Kusadasi for ANZAC day & Pamukkale white terraces

We arrived in Kusadasi on 24th April with the idea of staying a few days to get some beach time and see some of the historical and natural wonders dotted not far from the city. We ventured out around the town which is said to be the 4th busiest cruise port in the Mediterranean. Stayed at "Mr Happy's, Liman Hotel", and treated to an unbelievable sunset on their rooftop bar, stunning!  Mr Happy invited us for dinner with his family on the rooftop.

View from our hotel rooftop bar of the Kusadasi sunset

Sunsetting

Cruiseliners in port

On ANZAC day there were no tours running out of the city, and no ANZAC services.. so our commemoration this year included a turkish bath!  For those that havn't had one it is quite and experience. You basically strip down to just a towel lie out on a heated marble slab with a plastic covered cushion for head and feet. The room has taps all around the side with marble basins overflowing with the hot and cold tap water running away below the floor tiles. The warm water is sluiced over you poured from plastic dishes by turkish bath girls, followed by a body scrub with a hand mit.  They then used pillow case like bags, which are dipped in a bubble solution then  squeezed the air out creating bubbles.  These bubbles were laid over your body popping on your skin.  Kind of like the photo below (obviously no photos).

Turkish bath

That afternoon we chilled out at "ladies beach".  The water didn't feel as cold as the greek islands and easily warm enough for a swim.

Sandy beach

Down to test the water

On the second day we travelled out to Pamukkale to see the white terraces. On the way there we stopped off  at a thermal hotspring resort with natural mud baths. This has been the hottest day so far for us on our travels probably tipping 30 degs.


Our guide also told us a few facts and stories about Turkey and it's people. He told us to “become a man” in Turkey every boy needs to do three things...
  
1. Be circumcised

2. Must enlist in the army to train and serve for one year

3. Drink a bottle of raki (turkish aniseed flavoured alcohol)

Pamukkale is probably what the Pink and White terraces in NZ would have looked like.  Pamukkale means Cotton Castle in turkish, the terraces are white like cotton and in a castle formation. They are the largest white terrace formation in the world. The geothermal water is loaded with calcium carbonate which deposits on the slopes forming the spectacular terraces.  

Mudbaths, rub the mud in leave for 20mins then wash off. Good for the skin they reckon..

White terraces

Wading through the warm pools of water on the terraces

View out to Pamukkale township and the terraces, snow-capped mountain range in distance

Pamukale also has a hot pool where Cleopatra bathed. According to myth the pool has healing powers.  Maybe thats now why it cost 35 turkish lira to get in!

Cleopatra's pool

The Greek Island of Rhodes

In Rhodes we spent most of our time exploring the old town area.  This old town is the largest occupied medieval town in Europe and is fortified with a Palace in the centre. The weather was perfect and the place we were staying had a pool, so it was an opportune time to give the feet a rest and chill out by the pool.

Cool little Gelato van

Old town in purple within castle walls.

Dinner in the old town

Evening traders at the port

Old town streets

Palace of the grand master

The grand master chillin..

Palace corridors

Locked gate to the castle walls

Katherine with the Palace in the background

Syros & Santorini

A bit of a surprise greeted us when we arrived at the ferry terminal en route to Santorini.  The wind was blowing a gale and the coastguard had decided that our ferry will go to the sheltered port of Syros until the morning when the wind was forecast to drop. The ferry would then continue onto Santorini.  On dusk we arrived in the port of Syros after a rough ferry ride.  We wandered around the township had dinner and got back on the for the night before we headed off again the morning.

On arriving in Santorini we quickly found a gyros shop for a late lunch then off to Oia to watch a famous Santorini sunset.

Santorini!

Houses cascading down the hillside in Fira, Santorini

Doorways to restaurants on the hillside below.

Church

Oia best place on the island to watch the sunset

Santorini sunset

Wandering the streets of Oia on Santorini

Church against the evening blue sky

Naxos - the Greek Islands

We arrived by ferry around lunch time in the main port town on Chora, Naxos (Greek Island).  I had assumed the ferry would be rubbish having only really dealt with the ole Interislander, but boy was I wrong…  escalators on and off and a cosy sitting area where we pitched up in with a window view.  After an early start and an oily spinach croissant and coffee on the ferry it was time for a decent lunch and a scout around the township.

Lots of eateries, and nik-nak shops, we walked along  the port and to the nearest gold sandy beach for a quick look.  Then back through the shopping area and the Naxos Castle overlooking the town centre.  The castle had lots of narrow winding footpaths. The architecture was typically of buildings with flat roofs, curved corners, with white walls and vivid blue doors and window frames.  There was literally a cat sitting/sleeping around each corner; in terracotta pots, on windowsills and lounging around on the stairs.  They were all well fed and clearly all domesticated.

Walkway to the castle

Blue doors and archways

Castle tower stone wall

Catching some rays

 

Seaview over Chora main town in Naxos

A ginger one

Hundreds of cats.

The best beaches on Naxos are 10-15km out of town.  On the second day we hired a small car to explore around ourselves.  Also to practice driving on the right hand side of the road, in a left hand drive car! The signage over here is woeful and getting out of town was a bit of a mission.  

Once out of town we headed for one of the most famous beaches called “Plaka”.  The beach has stunning white sands and blue azure waters.  It was a hot sunny day - but also windy as buggery and the water was freezing! 

Our "fun car" rental. 

Tiki-ed onto the next beach, travelled through a small settlement called Tipodes with the narrowest of streets.  For a few moments I was sure the car was going to get wedged and stuck, precision driving and a few over-revved hillstarts got us through the town and out onto a main road again. 

Tripodes - narrow winding, steep streets. Some sketchy driving.

We pitched up for lunch on the beach in Mikiri Vigia.  Contemplated a token swim but the water was ridiculously cold so had a sleep on the beach instead.  We rounded out the afternoon with a drive through the centre of the island, to some of the older towns.  

Mikiri Vigia beach 

Stones walls and churches everywhere

Katherine mastering the left hand drive.

 

The beard of Zeus leaning into the howling gale. Temple of Apollo also in background.

Athens, Gyros and the Acropolis

After mulling over options for our next destination "a beach" and "sun" were the main motivations towards jetting out to Athens, Greece.  We arrived mid afternoon and caught the metro train into the city centre.  After getting confused with our map and the odd greek street names we eventually stumbled upon the street of our hostel.  With the day almost over we ventured out to finds some local Greek cuisine settling for Souvlaki a dish with chicken and beef grilled on skewers.

View from our hostel room

Our hostel wasn't in the flashest part of Athens but we managed to score a room with a balcony and an amazing view out to the Acropolis which was lit up in the evening, amazing.

The following day we set out to explore the ancient greek ruins.  

Path up to the Acropolis

Theater of Herod Atticus 

The Panthenon

Greece!

The Panthenon

The Panthenon

Gyros for lunch

The temple of Zeus with the Acropolis in the background

The Kings seat in Panathinaiko Stadium 

Panathinaiko Stadium 

Katherine on the podium in Panathinaiko Stadium