The Imam wakes me with his morning prayer. We were told that the Muslims believe that the end of the world will happen somewhere between sunrise and sunset, so the sunrise prayer is the longest prayer, trying to put off the day for as long as possible. Likewise, the sunset prayer is very short, to get it all over and done with. Clever.
Today we visit the "Cotton Castles" and the ancient city of Hierapolis. This ancient city is situated next to the thermal springs of Pamukkale, and was a popular spa in it's days. Pieces of the Hierapolis puzzle is scattered across the area, with the theatre being built in 200 BC, and the best preserved. Niel took a walk up to the theatre area. The plans are to restore the theatre to its full former glory. It would certainly be an impressive theatre when it is finished!
I was however more interested in the "Cotton Castles". White travertine terraces that have formed as water from the hot springs run down the slopes of the mountain. So the same water that turned the rocks in the thermal pools at the hotel a reddish colour, turn these travertine terraces a snowy white. It happens as the warm water loses carbon dioxide as it flows down the slopes, leaving deposits of limestone. And so you end up with layers of white calcium carbonate. And the answer is No - I don't understand any of it, but I found it just breathtakingly beautiful. So while the rest of the tour group milled around Cleopatra's pool (even though Cleopatra had never been there!), I headed straight for the terraces. At some stage, people were allowed to swim in the pools formed on the terraces. But then the white started turning black. It took a while to figure out that it was the suntan lotions used by the bathers that caused this. And so, now, you are only allowed to walk there.
After spending a good while losing myself in the beauty of white and blue, I headed back up to the top of the mountain, where a very energetic dog met us barking rather loudly. This is the thing about Turkiye. At all these large tourist attractions, there are always either cats or dogs who clearly frequent the areas, hoping for scraps of food, or perhaps a loving pet. And so, at Pamukkale, dogs were the local "guardians". We very quickly realized that Rufus, my new dog friend, assumed the protector role over Susan and I. And as we walked in search of more views of the beautiful terraces, Rufus kept on circling around us, scanning the area for potential danger, and barking at Eddie if he dared come near us. I cannot help wonder why a dog would adopt someone so very quickly, and then be that protective over those persons.
I could have stayed on those terraces all day, but there is more to be seen yet. On the bus, Ilker kept us awake by telling us about how the Turks are not really keen on joining the European Union. Turkiye's average age is 29years. So there are many young, educated guys and girls who can help build the country. If they join the union, these young people will venture out to other European countries, whilst older, retired people of other European countries might come and settle in Turkiye. Not exactly what they want. Besides, this might also cause a decrease in the strong work ethics. They also don't like all the standards set by the EU. Ilker's best example is that of tomatoes. Turks place huge emphasis on the taste of things. They don't really care what a tomato looks like. But they certainly care about what it tastes like. And to them the EU standards are quick to say that a tomato should be perfectly round, and a certain size and colour, but there is nothing that says that it should actually taste nice as well. I like this mentality.
I never realized how tiring these tours can be, and over supper, I can see that everyone is a bit less energetic as usual. It's a good thing we get to spend two nights here. Somehow, not having to do the luggage ritual might make a difference.
Did you know: The Moon and star on the Turkish flag, really depicts the Moon and Venus. And we are told that, once every 40 years, the moon and Venus appear like this - effectively in the same place, so it looks like Venus is in the centre of the moon. The Turks call this the Turkish year.
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