I really hate the trappings of time. It passes by painfully slowly, like molasses oozing off of a spoon, during the unpleasant moments, while racing through the amazing moments so quickly. Too quickly.

This past weekend was a prime example of time’s constraints. I journeyed to a series of breathtaking sights, including Pamukkale and Ephesus, in the southwestern region of Turkey. I traveled as part of a large tour group, with a tight schedule to follow. There were many sights to see, not nearly enough time to spend at each one. To be honest, it was kind of a blur of hurry up, now wait, now ride on a bus for an insufferable amount of time. Mornings were spent waiting, for what felt like an eternity, to depart from the hotel. When we did finally make it to our destinations, it felt like there was never enough time to soak everything in.

In spite of the trip’s shortcomings, the stops we made were rich in aesthetic beauty and historical significance. Our first stop was beautiful Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city. It was a sunny morning, the water in the bay a glittering blue green. We spent around an hour strolling along the palm-tree lined waterfront, walking past the Cumhuriyet Ağacı Anıtı monument and ending up in Cumhuriyet Square. It was a short visit, definitely not enough time to really see everything Izmir has to offer. I hope to find myself back here in the future.

                                IZMIR

The next stop of importance was the ancient city of Ephesus (Efes). Dating from the 10^th century BC, it was built by Greek colonists. The city flourished after it came under Roman rule in 129 BC. Time has been kind to Ephesus. The ruins are amazingly well preserved, making it easy to imagine what life was like over 2000 years ago. The public toilets were especially intriguing. A social place, people sat side by side on the series of benches while they, um, took care of business.

                     Toilets of Ephesus

On the last day, we visited Pamukkale (means cotton castle in Turkish). It is perhaps one of the oddest, most extraordinary places in existence. Simply put, it is a vast stretch of glistening whiteness, dotted with small blue pools filled with the flowing hot spring waters. Taking my first step onto the limestone, I felt like Dorothy, transported out of Kansas and into a magical land. The ground was unexpectedly hard, definitely not cotton, and also deceptively slippery. I almost fell to my death a number of times. The water in the pools (travertines) was warm, the ground squishy. It was all a bit too much for the senses. It took about 45 minutes to 1 hour to make our way down the limestone cliff, but one could easily spend an entire day swimming and lazing around, weather conditions permitting. Unfortunately, we were blessed with a cold and cloudy day.

                 Ahhh so picturesque 

Looking back at the trip, afforded with distance in both time and space, one thing has become clear to me. With the passage of time, events become easier to view through rose-colored lenses. The positives become more immediate, the negatives fading into funny stories. Perhaps time is not altogether evil.