Day 9 Sunday 28th September

Helen is not really right but is prepared to give the journey a go. Let's keep everything crossed especially legs. It's off we go again. 

This is the bus to Hopa. The journey is a long one, over 7 hours with 3 stops for breaks, 2 of 10 mins and one half hour for lunch. It's not that's it is that long a journey, but the terrain is somewhat challenging. Kars is on the high Anatolian plain which is a plateau at 1400 m. We have to climb up to over 3000m before working our way down through the gorges passing many dams and reservoirs until eventually getting down to sea level at Hopa.
The entire river system is becoming one massive HEP project. Please take the time to make the link to the YouTube video about just part of the scheme. www.youtube.com/watch?v=632GQ9EnDG8 Select the Rexroth video first, then the other about the Deriner Dam. We drove past the Deriner Dam which is the highest in Europe and third highest in the world.
It certainly washes the wax out of your ears!

A couple of views of two of the reservoirs on the Coruh river system. I am afraid that the video makes our pictures seem a bit pathetic. Remember the Deriner Dam is only one of 11 in the whole project.
Eventually we reach Hopa bus station. The option now is to haggle for a taxi to the border. We manage to get one to take us for 30 TL (£8) for the 35 km.
So now we are in Georgia and already you can sense a freer and livelier atmosphere. Another taxi trip (20 Lari) gets us to our doorstep in Batumi. The taxi driver was a delightful man. He didn't speak much English, but his daughter did so he promptly phoned her on his mobile and we had a good chat.

Our doorstep in Batumi. 

Day 8 Saturday 27th September

Helen had a pretty awful night and travelling today is out of the question so there are quite a few things to organise. Firstly I will have to re-organise the bus tickets and our accommdation. The laundry needs doing and we could do with changing rooms as ours has a flooded bathroom floor (not Helen's fault!).
Whilst I was out getting some food, I took the opportunity to buy a local hat. Quite an elaborate affair for 2 quid.

The Hotel Temel has seen some better days. It is now rather shabby and grubby. It is, of course to the Turkish taste and as such is almost diametericly opposite to mine. When asked, the staff were very helpful,however their default position was to sit around. The fact they had no English made this process a little trickier.

Let's hope Helen is feeling better and things are a bit more stable tomorrow. 

Day 7 after Ani

We got back from Ani about 3pm and Celhil helped us buy bus tickets for Hopa. By now the Swiss wanted to go as well. Stanley really wanted to go as well but he had a train ticket out on Sunday. Helen and I decided we would have a walk around which inevitably means you are drawn to the dominant castle.

Kars is remote and very insular town. Apart from our group of 6 and a couple of Japanese I saw no other non-local people. The panoramic view from the top of the castle was magnificent. Helen made it up and down again despite walking for 3 hours in the morning. 

I missed, even from this range! After her near miss Helen decided to go for a cai. Who should we meet but Stanley and the Swiss of course. Against his inclinations, Stanley has decided to use his train ticket.

Time for our evening meal so we head out to the cave restaurant. A troglodytes fantasy, but not a real cave. It is however made of stone rather than tacky polystyrene. 

After we get back to the hotel, the trouble started. Helen's bowels go into free fall and this is to go on throughout the night. 

Day 7 Friday 26th September

I told you yesterday about about Celhil, the chap who was offering the trip to Ani. He approached me again that evening in the hotel to explain that one of the party for Ani was sick, leaving only 3. The cost would now be 70 TL unless he found another punter. I suggested our new friends from the train who had tried to book into this hotel, but it was full. He said he would find them.

We breakfasted well and met the minibus at 8.30. On board were Celhil, Stanley, the Swiss couple, Juan (an American, whose wife was sick) and the driver. We started off on the 45 kms to Ani. On the way Celhil gave a synopsis of the extremely complex history of the area. The tensions and territorial disputes go on till the present day. According to Celhil the Russians are the villains of the piece, but the Turks would say that wouldn't they. Certainty there are still existing and long running internecine disputes but the Russians are stirring things up. Indeed it's the Russian troops that police the Armenian border but then NATO troops are bunkered up facing them, half a kilometre away.

The minibus was called back after 10 kms so they could swap it for a smaller one. The replacement looked like it had been in a war scene with a totally shattered windscreen. No, not bullets but projectile stones from the recently resurfaced road.

Ani was the main reason we came to Kars. A UNESCO world heritage site. It was the ancient Armenian state capital. Strategically situated on a bulge in the river Alaca canyon. It was a nexus point on the silk and spice road. Anyone travelling either direction East West would have to encounter it.Likewise anyone coming from the North between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Not surprisingly Ani was invaded many times from all directions over the thousand years or so that it flourished. It is now a huge deserted city that once had a population of over 100,000. It was called the city of a thousand churches. It is more the atmosphere of what was, than the existing buildings that impresses. Also the setting, the feeling of being alone in the high steppe,with only the wind and grass for company.

