It seems odd to think of Turkey as a peninsula but that's what it really is, with roughly three quarters of it surrounded by water. To the north is the Black Sea and to the south, the Mediterranean. The Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara are on the west coast with the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul as it goes to the Black Sea. Our study tour group was mostly in Anatolia. This large region in the middle of the country extends from the Aegean Sea on the west to the Euphrates River which is its eastern boundary. The peninsula is attached to Georgia, Armenia, and Iraq. Its topography is like that of the Russian steppes. There are mountains between it and the Black Sea and more mountains along its southern edge.
Everything about Egirdir [eh-yeer-deer] pleased us from the moment we saw the quiet little town on the edge of an immense lake. We were too late to do more than to admire the magnificent view. It had been a long, full day. We settled our tired selves comfortably into the modest Egirdir Hotel. The manager welcomed us, hoping we'd like our dinner. "Only fish tonight", he said apologetically. That fish must have been swimming in the lake a few hours before. The vegetables were garden-fresh. It was another fine Turkish dinner, simple and totally satisfying. Our visit was a short one. We had only the following morning to enjoy this little paradise and enjoy it, we did. The serenity of the place was overwhelming. There was the vast, unruffled lake with a vista of snow-topped mountains in the distance. The late April sky was blue, the sun pleasantly warm. Several fisherman were placidly waiting for their catch. I saw a few natives when I wandered into the little town but we seemed to be the only tourists. Most of my fellow travelers were sitting on park benches in the tiny grassy square beside the lake's shore, soaking up sunshine and contemplating that celestial view. Egirdir was a veritable Dar-es-Salaam--a haven of peace.
![Egidir](http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt271/NancyEmmet/Binder1_Page_17.jpg)
This relaxing interlude re-charged all batteries. We set forth after lunch on our way from ancient Turkish Anatolia to the part of it which is ancient Greece. We had been on the road an hour or so when Elizabeth, the tour manager said "Look ahead. It's Pamkkalele!" There on a far-off hilltop was what appeared to be a pile of pears loosely stacked so that some had slipped down the hillside in gleaming cascades. This amazing place was our destination. Before dinner at our hotel nearby, we went over to it. When we reached it, shoes had to be shed. Visitors to
When we reached it, We had to go barefoot--no shoes are allowed in this natural national monument mist go through it barefoot. Pearl-white travetine terraces at various levels were on the hillside. Big and small shallow pools of water were everywhere to be waded in at will. The stone were smooth, almost soft underfoot. At first gingerly, and then with abandon, we grown-up people splashed from one pool to another in the late afternoon sunshine. Here's a picture someone else posted on the internet:
![](http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s19/turkeytrip_2007/pamukkale.jpg)
![](http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk284/libra_scorpio/Pamukkale.jpg)
![](http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s32/jhendricks12/Pamukkale/100_0946.jpg)
![](http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss179/ezgim77/29124814_Pamukkale.jpg)
The ruins of Hierapolis are next to Pamukkale. To this long ago city Greeks and Romans had flocked to bathe in therapeutic hot springs of which there are many in the area, and to soak their feet as we did in the mineral-rich terrace pools. Among the visitors was Marcus Aurelius who stayed there and whose tomb is in the necropolis. The Romans built baths and we saw one in the courtyard of a hotel which had been erected over it. [The hotel, I believe, has since been demolished.]
The Aegean Sea port, Kusidasi [Koo-SHAH-desa] was our next stopover.
![port of kusadasi](http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt271/NancyEmmet/Kusadasi.jpg)
Here we were to spend six gloriously exciting days beside that most romantic and storied of seas, the Aegean. Pages of my old Bulfinch's MYTHOLOGY would come to life before my eyes.