Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Turkey Travel Diary - Part 3: Pamukkale, Bodrum and Ephesus

After visiting the Cappadocia, our next stop was Pamukkale. Pamukkale is a small town famous for its lime pools (nature made!) Bathing in these pools is a one-of-a-kind experience, and if you get the chance to visit, definitely do! The pools are jam-packed with people during the day so I advise you to go around 6pm or later.

Sadly, the natural pools have been closed off due to people damaging them so we weren't able to swim in those. However, the artificially created pools are quite nice too (not the same as the originals, but I'll take 'em!)


We also got to see the dervish dance! It felt a bit touristy and not that traditional as it might've been in Konya (our stop between Cappadocia and Pamukkale). In Konya it's traditionally performed every other day in caves, which makes the whole experience more authentic. 
However, it was great seeing what it was like!


After spending two nights in Pamukkale, we took off for Bodrum. Let me tell you something about Bodrum: it's awesome for partying (which I wasn't there to do) but too crowded for my taste. It's a beautiful touristy town but I definitely recommend to check out Göltürkbükü (difficult name to remember) if you want to spend a whole day under the sun.

The beaches are made of rock, which I prefer since the water is way more clear than if you go to sandy beaches.  We were able to rent a deck chair literally two steps from the sea for 30 turkish liras (=10€ approx.) which included food, drinks and the rent of the chair itself! (sweet deal, right?)



Our last destination (before going back to Istanbul for our return flight) was Ephesus! Ephesus is the ruins of an ancient Greek city which has so much history you will be fascinated. There's a site that was supposed to be Mary's last home (The House of Virgin Mary), as well as what I loved the most: The Library of Celsus (of which now only remains the façade).

We spent the night in Selçuk, in an adorable and charming hotel called Boomerang Guesthouse, which I strongly recommend if you're going to visit Ephesus. The family that owns the hotel also owns the restaurant beside it and they are extremely lovely!




And this is the end of our trip :)
Let me know what you think about Turkey, these 3-post series or what you had for lunch!

<3
M.

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