Pammukale

It takes a while to wrap your head around Pammukale.

Take this picture for example:

It's a camel! Yes, but that's not the point. The white stuff behind the camel is not snow. As much as it looks like a snow drift, it's actually stone - thousands of years of calcium deposits.

Pammukale is 4 hours inland of the western coast of Turkey, and rises out of the desert and dry hills like an impossibly placed glacier. You would swear that it's snow - until you touch it. The calcium deposits come from the volcanically heated thermal waters which spring up due to a giant fault line in the region. These "glaciers" of minerals and thermal waters have existed for thousands of years: one of the world's most ancient spa regions. Cleopatra bathed in Pammukale's "healing" waters.

The ancient city of Hierapolis is built on Pammukale which flourished as a spa city since at least the 3rd century B.C.  One of three ancient cities in the immediate area, Hierapolis exists alongside Laodicea and Colossai (of the Colossians), all within 15 km. of each other.

Is the history of this place starting you hit you now? Just wait until you see the pictures of the hot springs!

On Monday my Aunt Frances whisked Jacob and I off to an overnight stay in Pammukale. Fran had planned everything for us (a welcome relief - we have done so much planning in the past few months), so we knew from the start it was going to be a wonderful and relaxing trip.

We arrived at the hotel, a big place that had it's own spa and thermal pools available to the guests. We checked in and the bell hop took us up to our rooms. As we were opening the door, I noticed a few chamber maids and hotel employees looking on curiously, big smiles on their faces. I figured it was a slow day and they were bored (albeit happy) people. The door swung open and the first thing I noticed was that our room was covered in rose petals.

"My goodness," I thought, "They do this for everyone?". 

Nope. As it turns out, Fran had told the hotel that Jacob and I were on our honeymoon, so the smiling women outside our door were the people responsible for transforming our room into a rose petal wonderland. It was ridiculous, and amazing. I was giddily excited. Flowers covered our bed, our desk,  filled the bath tub and covered the sink.

Embracing the luxurious atmosphere, Jacob and I put on our hotel robes and slippers and headed down to the spa.

Why YES, those ARE swans made out of towels behind me!

We spent the afternoon relaxing in thermal waters and mud pools. Then we got the traditional Turkish Bath treatment, called a "Hammam". In the Hammam, a masseuse lays you on a heated marble slab, douses you in warm water, scrubs you until pink and shiny (it's gloriously disgusting all the dirty skin that comes off you), then covers you in giant mounds of bubbles.

Fran took pictures.

Jacob in a sea of bubbles, getting a foot massage. What a life! 

What an amazing, fantastic, wonderful day. I was in spa heaven. I wish I could teleport back to those thermal mud pools...

Anyways. The next day was awe-inspiring.

In the morning Fran dropped us off at the entrance of Hierapolis and Pammukale. It was a misty, cool morning, and we had the park to ourselves as we walked through a gigantic ancient Necropolis - a "city of the dead". I have to say that I love cemeteries, I can't exactly say why. I find them beautiful and sad and atmospheric and poetic.

We could have scrambled around the Necropolis for hours.

As we reached the end of the Necropolis we entered through the main gate into the city of Hierapolis.

The restoration of this city is phenomenal. Throughout history earthquakes have unearthed ruins, providing archeologists with thousands of puzzle pieces to reconstruct.

As you continue through the city, you start to come to the calcium and travertine cliffs, which hold the thermal waters. The calcium deposits are growing ever so slowly, so sometimes you stumble upon the surreal sight of ancient ruins stranded in seas of the white stone.

Finally we came to the pools themselves, which you can still climb and wade through to experience the volcanic waters.

You wouldn't believe how many pictures we took.

After leaving Pammukale, Fran took us over to see Laodicea. Laodicea is somewhat less jaw-dropping of a sight than Pammukale, but still boasts an incredible history. It also has another thing that really excites nerdy people like me - it's an active archeology site. As we wandered around we were able to watch the archeologists go about their work, and see the progress as the reconstruction was being made.  We also had Fran with us - who is an extremely knowledgable tour guide. As we walked around she told us everything she knew about the history of Laodicea, and gave context to Scripture's references to the city.

After a wonderfully memorable two days we drove home to Izmir.

I will leave you with that for now, but there is more coming soon... (sorry I couldn't think of a better ending).

Ephesus and the Cafe

Running a cafe is a lot of work.

