Narrated by: Mireia and Sergi Galiana

DIARY OF OUR

MEETING IN USAK-

Part 2

Friday 27th of MarchToday is Friday and the day starts very early. At 6 a.m. we have to be ready in order to depart to Pamukkale.On this trip we had the opportunity to visit many monuments that have been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and many of them I have only seen in books. It was a great opportunity to see them with my own eyes!!! Finally we arrived. Then we had lunch before the cultural visits

Today is Friday and the day starts very early.At 6 a.m. we have to be ready in order to depart to Pamukkale.On this trip we had the opportunity to visit many monuments that have been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and many of them I have only seen in books. It was a great opportunity to see them with my own eyes!!! Finally we arrived. Then we had lunch before the cultural visits.

Friday 27th of March

What struck me most was the theatre of the city of Hierapolis which is one of the best preserved. Although we had to climb a steep hill to see it, I must say that the landscape was spectacular.

Hierapolis, whose names means “ sacred city”, was believed by the ancients to have been founded by the God Apollo. It was famed for its sacred hot springs, whose vapours were associated with Pluto, God of the Underworld.The theatre of Hierapolis is well-preserved, especially the stage buildings which were beautifully decorated with reliefs. Constructed around 200BC, the theatre could hold 20000 spectators and had reserved seating for distinguished spectators in the front row.

It was raining a lot but that did not stop us to take off our shoes and walk around the famous hot pools of Pamukkale.

Wow, that hot water was phenomenal for my frozen feet and they say that it has curative properties.

Pammukkale is one of the Turkey’s incomparable natural wonder with the calcium cascade terraces of snow white stalactites.

Pamukkale means “Cotton Castle”. It has gained eminence for its waters believed to have curative powers and been used as a thermal bath since centuries.

Pamukkale & Hierapolis together are both recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1988

At the Pamukkale museum we could see sarcophagi, statues, reliefs and architectural fragments among other items

Aphrodisias is one of the oldest sacred cities in Turkey. Dedicated to the ancient Mother Goddess and the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, it was the site of the magnificent Temple of Aphrodite and the home of renowned school of marble sculpture. The stadium is one of the best preserved and has a unique elliptical shape. It was specially designed for athletic contests, and Aphrodisias was granted the honor of hosting games in Roman times.

After a long day we arrived at the hostel in the city of Selcuk. As we had suffered quite low temperatures due to the rain, having a hot soup for dinner was incredible.

We had to get up early today, as we had to visit many places. Later on, we had to spend at least 4 hours to return to Usak. One of the most important stops was at Sirince, to experience a taste of traditional village life in a peaceful environment.

Saturday 28th of March

The city is full of souvenir shops where you can buy home-made pastries, olive oil, sultana raisins, organics herbs and many more things

A very friendly craftsman let us melt glass, a technique used to make items of jewelry

A photo of the good luck tree, full of charms as the Turkish Evil Eye Pendant or the Nazar Boncugu, a stone bead, which is worn to protect oneself from the evil looks. In Spain a red ribbon is used for evil eye

The village of Sirince is a good example of the tolerance and cultural heritage in the west of Turkey which reflects Turkish and Greek ways of life together. When you visit to the village, you cannot stop yourself admiring the harmony of two cultures, Greek style houses and Turkish type of living

Another attraction of Sirince was a fruity wine. So we could visit an underground cellar where we could taste this wine. Furthermore, as the walls were plastered with posters written by visitors we could not avoid the temptation to sign one to leave a memory of our visit.

I need thousands of pages to describe the wonders of the city of Ephesus. Ephesus is considered one of the largest open-air archaeological museums in the world.Walking through its streets is like travelling back in time.

Library of Celsus. Originally built in 117 AD, the façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces. Gaius Julius Aquila built the library in honor of his father, Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, a governor of Roman Asia who is buried beneath the library. The library once held over 12,000 scrolls and was the third richest library in ancient times.

