Yesterday was a warm day so I slept with the window open which was fine, except that sunrise is at 0545 in Kars at present. As anyone who’s been to Turkey knows there are a lot of mosques in any town, but somehow Kars seems to have more than its fair share, and when the first call to prayer happens an hour before sunrise, that makes for a very early wake-up call!
We’d arranged to go to the ruins of the city of Ani today – I’ll let the LP give you the background
Your first view is stunning: wrecks of great stone buildings adrift on a sea of undulating grass, landmarks in a ghost city that was once the stately Armenian capital and home to nearly 100,000 people, rivalling Constantinople in power and glory. The poignant ruins, the windswept plateau overlooking the Turkish–Armenian border, and the total lack of crowds make for an eerie ambience that is unforgettable. In the silence broken only by the river gurgling along the border, ponder what went before: the thriving kingdom; the solemn ceremony of the Armenian liturgy; and the travellers, merchants and nobles bustling about their business in this Silk Road entrepôt.
Lonely Planet Turkey
We understood that we were leaving at 1000, so I’d wandered into town to find a coffee and buy some fruit and water to take with me. I ran into Rob in town and as we were heading back to the hotel shortly after 0900 we met Michael coming to find us – apparently we were leaving at 0900!
We stopped on the way out to Ani when Ararat finally revealed itself in the distance
The LP description is pretty flowery, but the site actually lives up to that, it really is impressive and it really was as empty as described. Other than a few locals we saw only one other small group of tourists and our guide was amazed to see them – apparently two groups of westeners in town at the same time is unheard of at present.
Our guide is a very dedicated young woman – as well as working as a tour guide to support herself she’s also trying to complete a masters based on research into Ani. She’s not been having much luck with the Armenian Archives, who either don’t respond to her requests for information, or don’t provide anything terribly useful.
She also travels to Ankara to attend university for two days each week – that means catching an overnight bus at 1700, travelling for 12 – 14 hours, attending university for two days, then returning by overnight bus the following night.
And despite how close to Armenia we are, actually going there is a real hassle for Turks – they must go to Istanbul, apply for a visa (which will often be denied for no particular reason) and then fly from Istanbul – there are currently no open land borders between the two countries!
While we were in the cathedral we had a little fun
The nine apostles of TDA. Myself, Roger, Bruno, Grant, Ron, Michael, Ruth, Brian and Doug. (photo Ron Jewula)
We were dropped off back in the centre of town from where many of us dispersed, with Ruth, Michael, Ron, Bruno and I going to a cafe for lunch – it got a good review in the LP, but sadly didn’t live up to that.
Michael and I stopped in at the supermarket for a couple of refreshing beverages to take back to the hotel for the afternoon where we proceeded to sit and chat with Ivan before spending time on writing and interneting (wonder if that word will catch on ;-).
Today’s Erwin’s birthday, and also the day on which two riders Doug and Phill are leaving the tour so drinkies were held in the hotel to celebrate and farewell them.
Doug and Phill, departing riders, with crew member Will
Ruth, Michael and I snuck away from drinks to head out to a cafe we’d seen which we liked the look of for a quiet dinner, which proved to be very enjoyable with great food at a very affordable price!
We were also keen to check out a Georgian cafe which was mentioned in the LP, but after quite a bit of looking we asked one of the staff from the cafe we’d had dinner in where it was to be told that it was ‘finished’ – no wonder we couldn’t find it!
Instead we went to Barış Türkü Cafe Pub which the LP describes thus
Housed in a historic mansion, this cafe-bar-disco attracts students of both sexes, with an energetic buzz and live music most nights.
Clearly 2100 on a Sunday isn’t the time to go, as we saw no students of either sex, there was no live music, and when the three of us arrived we doubled the patronage! It also proved to be rather expensive – two beers and a class of wine was 40 YTL (as compared to the dinner we’d just had for 70 YTL).
Back at the hotel and others had also just returned from dinner and were continuing with the farewell drinks – I declined to join them and headed for bed!
