Pamukkale

   This past weekend, we enjoyed our first Rotary trip in almost 3 months. We journeyed south for 3 hours to the renowned heated, terraced pools of Pamukkale. The bus ride down wasn't much to speak of. The pit stop we took on the other hand is worth describing. We stopped at the ancient city of Afrodesias. Now of course the little boy inside me snickered at this name for an apparent reason. The name actually derives from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. This city was very well known for its marble sculptures  and it showed. The museum is filled with incredibly detailed, pale busts of ancient stories. Stone slabs depicting myths and legends, as well as well known figures of the time filled the display hall. Some of the sculptures were so intricate you could see the textures of cold, stone veins hidden underneath an epidermis of marble. After leaving the museum, we walked the grounds. A wonderfully preserved temple materialized from behind a grove of trees. But the real masterpiece was the stadium. Now this wasn't exactly the Colosseum of Rome, but it sure was breathtaking. Said to have seated 20 thousand back in it's time, needless to say it was huge. I scaled down the aisle way to the grassy surface and imagined all of the events that took place here. Races, gladiator battles, and so much more. The tunnels where the champions marched through were still open to the outside. Us exchange students even had a small race of our own, whose victor was your's truly. All of us were in awe of how well preserved the stadium was. Next we moved on to the theater, which was like similar to the other theaters we had seen along our travels. I was elected to go test the acoustics  and then was commanded to sing. To which I belted the classic, "Stand by Me," which was received with modest applause from my admirers in the top row. I would definitely say that Afrodesias is one of my more favored ancient cities that we have visited.

  After Afrodesias we went to our hotel, and were given ample time to unwind and relax. This task was much easier than expected since in the basement of the hotel, there was a pool that was heated by the hot springs of the surrounding area. To top things off, there was a Swedish-styled sauna that we commandeered and held exclusively as our own. After turning to prunes, and sweating like pigs we hauled our limp bodies out of the pool and went to dry off for dinner, which was a pleasant affair. Again we went to relax in the pools before nodding off to a very deep sleep.

   The next morning I woke feeling more rested than I had the entire time I'd been here. The day started early with a continental breakfast, followed by a speedy packing and swift departure. Our first and only stop would be Heirapolis, an ancient city from the Greek empire, but was also used by Romans and the Byzantine. We started out in the necropolis, which was a walkway flanked on either side by multiple tombs. As we marched further into the city, we left the dead behind. Soon we got to the main road of the town, which was still in great condition for thousands of years old. To the left, a public bath stood, on the right, rows of Corinthian columns stood which outlined the small merchant shops that would have sold a variety of goods so many years ago. At the end of the road, we needed to tromp back through a snail infested, wild flower covered patch of grass. Getting back to the main tourist path, it led us to a cliff. This wasn't any ordinary cliff. White stone terraces of calcium blinded the eye. Pale blue water collected in the pools formed after a millenia. We kicked our shoes off, rolled up our pant legs, and walked out to wade through the pools. The water flowing to the pools were also thermally heated, so each one was a nice luke warm temperature. I scooped up some of the calcium from the bottom of the pool and painted my face with it. Sadly we had to leave fairly quickly, but we had a nice amount of time to check out the white cliffs of Pamukkale.

   Overall this was by far the most relaxing trip we have gone on. The hot springs were amazing, and the ancient sites were amazing too. Swimming among sunken ruins, relaxing in saunas, and the fact that it wasn't raining all made the trip absolutely amazing. If any of you come to Turkey, I highly suggest going there.

 The Necropolis at Heiriopolis

The Sunken Ruins

 Group shot

White cliffs of Pamukkale

Hosca Kal
-Torvald