Yes, you probably already knew that - and to an extent, we did too. But even our stint in the cafe in Sweden hadn't fully prepared us for the sheer weight of running a seasonal cafe in a tourist area.

We have friends who run a seasonal cafe that has no employees. Together Doris and Mihail are the Host, the Chef, the Barista, the Waiter, the Janitor, and the Book-keeper by turns. Jacob and I stepped into the cafe prepared to serve and help as much as we were able. I won't lie - it was hard. We worked long days and fell asleep exhausted every night. We had little time to explore the surrounding area, but we managed to steal a couple of hours here and there to get away and see the sights.

We learned a lot during our time at the cafe - the ins and outs of cafe management, several wonderful Swiss and Turkish dishes, and a crash-course in Swiss-German culture.

And of course there is always the entertaining (and somewhat insulting) things that cafe guests will say to their waitress (Me).

A British man to me: 
"What's your name?" 
 "Chelsea", I responded.
"....I was born there."

Ah. Not sure how to respond to that one.

A German woman to me: 
"Do you speak Turkish?" 
"No", I say.
"And you don't speak ANY German?"
"No, just English and French."
She looks blankly at me, then at her husband. " Nothing. She doesn't speak anything."

Silly me. I forgot Turkish and German are the only real languages.

A British man to me: 
"You know, the first time I saw your face, I thought you were the spitting image of an actress from a soap opera named Coronation Street. Have you ever heard of it?"
"No", I say.
"Yes well you look just like one of the daughters. She's a real tart you know."

Hm. Thanks for that.

During the times Jacob and I were able to explore, we really enjoyed walking around Selcuk, the picturesque town that has cropped up outside of Ancient Ephesus. Selcuk is littered with incredible bits of ancient history. Ephesus a mere two kilometers away. The remains of the Temple of Artemis, once counted as one of the seven wonders of the world, (now reduced to rubble and a single standing column) is two streets away from our house. Up the hill is St. John's Basilica, the remains of a beautiful ancient cathedral that still houses John's tomb. Further up the hill is a Crusader fortress.

Literally everywhere you look, you see glimpses of a rich and dynamic history.

Walking between home and the cafe was full of pretty sights like these:

St. John's Basilica is one of my favorite places in the world. If it were still standing it would be the seventh largest Cathedral in Europe. It is still a magnificent place, even in ruins. Jacob and I have appreciated the ruins in Turkey for this reason - you can go almost everywhere. In Western Europe most valuable ruins are strictly corded and sectioned into walking areas, with guards watching your every move. In Turkey it's more like a giant play ground.

While most people interested in Biblical history know that Paul lived in this area for many years, fewer people know that John (ie: the disciple who wrote the Gospel of John) lived here too. Christian tradition states that he wrote his Gospel on the very hill next to the Basilica. And his grave is actually in the Basilica - pretty incredible if you think of the significance of all that history packed into this one little place.

And then of course there is Ephesus.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you how excited we were to be visiting there. Ephesus is largely considered the best preserved ancient city in the world, not to mention an important site in Christian history. It was packed with tourists - loud, hot, bright, and crowded.

Probably not unlike Ephesus back in it's heyday. 

On the Aegean Sea

Jacob and I arrived in Izmir to find a surprise.

My Aunt Frances knew well in advance that Jacob and I would be visiting Turkey, so she saved a wedding present for us. She was going to send us to the Aegean Sea for a few days, where we would be staying in a friend's beach house.

Wow.

After just a day or two in Izmir, we were shuttled off to a sleepy beach town called Ozdere: on the Aegean, with a spectacular view of outlying Greek islands on the horizon. Jacob and I didn't do much worth reporting while there. Daily activities included eating, swimming, reading, and card-playing (double solitaire). I worked on a puzzle of killer whales jumping out of glacial waters.

 Nothing exciting happened, and it was wonderful. But that also means this post is going to be a little boring.

Yes, the water really was that clear (and warm), please don't hate me. The exciting thing was that if you stood in one place too long, little fish would come and bite your ankles. Really. I was scared of them.  

On Sunday morning Jacob and I rode the bus back into Izmir to attend church with Frances. Some days earlier, we had been present with another gift from a close family friend named Margaret. (So many gifts! We sound so spoiled! I can't tell you how grateful and blessed we are by this outpouring of love). Before the service started we were sent off to have brunch buffet at the Swiss Hotel in downtown Izmir, one of the nicest hotels in the city. Brunch was amazing, they had an eclectic mix of Swiss and Turkish foods, topped off by a gorgeous chocolate fountain.