 A little history next: Ani was selected by the Bagratid King Ashot 3 to be his new capital in 961 (he moved from Kars). The Byzantines took over in 1045 then the Seljuks from Persia gained it. Next the Kingdom of Georgia marched in. The struggles went on until the Moguls arrived in 1239. These nomads had little time for city life and didn't bother much when the great earthquake toppled much of Ani in 1319. Tamberlane's depredations were the last blow and trade routes shifted consigning Ani to the dustbin of history.

How about a look around?

This is the entrance gate. From here we worked our way clockwise round the site. We were given 3 hours but you really need 4 as a minimum. 



The church of The Redeemer built to house a portion or the True Cross in 1034

The church of St Gregory which has superb surviving frescoes and external decoration including a tiny sundial. Can you tell the local time? Built in 1215

Next as we walked round was the Cathedral. Begun in 987 and finished in 1010. It became a mosque when the Seljuks conquered and swapped between Christian and Moslem many times. The acoustics were still good so I gave a verse of"And did those feet"for old times sake.

This is the Convent of the Virgins. You need to expand the picture to see it properly. You can't get any nearer because it's off limits. You should also be able to see the ruins of the old silk road bridge.

Not a pumping station but the Menucer Camii ( Mosque ) the first mosque built by the Seljuks after they conquered in 1072

This is the view from the inside of the mosque looking back at the Convent and bridge. 

Helen in the foreground with Ic Kale ( the keep ) in the background. This is also off limits. 

The Church of St Gregory which dates from the late 900s. 

Look across the river to the Armenian side and notice the rock-cut village

Kervansaray (the Church of the Holy Apostles) built in 1031, the Seljuks used it as a caravanserai hence the name. 

The detail in this ruined church is still stunning created by polychromatic stone inlay. 

This is the Church of St Gagic built in 998 by the same architect who designed the Cathedral. It's ambitious dome collapsed shortly after it was finished. 

The Seljuks Palace, entrance tower. Note the a symbol, the use of which became much perverted in the 20th century. 

I had spent a lot of time reading and researching this place. My conclusion? The site far outweighed my high expectations. If you are ever hereabouts don't dare miss it. One of the most memorable days of my life. 

Day 6 Thursday 25th September

We actually had a pretty good night's sleep being gently rocked by the motion of the train. In the night I made an important discovery although the loo nearest to us was a squatter the one at the other end was the more familiar variety. Helen looked out the window to see the most wonderful starry sky.
We headed up to the restaurant car for breakfast.I ordered yellow cheese omelet, Helen ordered fried eggs. Omelette was Ok but fried eggs were off. How can you make an omelette but not be able to fry eggs? I hear you shouting powdered eggs,but the omelettes tasted good.

The railway line now followed the Upper Euphrates valley with some spectacular scenery. The Turks were also building a swish new motorway following the route of the railway.

The line seems to climb and climb inevitably following the valley.

As you can see the countryside, though awesome is also rather samey. The shot above shows some ancient dwellings and caves. If you expand it you can see more clearly, but I expect you all know that anyway.

An especially nice shot of the train by Helen. Yet another viaduct over the Euphrates. The Turkish insignia on the window and angle of the sun causes the glaring.
Right at the start of this journey me met a character called Stanley. He was the only other English person on the train. He was another retiree and hailed from London. We also met a young Swiss couple who were also thinking of moving on to Georgia. More of them later.
We pulled into Kars about half an hour late. We took a taxi to the Temel Hotel. It proved to be pretty grotty even by North East Anatolian standards. We had hardly got in the door when a guy was offering us a trip to Ani. The price was good at £15 a head. He could also help with the onward journey to Georgia. The bus did run directly to Hoppa where we could connect to Batumi. What a relief. I was most worried about this section of the trip as despite all my efforts I had been unable to confirm the existence of any though transport. We went out for a very enjoyable meal and then prepared for what I hope will be a highlight, Ani.Tomorrow will tell us.

Day5 Wednesday 24th September

We are travelling from the extreme West of Turkey to the far North East.   The journey involves;

Bus to the ferry terminal,

Ferry across the Bosphorus,

To catch a bus to Pendik because the new HST track only goes that far at the moment to get the HST to Ankara.

The security on these trains is quite strict.  You go through a slightly milder airport style routine.   Then you are kept in a " train-side " secure area.  This includes when you change trains.

The HST can do 250km / hour when it gets the chance.

If I can get this video going you can see what it feels like to travel at 250km / hour.   Mussollini must have been at work here because these trains run spot on time.

Ankara, so we change trains for the Dogu Express.  The first class sleeper is really quite impressive. Let me give you a tour.

