A day trip to the quaint pottery town of Avanos, Turkey

The view of Avanos town from a supermarket when we first got off the bus from nearby Goreme, Turkey

We crossed the bridge over the red river where the pottery clay comes from.

Avanos is a charming city of 11,000 people with nice parks along the riverside.

You can see the river to the right.

Avanos is known for its pottery.

Like every Turkish town, it features several mosques.

Examples of pottery.

Michelle and I checked out several pottery shops.

I was impressed by the historic architecture.

The old town is built on the hillside overlooking the river.

Many pottery artists display their work for sale in small studios.

This artist's work was very unique.

Kinda whimsical too.

The local carpet cleaners, all done by hand

Another view of the neighborhood

A local resident of Avanos, Turkey

All over Turkey they use solar to heat their water.

Nice view of the river and town of Avanos, Turkey

Grapes on an arbor are almost ripe

Michelle and I got free pottery lessons.

Michelle had never used a potter's wheel.

These women make pots for sale in their shop

Michelle learns the technique of throwing pots.

Her first masterpiece.

Pretending to have made this masterpiece. Michelle and I were each loaned potter's pants before working at the potter's wheel.

Getting my turn with the master potter.

Having fun with clay

Posing with the pottery

It's a little messy, but fun. I loved the wall graffiti in their studio.

Pottery for sale in the shop that let us play in their clay studio

Posing with the owners of the shop

A Photographer's workshop in Avanos, Turkey. 60 photographers from 20 countries.

Turks are very hospitable. This shop owner shared his lunch with us and his buddies.

He is a 5th generation pottery shop owner in Avanos

And of course they sell carpets too. This is a couple from French Canada

A nice pedestrian bridge over the red river in Avanos