Last destination on our Turkey trip was Pamukkale, a small town at the foot of stunning mineral hot springs and calcium formations and the ruins of an ancient Roman city.
Believe it or not, one of the highlights of Pamukkale was an amazing home-style Japanese restaurant. The owner and chef, Noriko, came many years ago as a tourist, fell in love with a local, got married, and the rest is history.
With a dearth of good and varied Japanese food in Greece and Bulgaria,
it was a huge treat to dive into some udon soup...
...some onigiri...
...eggplant and mushrooms with beef...
...Japanese curry...
...and eggplant with ginger.
Even the amazing Turkish food had to take a back seat to these treats!
Noriko's dog, who kept us company at both our dinners.
Kimono with map-of-turkey blanket.
Storks nesting on top of the local mosque.
Huevos a la turca (o mexicana?)
Pide, Turkish-style pizza.
The Pamukkale travertines. That ain't snow!
A mineral hot spring at the top of the mountain flows down and has covered the entire hillside with calcium deposits, leaving unbelievable crystal-white formations.
The water looks this beautiful blue in the calcium pools.
Looking over the Pamukkale valley from the Travertines.
The pools are nice and warm from the hot spring.
Another visitor to the Travertines.
At the top of the hill are the ruins of a Roman city.
The Romans built the city as a spa town and honorable burial site.
This was an olive oil press.
In between the Travertines and the Roman city is a hot springs swimming pool with Roman ruins laying in the water!
The Travertines at night.
The nearby town of Karahayit is also home to mineral hot springs, these ones red.
Locals come to cover themselves with the red mud.
Local mosque.
Some friends we made. Turks are very curious and friendly.
Unexpected, but fun, train ride to Izmir to catch a plane.
Turkish countryside from the window of the train.
Yeah, there's just a castle overlooking this town. No big deal...
Tea on the train.
Train bathroom. You do the math...
it was a huge treat to dive into some udon soup...
...Japanese curry...
...and eggplant with ginger.
Even the amazing Turkish food had to take a back seat to these treats!
Noriko's dog, who kept us company at both our dinners.
The Travertines at night.
Train bathroom. You do the math...
