Day 8: Pamukkale to Antalya

 One of our party had booked the balloon trip – up at 5:00 am and back for breakfast. On our way to breakfast we caught sight of the tail end of the adventure: the balloons look like tiny bubbles. She said it was fabulous.

Our visit to Pamukkale was in two parts, firstly the spa water springs where the evaporated minerals gave the appearance of a huge snow field.

To put scale to it we need some people. Our party was encouraged to join the general throng paddling in the waters. We didn’t join them as we were warned the surface was slippery, as if to emphasise that we observed several take a tumble and getting wet.

From below, it looks like a snowy mountain behind us.

Right next to the spa are the ruins of the city Hieropolis, founded by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC and which flourished under Roman rule several centuries later. It’s inextricable tied up with the spa as many came to take the waters and ended up staying. We start with the usual amphitheatre,  and, although we’ve seen plenty, this is magnificent.

And now the main street, a long elegant highway originally flanked by buildings. The shadow is the entrance arch.

This building is better preserved: it’s the latrine. Its use has perhaps endowed the structure with preservative qualities.

The arch here is part of what was the city wall and one of the main entrances.

Just outside the city wall is the necropolis or cemetery. This was the largest in Asia Minor (Turkey) in the ancient world and came about because of the number of ailing people who came for the spa benefits and stayed. Clearly the spa didn’t result in many miraculous cures.

Late morning, we’re on the bus and heading for Antalya, our last destination.