Abeja and I were on a bus ride from the snowy mountains in Turkey down to the beach! We were visiting a city called Olimpos and were also very excited to be in a place with warm weather. It was a nice change from the cold winter days we have been having.

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It took a very long time to get there. The first bus was 8 hours! And that wasn't the end. From there we had to take a taxi for another hour. When we finally arrived it was late, we were tired and it was pouring rain. So much for the beach.

Not wanting to sit around all day with nothing to do, Abeja and I set out to explore. We bundled up in raincoats and boots and headed out. Soon we met a fellow traveler named Will. He was in Olimpos studying music. He was full of interesting stories and made the day more fun.

We began wandering around ancient ruins. We found old buildings that were temples and homes and even theatres! After a while, the sun started to peek out from behind the clouds. We decided to go to the beach after all!

It was a little too cold to go swimming but it was still nice to be there. As we were walking along suddenly, we saw something out of the corner of our eyes. It was straight out of a fairytale! The rocks were all aglow! It looked like they were on fire.

Will told us that this was a special place where gases come out of rocks and magically catch on fire when they touch the air. These rocks are called the Chimera. We sat down near the rocks, taking care not to get burned. The sun had fully come out. It was a beautiful day.

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"It feels like a lazy summer day in the middle of winter," Abeja said.

Jasmine