Forty odd kilometers East of Kars is Ani, the capital of the medieval kingdom of Armenia.
Nowadays Ani is just west of the Armenian border in Turkey. In the pictures below Turkey is on the right, Armenia on the left of the river.
History hasn’t been too kind on the Armenians and there is not much left of the ancient city. A few ruins remain standing and its in a beautiful lonely location. (Unfortunately Armenians try their best to ruin the countryside with ugly quarries directly opposite Ani. What a strange move). The guards let me drive right in and park next to the ticket booth.
I take a little pre lunch nap in the Cathedral and I’m woken up by an old woman peeing in the church! She’s not the least bit embarrassed and I act like nothing happened.
Although the border between Turkey and Armenia remains firmly closed there is a four lane road between Kars and Any. Not surprisingly there isn’t much traffic on this road. Just the odd tourist or horse cart.
You never know when you need a washing machine.
Kars is a surprisingly sophisticated town with a few smart restaurants.
Near my hotel I found an Armenian church converted into a mosque.
