Our first stop was a set of charming waterfalls where we spent a good chunk of time fiddling with filters and polarisers and avoiding being dripped on by overhanging foliage.
After misplacing my specs in the rush to sling my tripod over my head for carrying - thus requiring two ascents of the stairs to the top as I had reached our meeting point before realising they were missing - we set off again to the abandoned and ruined city of Aspendos, which includes an aqueduct in various sections, the remnants of an Acropolis, and a truly magnificent theatre with marvellous acoustics which won the architect Zenon the first prize in the competition to design public buildings when the city was founded, which prize included the daughter of the King as his wife.
And really, isn't it gorgeous? It's so well preserved, mainly because apparently it was used for multiple purposes over the ages since it was built in the second century BC. The restoration has been the subject of controversy as some parts are clearly not ancient BUT the effect overall is stunning, even if as at so many sites, the desire to shoot selfie takers is getting stronger. Those sticks!
Heat drove us to a riverside restaurant where I ate yoghurt, grilled aubergine and chopped salad for around £2.50. The breeze cooled us off. Other sights today included the bridge near Aspendos which has also been restored. It has a massive kink in it to help withstand the force of the water, the like of which I have never previously seen.
The journey back home was very slow avoiding roadworks and hitting the Antalya rushhour. Sound familiar? Just like the works at Wolvercote roundabout. A sweet reminder of home....
Off again in the morning, now to Pamukkale, in Denizli province.
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