Merhaba! Lately, I’ve been into Turkish dramas, and to name two of the ones I’ve been watching, O Hayat Benim and Medcezir. They are a great way to listen to Turkish and to learn things about Turkey and Turkish culture, but I like them especially because of the first reason I mentioned: the language. I think Turkish is such a beautiful language and I really want to learn it properly someday!

Turkey has been my family’s favorite holiday destination for the last few years. They have very good services, beautiful beaches, delicious food. Turkey was also the first foreign country that I ever visited, and this was about 7 years ago when I was a high school student. I know, 7 years is quite a long period of time but what I will never forget are Turkish people’s friendliness and hospitality. I will also never forget one of the most beautiful places I have had the chance to see so far, and that is Pamukkale.

Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish and although the first time you see photos of this almost unreal landscape, you might think of ice or snow, there is no way there could be snow in the middle of summer in Turkey. So, although it looks like snow, the white terraces are made of travertine, which is, according to Wikipedia, a carbonate mineral left by the flowing water. Hierapolis was a city that was built on the top of the cotton castle by the Romans and the Greeks.

Hierapolis-Pamukkale  has been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Pamukkale is a popular one day trip destination from Kusadasi, Antalya or Bodrum, famous sea resorts in Turkey. Going from Istanbul to Pamukkale might be a bit more difficult. During summer, it can get really hot on top of the white terraces so make sure to dress properly and bring enough water to drink.

One funny experience from that trip is that I bought a Pamukkale guide in Japanese as a souvenir because I couldn’t get many materials for practicing Japanese at the time, so when I found it, I was really happy. But the shop assistant was so surprised that he even asked me if I knew it was in Japanese haha. To be honest, I didn’t know much Japanese at the time so couldn’t entirely read the guide, but now, after finishing University with Japanese as a major, I can say that I know “some” Japanese, and can finally read this guide.

The photos below were taken 7 years ago, with a Point&Shoot Canon camera.