Turkey, the Eclipse & Vienna in 2006
April 2: Pamukkale to Kusadasi

Pamukkale, Aphrodisias & carpet buying

 

March 24
Istanbul

March 25
More in Istanbul

March 26
And more of Istanbul
March 27
Istanbul to Antalya
March 28
Antalya to Olympos
March 29
ECLIPSE DAY
March 30
Olympos to Kalkan
March 31
Kalkan to Fethiye

April 1
Fethiye to Pamukkale

April 3
Kusadasi to Istanbul
April 4
Istanbul
April 6
Vienna
 
In the morning we went to Pamukkale to see the travertine pools. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site but that labelling doesn't seem to mean protection. It seems that the hotels below the pools take the water for their special bathing pools so now the water does not flow as it did until eight years ago. Through photos we can imagine was it was like and can hope that the situation will be changed.
         
Leaving the pools we made a brief photo stop at Hierapolis. Then we went to Aphrodisias which is wonderfully preserved with ongoing work taking place and very few tourists. The city is dedcated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
         
         
The odeum here is beautifully preserved and we had it all to ourselves. We were treated to lovely solo vocal performances by our guide Mahmut and 13 year old Winsome from Australia. The sky was blue and spring flowers were blooming. It felt as though we had been transported to another time and place.
         
         
Then it was back to reality with a visit to a carpet showroom/factory. This was very educational and the carpets were beautiful. Several members of our group made purchases.
         

And the day ended with a gorgeous sunset over the Aegean Sea. Bliss!