The Advantage Of Turkey In Winter

I did not go to Turkey because it was winter; I went to Turkey because the government had just devalued the currency --- and my dollars were suddenly worth twice as much as they used to be.

When I arrived in Turkey, I discovered the advantage of Turkey in winter: no other tourists.  I did not have to wait in line to get into any of the big tourist attractions.  I did not have to fight for a seat on a train or a bus, or for a berth on an overnight ferry.  It was delightful.

I was the only tourist in Denizli, in southwestern Turkey.  Denizli was my jumping off point for one of the highlights of my time in Turkey: Pamukkale.

I went to Pamukkale by minibus and was dropped off at the bottom of a hillside, and I immediately looked up: travertine cliffs loomed above me, formed by centuries of deposits of calcium carbonate from the water that cascaded down from a hot spring at the top of the hill.  The calcium carbonate had formed lacy terraces; many of which were filled with brilliant blue water.

I walked up the hill, past one terrace after another.  As I approached the top of the hill, I saw ruins off to my left.  The Turks call this hill Pamukkale, but it used to be called Hierapolis, back in Roman times.  The Romans had built a city here because of the hot spring.  Most of Hierapolis was gone, but its amphitheater was amazingly intact --- it once sat 12,000 spectators.

My goal at Pamukkale was off to my right, at the top of the hill: the Roman bathing pool.  The pool was abandoned; it had even become a dumping ground for broken Roman columns.  When I reached the pool, I saw the columns down at the bottom.  The water was clear.  I dipped my hand in it.  The water was clear and warm --- very warm.

I yearned to swim where the ancient Romans swam.

But there was a problem: I had not brought a bathing suit with me.

Wait, that’s not a problem --- it was winter, and there were no other tourists.  I piled my shoes and my clothes next to a tree and entered the pool.  I proceeded to swim where the ancient Romans swam.  I went underwater, and felt the texture of the columns.

I felt like I owned this pool. 

And I felt close.  I felt close to the Romans who bathed here.  I felt close to the Romans who once filled a 12,000 seat amphitheater.  I felt close to the Romans who built a city so they could be near this hot spring.

I put my clothes and shoes back on and picked my way down the travertine hillside to flag down a minibus to take me back to Denizli. 

On the bus, my first thought was that I needed to take a shower at my hotel to wash off the calcium carbonate.  But then I started to think about my experience at the Roman bathing pool.  This never could have happened in summer; it happened in winter in Turkey, when there were no other tourists.

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Here is a 4-minute YouTube video about Roman bath houses:     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC1K_ulow7U

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NOTE: Doug's best stories have been collected into a book: Puppy Out Of Breath.  Price = $11.  You can purchase a copy at  http://www.puppyoutofbreath.com