any boat task.  Kaş does not have that capability.  Our friends made the trip with us and we all decided to visit Pamukkale since it was close by.  It turned out to be a rather rainy, cool day but we wanted to go while we had the opportunity.  Pamukkale in Turkish means "cotton castle" - more on that later.

The Cotton Castle

 

 What you see is the result of calcite rich thermal springs trickling down the mountain and leaving behind deposits.  The deposits formed travertine shelves and small mineral rich thermal pools.  However, the principal crop in the region is cotton.  So the Turkish legend is that the formations are actually the cotton that giants left out to dry. Hence, the name - Cotton Castle 😊.

Thermal pool

What is true is that folks have been visiting the thermal springs for thousands of years.  The ancient city of Hierapolis was built at the top of the mountain overlooking the formations.  It was founded as a healing center due to the thermal springs.  Now the whole area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Hierapolis ruins are well preserved and vast.  

Walking through the Necropolis (cemetery)

The ruins include a very large necropolis and the preserved gates to the city.  At one point in time this was a very large city.  The Jewish population purportedly was around 50,000.  Eventually, it became primarily a Christian city.  The apostle Paul had a church built here and the apostle Phillip is said to have spent the last years of his life here. 

The entrance gates to the city (notice the inscription)

 As an added bonus to this wonderful day the wildflowers were in full bloom.  Poppies everywhere.  So beautiful!

Little red poppies

Although Hierapolis was built on a mountain it seemed to us a much better site than Sagalassos.  It was more like a plateau, suitable for growing crops, rather than just the steep face of a mountain.  And, of course, there was that built in spa.  What could be better! 

The road through the city gates

As with most sites in Turkey, you could easily while away an entire day here but we just spent a few hours as we had to drive those mountain roads back to Kaş.   Mountains, mountains everywhere.

This is the last outing for awhile as we have to get to work now.  We need to find someone to paint the boat and replace the fuel tank.  In Kaş, we were unable to do anything on the boat at all - such as washing the boat or cleaning teak.  They have very strict rules and do not allow any soap in the water (biodegradable or not).  Marmaris is a bit more lenient so we have some serious cleaning to do.  They say that cruising means working on your boat in exotic places - there is much truth in that statement!

Sagalassos

Upper Agora (public space for markets, etc...)

On the way to Cappadocia we spent the night in Konya.  Konya is the home of the whirling dervishes but there was no "whirling" going on when we passed through -Covid strikes again.  Konya is a very religious Muslim city and at the time was also a Covid hotbed.  So we sprayed everything down with lysol and stayed in our rooms.  On the way back from Cappadocia we took a different route so we could go visit the ruins of Sagalassos. We had a room booked at the Sagalassos Lodge and Spa in the tiny town of Ağlasun (the town was named after Sagalassos).  You could actually see the ruins on the top of the mountain from the lodge.  Driving to the lodge and the next day to the ruins was quite the experience.  Steep and narrow mountain roads with no guardrails!!!  You just cross your fingers and pray that you do not meet another vehicle on the road.  As it turned out we were the only customers in the lodge that night so we were treated royally.  They actually cooked us a nice meal complete with appetizers and a lovely desert.  The meal was topped off with a nice bottle of wine.  It was so nice to be able to sit inside and eat without worrying about being near other people - especially after a long day of driving.  That night the wind howled and the temperature dropped.  In the morning the wind was still howling and it was cold.  But being the brave souls that we are we drove up that mountain anyway.  Sagalassos sits on top of a mountain in the Taurus mountain range at 1700 meters (5,577 feet).  Now first you marvel at how in the world they even built that city up there and secondly you wonder why?  

The ancient road coming into the city

 

Supposedly, the answer to "Why" is defense.  They thought that the top of the mountain would be an easily defensible position.  That turned out not to be true as Alexander the Great who was on his way to conquer Persia thought - oh what the heck why not conquer Sagalassos as well.  After all its on the way.  And he did conquer the city - so much for the "defensible" position.  In the end, after earthquakes, pandemics and other tragedies the folks did finally abandon the mountaintop city and move into the valley.  

Nymphaneum

 

It is hard for me to even fathom how much labor went into constructing this city.  Such opulence and skill.  And the vastness of the ruins give credence to how very large the city was in its heydey.

One of the many statues found

It must have been a majestic site to behold, looking up at that city on the mountain.  And to demonstrate how clever they were the archeologists reconstructed their water system in the Nymphaneum (what a word).

Water collection

 As it turns out we were the only tourists at the ruins that day.  No wonder considering how cold it was up there with the bone chilling wind.  Of course, the pandemic now keeps everyone away.  The only worker there that day was the ticket guy.  Thats it - no gift shop, no hot coffee... nada.  You could easily spend a full day walking around there but we did not.  A fairly quick look around and back to the warm car for the trip back down the mountain.

Vast ruins (this is actually only a very small part)

One thing we did not consider when we chose this route back to Kaş was coming over the mountains back to the coast.  Coming over the mountain into Kaş was a white knuckle experience.  Deidre, Michael and I were all glad it was Steve's turn to drive!  For the most part the roads in Turkey are very good but those mountain roads with their blind turns, numerous switch backs, no shoulder, no guardrails and no run off lane are treacherous.  And did I mention that they are incredibly narrow.  It seemed like it took at least a full hour to get down the mountain to the coast.  But thats Turkey - one mountain after another. 

Cappadocia - Turkey

Fairy Chimneys

 Our goal is to make good use of our time here in Turkey and see as much of the country as we can (in between boat projects).  Our good friends from Canada are here as well so we all decided to take a trip inland to an area called Cappadocia.  The region is known for its unusual rock formations and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Turkey is a very mountainous country with significant volcanic activity in  the very distant past.  As in 60 million years past!  That is when Cappadocia started to form.  Prior to that there were a series of volcanic eruptions with the ash and lava slowly falling down the Taurus mountains.  Eventually, over the years wind and water erosion carved out this ethereal region.  

Cave dwellings

 

 Early on troglodytes carved their homes in the stones.  And then later the area became a hidey hole for Christians trying to evade persecution.  There is one whole section that is just old "cave churches".  It begs the question as to why there was a need to put several churches right next to each other?

Drawings on side of cave dwelling

 

 

 

Something to ponder.  You could spend days just hiking all the trails running through the national park or you could do what most folks do and take a hot air balloon ride to get a birds eye view of the area.  

Balloons over Görme National Park

We opted for a little of both.  A sunrise hot air balloon ride and later in the day a hike through Red Valley.  Of course, we are in the middle of a pandemic but due to that our balloon ride was a bargain - as was the rate for the cave hotel (Azure Cave Suites).  

As I mentioned nowadays most folks live in houses and the only people in caves are tourists - for the most part that is true.  But there are still some cave dwellers.  I suppose they have always been there, before the area became known as a national park.

 

Cave House

 This place looks more like a "cave complex" rather than just a house.  Just grandfathered into the area I guess.  

Red Valley

 It is fascinating is seeing all the different types of rock.  All from different volcanoes, different lava.  It is like stepping onto a different planet, you are left to marvel at the force and beauty of Mother Nature.  

Cappadocia was never on our bucket list.  As a matter of fact we never even thought of visiting Turkey but fate put us here and we are loving this adventure.  We are so excited to see what else there is to see in Turkey - since we really did not plan this trip its all a nice surprise😊.