Kars and Ani - Old Armenia

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The bus ride to Kars wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but I didn't drink anything and didn't use the bathroom the entire 10 hours. I don't hate the bus ride nearly as much as I hate the bathroom stops. The woman next to me was quite large too, but I slept almost the whole time. I was feeling pretty sluggish by the time we got to the Kars Otogar (bus station). I got my bag and a taxi driver approached. I got a good vibe from him, so I agreed to let him take me to the hotel and come back two hours later to take me to Ani. Altogether he cost me 120TL and I wouldn't have saved much if I had waited to go with the service from the center of town. I checked into Güngören Hotel (40TL) and Erdem offered me coffee that I could not pass up. I needed a little pick me up. I chose this hotel because Lonely Planet said it was a good choice for women, and I feel that is definitely true. I took a shower and rested a bit before meeting my driver, Muammer, to go to Ani. The drive took about 40 minutes (45km) and we agreed he would wait for me for two hours. He didn't ask for any money, which was nice. He was happy to sit and read his newspaper while he waited.

I paid 5TL to see these amazing ruins. I couldn't believe it was so cheap. There was almost no one there and it was quite warm, but I thought it was a beautiful day to walk around the ruins. Ani is the former capitol of Armenia and is now preserved and protected by the Turkish government. It has a long history that I won't go into here, but Armenia lost control over Ani when the Ottomans gained control of Turkey. You no longer need permission to visit Ani, but there was a military presence, sort of. I know they used to be inside the ruins, but on this day they were just outside, and I didn't see anyone on the Armenian side of the fence. I saw at least four churches, a castle, a hamam, many well-preserved gates, but not many ruins of the houses they lived in. Lonely Planet describes Ani as 'little more than ruins' but I don't think that's a fair description. It's a must-see in Turkey in my opinion.

Muammer was waiting when I returned to the car and he drove me back to my hotel where I rested for a bit, and then I got hungry. I headed for Antep Lahmacun Salonu not far from my hotel. It is recommended by LP, and for good reason. It is spotlessly clean and I had the best pide I've had in Turkey. A mince meat pide, Coke, and small water cost me 9TL and I couldn't eat it all. I went to an Internet cafe and it started to pour rain - cold rain - so I waited until it almost stopped and walked back to my hotel and called it a night.

I explored the Kars castle, old hamams, and an old Armenian church that is currently used as a mosque. All of these sites are free and they were right behind my hotel. I went to the castle first which is quite well preserved, but use a good clean up and some weed removal. Part of me wishes they would charge a 2-3 TL and use it towards clean up and mowing and weeding. It was such a disappointment to see such a beautiful relic with rubbish in every nook and cranny. But I enjoyed walking around the ruins and I got some great pictures of Kars from up there. I visited the old Armenian church that is now a mosque. It has beautiful prayer rugs covering the entire floor. Churches, of course, don't face Mecca, so the pulpit was just another space to pray and they created a space for the Imam. It was really beautiful inside and so serene. And I was the only one in there, although some Turkish tourists were smoking on the step outside. Big no-no in the Muslim world.

At this point I wandered across the stone bridge that's been in use since 1725 so I could get a good look at the old hamams (Turkish baths) that I saw from the castle. I don't think they are open for the public, but they are interesting from the outside and pretty well preserved. The creek was littered with rubbish, unfortunately. Not much else to do in Kars, so I just wandered the streets and found where I was supposed to meet the airport shuttle, and then I went to my hotel room and watched BBC for two hours. I don't like the last day of a trip. No matter what time I leave, I just feel ready to go. But Kars and Ani were well worth a visit and made me really want to see more of Eastern Turkey. Too bad I am leaving because of my work, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

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Photos

This Symbol symbolizes
the cycle of life. The Nazis gave it a negative connotation.

Castle
Churches are about the only structures still standing in Ani

Cathedral, now Fethiye Camii
Camii is the Turkish word for mosque.