September 6th: Looking back on yesterday's events and all I can say is "Oh Lord!". After waking up at 6am (for some reason or another, I awoke 15 minutes before the alarm was supposed to sound - a God-thing to ensure we didn't miss our flight to Izmir? I think so), the three of us rushed to the airport. We did have to tell the driver to drop us off at the "Domestic gate" (meaning inside Turkey flights) instead of the International gate, where we left the day before. Even going through security, the Istanbul domestic gate is nothing compared to Frankfurt or Atlanta -- period! Although I had to take off my shoes twice and I accidentally placed both computers on top of each other going through security, the journey to gate 110 went by relatively easy.
At the gate, when Mom and Tucker left to find food, I met this nice couple from West Virginia who were on a trip with their church from Washington D.C. to gather information lost on the religion. There was also a friendly gentleman from Malta (an island found in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea), who has been to Turkey every year for various reasons. He, the husband from West Virginia, and I talked about Turkey, discussing everything from bargaining tips to the political unrest and the
differences between conservative Turks and their liberal counterparts. By the time Mom and Tucker returned, I had learned loads of information about the Turkish people. The plane flight was quick and soon we were settled into our rented car and were heading off, away from Izmir (the people were holding rallies to support political candidates that were either for or against becoming more Western and joining the EU).Our first stop on Monday was to Sart (Sardis in English) - this town contained the Temple of Artemis, where King Croesus flaunted his wealth until the King of Persia - King
Cyrus - heard of his money and conquered the city. Croesus definitely learned his lesson! We stopped at the Temple (or what remained of it) and took pictures of the ruins. Also, there was a lady walking up the street around the area that Mom had an animated conversation with regarding the royal jewels, gold, and silver taken from the excavated site. Just imagine what that poor woman and her family had to go through when gold was discovered!Pamukkale was our next stop - it has natural calcium carbonate cliffs, also known as travertines. It's very white in color, unless it comes in contact with running water, which can turn it brownish-red or green (moss). Of course, we explored the area - there was an amphitheater, ruins of various kinds, and the cliffs. Mom and I even went into the water that was running down the cliffs. The ground was hard in places and soft/muddy in others, particularly where the water had stagnated.
After Pamukkale, it was around 6:15pm (already late in the day, but since the sun doesn't set until 8pm, it at least wasn't dark like in Germany). We started driving again and, about halfway to Kusadasi (pronounced Ku-sha-day-su), we needed gas...badly. Since it was Ramadan, everything was closed except for the BP (thank you, British Petroleum). We believe the lady working the cash register had pity on us and, when we paid for gas and some cookies/water, she gave us a cup and saucer, free of charge. This keeps happening, but you won't see me complaining!
We reached the hotel (Pamera) and, before I could collapse from the trip, Mom and Tucker dragged me out for food (around 10pm). Night life had a buzz of activity in the air - instead of going to Burger King, we opted for a small cafe. Mom ordered pizza, Tucker - pasta (big surprise there -_-) and I - Irish Breakfast. I tried food I haven't had before (an accomplishment in my opinion) and we had two cats that begged me for my sausage. Naturally, I let them have it. Finally, successfully avoiding the salesmen and getting back to our car, we reached the hotel and hit the hay (around 2am). Man, WHAT A DAY!
*And that, my friends, is one day. Just imagine what stories I have in store for you tomorrow! Stay tuned!*
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