September 18, 2025 - Kusadasi to Pamukkale, Turkey

We traveled again today, but I thought you should see our suite at the Palmin Hotel in Kusadasi town. It was really a resort hotel with a couple of large swimming pools and even a water slide! We did go by the pool once, but the water was too cold for Tobey and me! Shari was brave and swam laps!


Our first stop was to see a leather fashion show and salesroom. Models walked the runway showing us several of the styles of coats and jackets.

Then came the audience participation. Tobey was a good sport!


Afterwards we had time to look through the showroom. Several of the women on the tour ended up with leather coats and jackets, but we just enjoyed looking!

Next stop was the village of Sirince and a wine tasting event at the Artemis Restaurant. This area is pretty well known for their fruit wines. We tried a few, but we really aren't wine drinkers, so we were not tempted to buy any!
We had the opportunity to walk all around the village, up and down the narrow cobblestone streets. While it looked larger than the village we visited a couple days ago, the population is less than 500 people! (and about 1000 cats!!!)

It was really fun to see the houses, little shops, and art as we walked.

Wine, jams, and clothing - what more could you want?




Drying pomegranates


One of the things you see all over Turkey is the Nazar Bancuk, or often referred to as the "evil eye." It symbolizes the jealous and envious look of others. According to popular belief, it would have the power to cause misfortunes to a person or his property. Turkish people believe that this amulet protects its holder from the bad energies by absorbing them. There were several imbedded in the walkway and on the walls of the buildings.

We had lunch at the Mercan Restaurant.

One of the dishes we tried was stuffed pumpkin blossoms. They were different, filled with seasoned bulgur rice. We don't have to order them again, but we were glad we tried them.




We also ordered the manti, which is a Turkish meat stuffed ravioli. It was delicious! The sauce is made from brown butter, caramelized tomato sauce, and garlicy yogurt. It was delicious and a fun experience. I may have to practice this recipe!

This was a fun seating area we walked by on our way back to the bus.

We did get ice cream, but it's a bit unusual. It's got more of a marshmallow consistency. The flavor was sour cherry and vanilla, which was good, but I don't need to order ice cream again. We also saw one of the Turkish coffee stands. They actually heat the coffee over hot sand. We're not coffee drinkers, so we will just assume it's good.
Back on the bus we had a long drive to our next hotel in Pamukkale, Turkey. We passed what looked like a geothermal power plant.
Scenery on the way

We had our first views of the Pamukkale travertines which we will visit tomorrow.
Once we settled into the hotel, part of the group took an optional excursion to see the Whirling Dervish dancing, but we stayed behind and went into the thermal hot pool. It helped relax those tired muscles! Dinner was at the hotel, buffet style, then we returned to our room. Tomorrow we visit the Travertines and historic site of Pamukkale.