Day 29 - Don Curry becomes Master Curry

Don Curry has been addressed several times on this trip. At the receptions of the big hotels, he was always the 'Mister', and even children who had seen through him as a foreign tourist mostly called him 'Mister, Mister.' He was often referred to as 'Sör', the Turkish word for 'Mr.', which seems to be borrowed from another language. Today he received a completely different form of address...

Since today's day would include very little program apart from a long journey, Don Curry could leave for breakfast a little later, which could be taken on the top floor of the hotel. Don Curry also experienced an extensive buffet in this hotel, which he was allowed to walk along himself with a mask and plastic gloves. Again there were exclusive specialties, such as various cream cheese preparations of the savory and sweet kind; he had a vanilla cappuccino prepared in the coffee machine.

In Erzurum, the gray sky continued to threaten and produced short showers every now and then. So Don Curry explored the city wearing a rain jacket. After the three Kümbets (funerary monuments), which belong to the oldest Islamic buildings in the city, he mainly visited the recently restored Madrasa with the two minarets. It now houses a Madrasa Museum and could be visited free of charge. Not only the facade boasted delicate stone carving, but the courtyard also had numerous elaborate decorations. When the sun briefly came out and made the tiles of the two minarets sparkle, Don Curry took the opportunity to take photos immediately. A young Turk addressed him as 'Effendi', the Turkish word for 'Master', and quickly switched to English when he realized that Don Curry was at least not a master of the Turkish language. He asked for a photo in front of the sunlit minarets, which Don Curry gladly took. Effendi Curry - Master Curry, yes, that sounds good...

He had to pay an entrance fee of 1.25 € for the visit to the castle, although the interior was almost entirely under construction; only the clock tower integrated into the castle could be climbed and offered fantastic views of the city and the snow-covered mountains surrounding it. After a walk past other madrasas and mosques, Don Curry happily finished his short visit in Erzurum and headed west. He hoped to finally leave the cold and wetness behind. He left Erzurum at 6 °C.

The five-hour drive he had to complete led almost exclusively through lonely and magnificent mountain scenery on narrow, winding roads. As the sun gradually dominated the sky more and more, Don Curry enjoyed the long distance. He was pleased that he would also reach his destination in sunshine so that he could appreciate it more extensively today: the famous mosque of Divrigi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful mosques in Anatolia at least.

But as he drove into Divrigi, he already saw a large wrapped box from a distance, almost exactly where the mosque would be expected. Another last artwork by Christo and Jean-Claude? His worst fears came true. The mosque and the adjacent hospital were in the status of general renovation and were not only simply scaffolded, but almost completely covered behind opaque tarpaulins; even an extensive roof structure had been built to protect and work on the mosque from above. Only two of the three portals remained uncovered by the tarpaulins so as not to completely frustrate any visitors. But Don Curry was frustrated. The whole elaborate journey to Divrigi had ultimately not been worth it. He even briefly considered whether he should just continue to the next destination, but that would have meant another 2 hours of winding mountain roads, with the daylight decreasing even more.

So Don Curry stayed in the small town, took up his cheapest hotel on this trip (accommodation with breakfast: 16 €) and got a really small, simple room, which was completely sufficient for one night. At the nearby Konak Restaurant, which the hotelier recommended to him, he could inspect the various grilling options at the counter again; he opted for köfte and a starter soup, a salad was naturally included. Together with beer, water, and tea, the whole thing cost him 6 €, with the beer probably accounting for half of the price.

Early in the morning, he went to his hotel and took off his sweater. The temperature was still 15 °C even after sunset. Master Curry had returned to warmth...