We had a good meal in the restaurant car lamb cutlets and chicken schnitzel.   Half bottle of decent white wine cost 20 Lira ( £ 7 ).

And so to bed. ........

Day 4 Tuesday 23rd September

I must really try to get to bed before 3am one night. The combination of the lively night life and writing of this blog make getting more than four and a bit hours kip tricky.
We have David and Anne's company until 4pm today and then they are flying back to Cyprus. Let's see what we can do from the following; Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Milion Stone, Bosphorus cruise and Suleymaniye Kulliyesi.
We decided on the cruise first. You can pay 25 lira for the bespoke one hour cruise or you can do one beep on your oyster card and get the ferry to Kadikoy in Asia, and for another beep get back. This particular ferry also gives you the best views of old Istanbul. Guess which we did? The ferry is also the one we will be taking tomorrow so we had something of a dry (wet?) run.

This photo shows the Topkapi Palace with the Haghia Sophia next to it. It was taken on the way back from Asia.

A bit about the Turkish railway system. It was built by the Germans originally and apparently they were paid by the mile which is why it is such a bendy layout! This picture shows the original Istanbul terminus for the East, ie the rest of Turkey. It's called Haydarpasa station now hardly used and about to become redundant. It was the gift of the Kaiser Wilhelm.

Next we planned the Topkapi Palace so we walked up the hill to the entrance where we read the notice "closed on Tuesday".  What a shame they didn't put the sign at the bottom of the hill. We have now earned a coffee and cake. We look at the Milion Stone on the way. This was built by the Romans and was a grand arch with a stone from which all distances though out the Empire were measured. We trudge on and up the hill to what I hope will be a real architectural gem.

 The Suleymaniye Kulliyesi. It is the pinnacle of achievement of the architect Sinan and a worthy legacy of the Sultan who founded it. Suleyman the Magnificent. He and his wife (Rolexana) are buried here. I wonder if they named the watch after her?

I was blown away by this building, really impressive. The relationship between the curves and the space was magical. 

The decoration was restrained and subtle, not in your face as is often the case. I have included a few photos of this building so you can get the flavour of it.

We head back to Taksim Square to say au revoir to Anne and David. We plan a nice meal out and pack in preparation for our long journey to Kars.

Day 3 Monday 22nd September

David and Anne are due to fly at about 2-30 today, so this morning we had better plan a schedule for them. Also I want to organise onward transport for Wednesday as getting to Kars will involve two days of travel and a fairly early start.

This is the railway station where the Orient Express used to terminate. It's now being refurbished as you can see. It is also where I bought the tickets from. This proved to be easier than I expected so if I got it right we should have no problems. If however I got it wrong. .......

This is the engine that will be pulling us to Kars as you can imagine this high speed line has recently been refurbished. Having sorted that out, It's time to go and meet David and Anne at Taksim Square. Success! we meet. Now we need to sort out their transport. We feel like the locals showing visitors around. Off to the Blue Mosque by tram. 

I have anticipated this visit for some time. I was hoping the Blue Mosque might be up there with the Taj Mahal and the Alhambra Palace. Frankly I was a little under-welmed. It was certainly impressive, as you can see from the pictures but it didn't quite do it for me. Judge for yourself. 

Here is the central dome. It's 23.5m in diameter and 43m high. It was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet and finished in 1616 after 7 years work. Number one tourist hot spot in Istanbul. Apparently it was reviled by the pious at the time of construction for consciously imitating the Great Mosque in Mecca. 

Can you guess which way we are facing here. The guys on their knees are giving us a clue. 

This is the other Mosque that dominates the skyline of the Sultanahmet along with the Topkapi Palace. It is called the Haghia Sophia. Two churches preceeded this one, the second was razed in AD 532 so it was Byzantine Christian church. Justinian ordered the rebuild and it was a bit special. The architects were Greek mathematician Anthenius and geometer Isidore and they came up with the innovative and much copied design. Basically they covered a square building with a huge dome. It was turned into a mosque in 1453 when the Otterman Turkish conquered the city, so they added a few bits to it. 

As we had a booking for Jamie Oliver's newly opened Italian restaurant we had to think about time for changing and getting there so. This really only left time for the Grand Bazaar coupled with a coffees and cakes. We went back to the hotels via the nostalgic tram. 

So you will be wondering what we made ofJamie's place. Lovely location very nicely done out, feature toilets and very obliging staff. Much to our surprise, the food was a little disappointing. Helen had to change her dish and the rest, whilst okay, was not as special as we would have hoped. Those of you who know me, will also know I have a bit of a thing for toilets. Jamie had some rather splendid ones. Thomas Crapper patented a design he called the Jamie and now you too can see it in the flesh, as it were.