RUINS OF THE WORLD

My Favourite Roman Ruins in Turkey

Can you guess why?

The hillside at Pamukkale looks like snow. It’s not! All photos are by Adrienne Beaumont except the two of me in the pool.

This is the view that greets us as we arrive at Pamukkale. I am so excited! Everyone on the bus headed into town for lunch, while I — the independent traveller — headed up the pure white mountainside. I had to take my shoes off as soon as I reached the calcium carbonate deposits, to prevent them from being dirtied by tourists’ muddy shoes.

Walking in the warm water was lovely, but most of the mountain was dry white rock or white mud, so by the time I was a hundred metres in, my feet were cold. After another hundred metres, they were even colder! I was stopping very briefly to take a photo of not only the white rock and the travertine terrace pools but also the views!

One of the thermal travertine terrace pools

Couldn’t stop for long to take photos. My feet were freezing. You had to walk up barefoot so as not to dirty the calcium deposits.

By the time I reached the top, my feet were numb with cold and I was breathing heavily from the exertion. This was definitely the closest I had ever come to mountain climbing. I felt a sense of achievement especially since none of the rest of the…