Yesterday morning we headed up the hill to Pamukkale, but this time we learned our lesson and drove to the top! We began our exploration of Heiroplois, the ruins situated on top of the cliff that were built near the geological formations. The city is immense, and the Turkish government is in the process of working with the Italian government to restore them. Everything was quite lovely, but after seeing the ruins in Aphrodisias it was not quite as interesting. We had fun exploring, but then we headed to the main attraction - the white rocks and aqua pools of healing waters. The mountain side appears to be covered in snow, but it is simply the elements in the water that built up over time. The healing properties of these waters is still touted, and you can pay an additional fee to swim in the pools with the ruins. Unfortunately we did not have time, but we did take 20 minutes to soak our feet, with Dr. Fish. I've heard of these fish before, but never seen them. Basically, you put your feet (and hands if you want) in an aquarium of small black fish and they eat away the dead skin cells. It also has other health benefits like increase circulation, but I just thought it would be fun to try. It does tickle for about the first 3 minutes, but then you get used to it. Next we hopped in the car for the final leg of the driving portion of our trip. We arrived in Izmir in the evening, dropped of the rental car at the airport and caught a taxi to our hotel. This is where we met up with the wedding folks. After a quick change, we walked over to Erkut's (the hubby) parents house for a sumptuous Turkish feast. Everything was delicious and we all ate way too much. Dinner was a three hour affair, and we were all pretty tired when we got back to the hotel.
This morning was a Turkish holiday kurban bayrami, so we walked back to Ragip and Nilofer's house for a special Turkish breakfast that was chock full of yummy dishes, my favorite being a special type of sausage - sojuk. We even learned a new phrase "iyi bayramlar" (pronounced ee buyrum lar) which means happy holiday, which we used to many Turks surprise for the next four days as that is how long the holiday lasts. We hung out at their apartment for a while, and then they drove us all to Cesme, a seaside town about an hour away where they have a vacation home they use during the summer. We relaxed in the sun and chatted and then took a drive around to see the town. Then it was onto a carpet shop whose owner is friends with Erkut's father. Well, what can I say, the price was right, so I bought a rug! It was so unusual that I couldn't resist. It is relatively small, and is a patchwork of old kilims that are 30-40 years old. In Turkey, there are to kinds of carpets - rug carpets and kilim carpets. Rug carpets are what you think of when you think of a rug, it is made by tying knots and has a pile (ie it is thicker and softer but when you put heavy furniture on it, it leaves an impression). A kilim on the other hand, is woven and is generally a little more coarse, but can be packed up very easily and can be washed in a washing machine. Generally, I like the older kilims because they were woven by women back in the day to be used towards their dowry and are all unique. Whereas many of the new carpets you can find in any carpet shop in Turkey. All in all, I'm very happy with my purchase. Next it was onto a huge meal at a seafood restaurant which could have been disastrous as I do not like seafood, but there were so many dishes that there was no way I could go hungry. I was even convinced to try the main dish, a huge grouper that was freshly caught and baked in a solid shell of rock salt, and to be honest it wasn't that bad. I told Vicki (mama of the bride) that if I didn't know it was fish, I might have even liked it more, most because it didn't really taste of fish! After this three hour meal, it was back to the parent's apartment for dessert for another two hours of visiting and meeting some more family. At this point I am so full aNd tired it is hard to stay awake!
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