September 19, 2025 - Pamukkale to Antalya, Turkey

Before leaving the hotel this morning we saw more than 10 hot air balloons going over. They came from the directions we were heading, so I am sure they had beautiful views of what we were about to see!
After a short drive we arrived at Pamukkale, a UNESCO World Heritage site (1988). The official name is Hierapolis-Pamukkale.)After entering the site we passed some of the ruins on the way to the travertine pools. Pamukkale means "cotton castle" in Turkish and is a natural site that is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing thermal spring water. Much of the warm, calcium-rich water that built the travertines has now been diverted to other uses, so today, most of the travertine cliffs do not flow with an abundance of water that they once did. They actually control the flow to different areas throughout the day!

This area is one where visitors are allowed to walk and swim. You must be barefoot or with socks - no shoes allowed so you don't damage the travertine. Some in our group went down, we did not.
This area was off-limits to going in and the colors were beautiful.

Here you can see the calcium formations - and the large empty pools at the bottom!



Hierapolis is an ancient city located on the top of Pamukkale and has a mix of Pagan, Roman, Jewish, and early Christian influences. Since the hot springs were used as a spa since the 2nd century, people came to soothe their ailments and often retire and die. The ruins sprawl over a large area and there is a large necropolis (cemetery) with sarcophagi.

Most of the complex was constructed in the 2nd century. Much of the area is still being excavated and many of the statues were taken to museums around the world. In 1970, a museum was built onsite. We did our best in our time there to see the highlights.

We trekked up to the Roman Theater. The first theater built was destroyed by an earthquake, so the second one was hollowed out of a slope in the mountain. Most of the stage is still visible, as well as some decorative panels and statues. It could hold between 12,000-15,000 people!
Very nearby is the Temple of Apollo. Only the foundation of the original temple remains.
We stopped at the Plutonium which is located next to the Temple of Apollo and is the oldest sanctuary and acted as a shrine to the god of the underworld, Hades or known also as Pluto. There is a small cave, large enough for one person to enter. Stairs lead down where underground geological activity causes the emission of toxic carbon monoxide. It was thought that the god of the underworld was sending the gas to kill people.


We continued on to the Necropolis which extends over two kilometers and is one of the best preserved in Turkey.


This is the gate Frontinus (or Dolmitian) Gate at Frontinus Street. We could see the dips in the middle of the stones caused by an earthquake.


There are over 1200 tombs constructed from limestone which dates back to the Hellenistic period (323BC-32BC). There were different types of graves - simple ones for the common people, sarcophagi for the wealthy (most made with decorated marble and inscriptions), circular burial grounds for the wealthy with vaulted chambers and family graves with vaulted chambers, monuments and small temples!




We made our way back down the hill to visit the museum. There are rooms and outdoor displays. It is overwhelming to see and hard to decide which pictures to share!




Around noon we were back on the bus and heading to our lunch stop before making our way to Antalya. This was one of the more unusual things we spotted on the way. At our rest stop, there was a drive through tractor wash station!

The scenery changed and we climbed higher in elevation.

We passed rock quarries and huge greenhouse areas.

We are at the Khan Hotel for three nights and once again we lucked into a "suite" of sorts. It has a small sitting area with a sofa and TV (which we have yet to use anywhere!), a large bedroom, bathroom and dressing area. This is the view from our balcony. We look out over a mosque (which we can hear the call to prayer from FIVE times a day) to the Mediterranean Sea!

Tomorrow we head to the sea for swimming and a cable car ride up the mountain, so we are off to bed before another action packed day!