Arcadian Street ( Harbour street). It was designed with marbel slabs and colonnades. It was restored during the reign of the Emperor Arcadius, from whom it takes its present name.

The theatre. Built in the Hellenistic Period (third century BC) during the reign of Lysimachos, the theatre was enlarged during Roman times to what is seen today. With a seating capacity of 25,000, it is the largest theatre in Anatolia, possibly even the largest outdoor theater in the ancient world. The theatre hosted plays, concerts, religious, political and philosophical discussions, as well as gladiator and animal fights.

One of the main three streets in Ephesus, Curetes Street runs between the Library of Celsus and Hercules Gate. Along this street were shops, statues, fountains and homes of some rich Ephesians.

The House of the Virgin Mary. It is believed to be the last resting place of Mary. When you walk in, there are rows of candles so you can light a candle and kneel to pray if you wish to. You will also see a wishing wall where people have tied napkins or scarves. The idea behind is to make a wish while tying your object.

Samantha lighting a candle.

Eugenio at the wishing wall plenty of pieces of paper.

Izmir is a port city and is the third largest city in Turkey.We did not have much time to visit the city, but “at least we could eat at Mc Donald”. While we were waiting for the teachers, we saw a man asking marriage to his girlfriend in public, just like in the movies!. It was hilarious, the boyfriend led the girl to a place decorated with heart-shaped balloons while a group of musicians were playing their instruments, and then he said: Will you marry me? Obviously, the girl said yes.All this took place in the square where the clock tower is located.

Today we met the families of the students for a picnic in a recreation area on the outskirts of the city.

Sunday 29th of March

Women prepared the food, which was a kind of rich burger. Meanwhile, the men cooked them on a barbecue

While the food was being prepared, we decided to visit the horses and we had the chance to ride them a little.

How well our

Turkish families care for

us!

In the afternoon we went to a spa of thermal waters.The most curious thing about the spa was that there were separate places for men and women.Inside, we had the opportunity to have a “Turkish Bath”.

We were given permission to visit a gold mine, even though some teachers said it was very difficult to achieve this.

Monday 30th of March

This gold mine is exploded by a Canadian company and, therefore, the safety regulations are logically very strict (helmets and reflective vests are absolutely compulsory).We wanted to see gold bullion bars but, obviously, this was impossible as they were kept in very safe places.

On our way to Ulubey Canyon we stopped at the archaeological remains of the city of Blaundos.

Blaundos was an ancient city founded by the successors of Alexandre the Great. Blaundos is situated on a rocky place in the valley of the Meandre River. The city is protected by a peak, and the only access from the north is protected bya a gate, reminiscent of Hellenistique and Roman times.

The mayor received us kindly explaining to us their future intentions as building log cabins to turn the area into a playground for families. He's really proud of their projects!!

Ulubey Canyon is said to be the biggest canyon after “The Grand Canyon” in Colorado.

Later, we visited one of the most famous monuments is Clandras Bridge. It was built over Banaz Stream by the Lydians or the Persians.

In the afternoon, the family of Sena invited us to his house to enjoy the delicious Turkish dishes. Sena's mother is a great cook !!.

After dinner the teachers had a nice chat about life in Spain and the importance of these projects for students.

Today is the last day. We started making activities related with the Turkish culture at school.

Tuesday 31st of March

Then, the classmates of hostel management made for us some typical Turkish food at the school.

Later, the partners went to buy something for theirselves and their families.At night, we went to a lovely restaurant with all partners and teachers where we ate all together. It was our farewell dinner before heading back home.

What we appreciated most of all is the great warm-heartedness and hospitality of our hosts. Thank you, Turkey. Time flies… It’s time to say “Good bye” to our friends. But everybody knows that this is not the end but only a beginning: the beginning of a life-time friendship. They have already started to make plans for visiting each other again. 

TESEKKURÜ EDERIM