 We love a good chocolate fountain.

After our time in Ozdere we moved on to Selcuk, the modern town just outside of ancient Ephesus. We have been here since, staying with a sweet Swiss-Turkish couple and helping in their cafe. We have learned a lot in our short time here - first-hand experience in running a cafe, and the beginnings of German.

Tomorrow Jacob and I are going to visit Ephesus. We have been looking forward to this for a while. Selcuk is an incredibly picturesque little town - I have been taking pictures almost every time I turn around. Expect a new post soon, we can't wait to show you Ephesus!

Istanbul

Three years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to visit my Aunt Frances in Turkey, an American who relocated to Izmir (a large coastal city in Western Turkey). I spent a month with Frances, and fell head over heels in love with the country and it’s people. Jacob has patiently listened to me wax nostalgic over my memories of Turkey for two years now; so landing in Istanbul on Monday was thrilling for both of us. 

Unfortunately our first couple hours in Istanbul were less than wonderful. But we’ve been on the up and up since then. We caught our bus from the airport to Taksim Square, where we had written directions to our apartment, less than a kilometer away. Unfortunately, while the directions were clear, Istanbul is not. From Taksim Square we could have gone in some 20 possible directions, and we wound up dragging our luggage around in the heat, and ravenously hungry. Several very kind Turks took pity on us and gave us directions, but regardless, five minutes later we were lost again (later we found that some of them had pointed us in the wrong direction). After an hour we were at our wit’s end. We hailed a cab and gave him the address – but he did not know where the apartment was either. He wound up driving around for 20 minutes, asking every local he passed on the street if they knew the address. 

Finally we arrived home. We cheered up as soon as we entered the apartment though – it was beautiful. Our hostess was a kind young woman, who we found later, is also an internationally known installation artist. 

Once we were settled and fed, we set into the city. Istanbul is a massive city, and seems to be constantly humming with activity. The city is cut in half by the Bosporus, with one half sitting in Europe, and the other in Asia. The city has a long and fascinating history that has resulted in an eclectic mix of European, Asian, and Middle Eastern influences.  

As I hoped, Jacob fell in love with Istanbul immediately. 

We visited Sultanahmet, and the Hagia Sophia, two grand buildings that sit across from each other in a large square. Sultanahmet is a beautiful mosque, still in daily use. 

But the Hagia Sophia, one of the first cathedrals ever constructed in 500 (ish) A.D. is the real gem. The cathedral is covered entirely in gold mosaics, however barely any of these mosaics are visible today. The cathedral was converted into a mosque, at which time the mosaics were plastered over and whitewashed. Later the Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum, and the gold mosaics slowly restored. 

As the sun went down, Jacob and I went to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market, a chaotic, endless maze of shops and stalls. Everywhere you walk you dodge shoppers and vendors hawking their wares. It is just as exotic as you can imagine. 

Walking along the waterfront, Jacob and I came across the “Fish Bread” boats. 

On these boats, rocking crazily in the waters of the Bosphorus, chefs cook fish on giant grills and stuff them into sandwiches piled with onions and peppers. You can buy these sandwiches for the equivalent of $2.50. Hungry and feeling adventurous, we decided this was our dinner stop.

The sandwiches were good – but fishy. We spent the whole evening trying to get the fish taste out of our mouths. But sitting there on the water, watching the chefs miraculously keep their balance on the rocking boats, the lights and the noise – Jacob and I suddenly felt: Toto, we are definitely not in Europe any more (or America, for that matter).  It was a wonderful feeling. 

After the Fish Bread we stopped from some quintessential Turkish tea. I can’t get enough of it. The Turks drink it everywhere, at every opportunity, and I join them as often as I can.

On our last evening in Istanbul, Jacob and I went out for an evening of Hookah. Turkey has a wonderful café culture that I miss when in America. Much more common than bars; the cafes offer Hookah, Backgammon, and endless amounts of Turkish tea. It’s where you go to hang out with friends, or watch the soccer game. 

After two wonderful days Jacob and I packed up to take the plane for Izmir to meet my Aunt Frances. We arrived to bus station and had a shock. Did I recognize that girl with the backpack? We stared at each other for a few second in a stupor. Her name is Rebecca, she is a friend from college back in Southern California. We were flabbergasted. Meeting her by chance in this gigantic city, half way across the world...I still can barely believe it. We were taking the same bus to the airport, so we had a chance to get caught up before we parted ways. 

More stories to come soon!