Turkey | Alanya | The Brilliant White Travertines of Pamukkale

Hello everyone! I’m back with a new post about a wonderful country I visited. Turkey is the meeting place between different worlds and cultures. The variety of Turkey is an eternal opportunity of astonishment for its visitors. Here you can see landscapes of incredible natural beauty, spectacular ancient places, towns and villages that offer gorgeous architectural samples from Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Here you will find 8000 km of coastline, countless sandy beaches and modern holiday resorts. You can try delicious local food, drinks and fine wines.

“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” Lawrence Block

This time, my husband and I have decided to go to Antalya, more precisely in Alanya, which is a tourist resort of a ravishing beauty. We packed our suitcases and almost completely oblivious, we flew to Turkey.

During our stay in Alanya, we chose a one-day trip to Pamukkale. Our trip from Alanya to Pamukkale began with an early morning pick up from the hotel where we were staying. We went by bus approximately 6 hours to Pamukkale. In Turkish, Pamukkale means “cotton castle”.

When we arrived, we were really impressed by what we saw around us. It was like something from a fairy tale. Although the temperatures were quite high at the arrival time, we were so eager to explore the place. And of course, we started with the famous travertines. The calcium travertines of Pamukkale are one of a kind. This area forms a truly unreal landscape. The immaculate white limestone terraces, considered by the Turks as "the 8th Wonder of the World", raise reactions of wonder and contemplation. We were impressed to see how the water slides gently over the terraces and fills the places. These thermal springs have been known since the Roman period for their therapeutic qualities. The view was absolutely stunning.

So let's see what you can do in Pamukkale. Terraces can be crossed from top to bottom only if you take off your shoes. On the edges the limestone is perfectly dry, and besides the pools the water flows smoothly and does not exceed the ankles of an adult. Besides walking through the terraces, Pamukkale offers a great history lesson. You can admire the ruins of an entire city, the remains of the gates, the theaters and the temples.

The history of Pamukkale also links to the name of the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. Near the limestone terraces, there is a thermal water pool called Cleopatra. The legend says that Cleopatra itself bathed in those waters to keep her young. Because we wanted to stay young and beautiful, we chose to try this pool. The water in the pool has a constant temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. On its bottom can be seen columns and other ruins of the ancient city Hierapolis. It's a unique experience in life, especially when you hear the legend that says a bath in the ancient pool will rejuvenate you for 10 years.

Upon return, on our way to the hotel, we also visited a small vineyard where we tasted the aromatic Turkish wines.
Turkish food is very versatile and does not leave you indifferent. We tried various traditional Turkish dishes, such as Kumpir, a baked potato with various fillings. You can not leave Turkey without enjoying the flavors and ingredients of an authentic Kebab. We liked the sweet Baklava, one of the most popular Turkish desserts in the world. And of course let's not forget to mention about the Turkish delight, called lokum. We tried different flavors. I can say it's as good as they say. I prefer strawberry flavor lokum.

This is a must do trip, you will be very glad to see these natural and historical beauties of Pamukkale.

With love,
Krystine