Patara Beach

After Pammukale, we headed to Patara Beach for the night.   The pension we found was definitely the best we stayed at so far, not for the amenities, but because of the nice staff and friendly atmosphere.   They booked us a canoeing trip the next day.   That evening we hit the beach and went in the water before getting yelled at to get out.   It seems like the beaches are tightly controlled around here, despite us being practically the only ones there.   Kind of lame.

Pammukale

Today was mostly spent at Pammukale where there are some beautiful calcite mountains.   We had spent the night in town and the walk up to the top of the site was awesome.  Water flowed down the path as we walked up bare footed.  I took many more pictures on my regular camera but this is the panorama from the top.

We spent time seeing the ruins at the top and visiting another huge theater undergoing restoration.  

We headed out after lunch to go to Patara Beach where we are spending the night.   It was a 3 hour drive filled with thunder and lightning, but all is back to normal now.

Ephesus

Today was spent visiting Ephesus, a very worth while journey even in the heat.   About a fifth of the city's ruins are excavated and many of those have been partially restored.   The theater was definitely the most impressive part, though the library was a close second.  After being there for a while and reading about all the different buildings, you could really understand what it was like to live in the city a long time ago. 

Alacati Beach Clubs

Saturday night after dinner,  we decided to find the beach clubs in Alacati.   Little did we know that the beach clubs aren't nighttime dance clubs, but rather parts of the beach sectioned off to lounge the day away overlooking the water.   Nevertheless, we found one and pulled out some chairs to enjoy the temperate night air.  

Izmir and Cesme

Saturday was a really long day.   We got up super early because of the jet lag and walked around the oceanfront boulevard for a while before finding the large Izmir bazaar, full of shops to buy anything you could want.   I am not a shopper but did enjoy taking pictures nearby at a plaza with a very nice minaret. 

The afternoon was spent in Cesme, a small beach town where we found our pension overlooking the bay and went to the beach.   The beach wasn't impressive but taking a dip in the cold water was a refreshing break from the heat.   The temperature around here must be 100 degrees or more.

Izmir

Our first night was spent in Izmir.   The flight was very smooth and quick and the trip to the hotel was easy.   I was thinking that Turkey would be a little more rustic but it definitely isn't.