Adding pictures around the thermal pool.
In the shade!
Story later !

Up at 7.30am to meet the bus at 8.45am,
I don't really want to go any further.
Quite content with where I am thank you.
But ...
Onwards.

Goodbye to that glorious view.

Driving to Pamukkale today.
Stopped for lunch at the most beautiful farm side restaurant.grape vines everywhere.
Even a garden and open roof in the centre of the women's toilets.
Looked spectacular and cool!

Watched some teenage girls with their grandmother string lots and lots of chillies together to later hang to dry. They were sitting in the shade of an enormous tree.
( Reminded me of podding peas with Auntie Meryl.)

Then I heard a bird so there I am looking everywhere at this beautiful outside stone hut
( which also served as a souvenir shop ) The bird was making the most beautiful sound.
The grandmother points me in the direction of the grandfather in the hut, playing birds sounds on this little pottery pipe.
I bought two.

( Just as well he wasn't selling leather jackets!)

After lunch, a 5 minute drive to Aphrodisias, a very important archaeological discovery of the 1960s.
In the 60's, there was a photographer who was taking photos of the countryside and he got lost and ended up in a small village.
They were able to give him directions.
But while he was there he noticed that the cafe had marble tables.
Big slabs supported by marble columns.
Houses had marble columns, reliefs, statues.
And he tool photos.
Time Magazine published them and sent him back to take more.
Archaeologists became intrigued.
And they have been working on the site ever since.
The Government took control of the site and the entire village had to be relocated before work could begin.

Aphrodisias was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, who had here her unique cult image, the Aphrodite of Aphrodisias.

This site is enormous.
If they have only been working on it for 60 years, they have done an incredible job.
Really, I don't think you would know where to start.
And there are so many pieces just lying in collections until someone works out where they belong.

Aphrodisias never fully recovered from the 7th century earthquake, and fell into disrepair. Part of the town was covered by the modern village of Geyre; some of the cottages were removed in the 20th century to reveal the older city. A new Geyre has been built a short distance away.

There was a huge pool here.
Roman Baths.
Temples.
2 enormous stadiums.
It was fantastic.

The museum attached now houses so many statues and reliefs found here.
Plus an enormous horse carved from blue marble.

On the bus, 1 and a half hours to Pamukkale.

Beautiful hotel.
We saw the Lime Cascades from the bus.
Off to see those tomorrow and swim in a pool that has Roman Ruins at the bottom of the water!

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