Back from sunny Marmaris!!!

Just got back from Turkey this morning after 12 hours of travelling (buses to and from airports, lots of waiting around and clocks going back etc). But all in all it was a great holiday. Here are just some of the highlights - photos will follow:
1. Day 2 - Turkish Bath including a sauna, full body soap and oil massages, foot massage and face mask for £16!!! (No you're not getting any photos!)

2. Day 5-6: A two day trip to Ephesus and then to Pamukkale

a) Day 5: Ephesus
For anyone who doesn't know and doesn't want to click on the link Ephesus dates back to about 6,000 BC and is the biggest and preserved ancient city in the Mediterranean It is also home to one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World - The Temple of Artemis. There's only one pillar left of it, but it's still there...


One thing I thought was really cool was a symbol put outside the gates of the city (and other cities) to show visitors it was a Christian city and so they didn't need to be afraid of entering and facing persecution. It the symbol that the fish derived from called the 'ichthys'. As it says on Wikipedia: "Ichthys (ΙΧΘΥΣ, Greek for fish) is an acronym, which is a word formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name. It expands to "Jesus Christ God's Son is Saviour."

The trip also included a trip to the House of the Virgin Mary where she is thought to have spent her last days with St John looking after her at Jesus' request. One amazing thing there was the fact there was a bush fire near it in August. It stopped about 5 metres from the house and it wasn't damaged at all!!! A priest was photographed in the newspapers the next day next to the house saying "Miracles still happen today". And I believe it's true. Honestly we could see where the fire stopped just a few metres from the house.

b) Day 6: Pamukkale - translated from Turkish as "cotton castle"
This is a calcium ridge made from the flow from a natural thermal spring. There are quite a few in Turkey (17 I think the guide said), but this is the main one. I walked on the ridge down to a pool which was about 30 degrees warm. The views of the mountains were amazing as well.

Then we went swimming in the Cleopatra Pool where Antony and Cleopatra were supposed to have had their honeymoon. Again it was really warm at 35 degrees and it's supposed to be good for your hair, skin and bones because of the calcium in it. They used to let people swim in the pools on the ridges but it started getting damaged so it's much more protected now. They still have this pool that they keep open to the public though.

Well they're the highlights. Other than that we were on the beach or by the pool, shopping (and spending too much money) in the Turkish bazaars and having a great time. The weather was hot and I've come back with a tan as well, which is a bonus!