Day 27 - Don Curry in Winter

Don Curry experiences all seasons within a few weeks on this trip. From the freshness of spring around Lake Van, to the heat of summer in Kas and Adana, the colorful autumn in Phrygia, and finally winter - winter in Kars...

If Don Curry could have looked out of his window, he would have known that a consistently gray sky awaited him - for the first time during the entire trip. During breakfast at the Cheltikov hotel restaurant, he had a first inkling of the climatic inadequacies, but preferred to focus on the rich cheese selection and other buffet offerings; what was new for him here was that there were even various nougat varieties for breakfast. That had to be tried...

Today, the 98th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic was celebrated throughout Turkey. While having breakfast, Don Curry sat opposite the television, which reported a lot of historical information about Ataturk and occasionally showed live footage of the current Sultan adjusting the ribbons on a wreath with a sour expression, which two sturdy soldiers had just laid somewhere in Ankara. Would Don Curry find this wreath in a few days?

Today, something else occupied his mind, which, however, happened almost at the same time: the fate of the Armenians in Anatolia, their expulsion, their murder. He wanted to visit Ani, the medieval capital of an Armenian kingdom. Only ruins remain of this city, and it is located on a spot of Turkish territory that juts like a thorn into Armenian territory. The border with Armenia is still completely closed. Parts of Ani are also considered restricted areas. Against this bleak historical background, the dark gray sky seemed almost fitting to Don Curry. If only it weren't for the cold...

With a temperature of 2°C, Don Curry started his trip to Ani. Begging children greeted him when he got out of the car; the present-day village of Ani in front of the ruins made an unusually poor impression overall. After purchasing a ticket and passing through the well-preserved city wall, Don Curry saw an extensive area of ruins in front of him, with individual buildings standing out here and there. It also started to drizzle. Just 10 days ago, Don Curry was sweating profusely at temperatures above 30°C as he walked through sun-drenched ruins; here, despite wearing a shirt, sweater, and jacket, he was freezing. Only the movement made him feel better. Several hundred meters had to be covered between the individual churches and other buildings; in the end, Don Curry would have walked over 8 km in Ani.

He was repeatedly fascinated by the view of Armenia, although only uninhabited territory could be seen there. The bridge over the border river had long since turned into ruins: connection broken... Don Curry had read that police officers patrol the area to prevent overly curious tourists from entering the prohibited zones. But either they were all needed in Ankara or the drizzle had driven them into warm offices - Don Curry saw none. Only a very small number of visitors were scattered around the grounds early in the morning.

Don Curry decided to climb up to the ruins of the fortress, even though it should actually be part of the restricted zone. Nobody stopped him; and when he left the fortress on the other side, he could even see the corner fortress with a large church - on a rock high above the river, which makes a sharp curve here. However, there was no longer any path leading there, but at least Don Curry could photograph this otherwise inaccessible tip of Turkey. The rain subsided again, and it almost looked as if the sun might still prevail. The brief hope was deceiving; it remained gray and icy. Around noon, the area of the city of Ani filled up, and several tour buses had arrived. A good time for Don Curry to go, frozen and exhausted. Hardly had he left the parking lot with Insignia when heavy rain set in.

Near Ani, other Armenian churches and monasteries have been preserved in small villages - the entire area belonged to the Armenian heartland for centuries. Don Curry wanted to visit the best-preserved one. He found it in the village of Varavenk, surrounded by several poor courtyards. The residents immediately noticed Don Curry, returned his greeting, but kept their distance. The church actually showed an amazing state of preservation, even the conical roof was completely intact. However, when Don Curry looked inside, numerous pigeons fluttered around in alarm; a large pile of wood and other objects filled large parts of the area. The church had turned into a shed...

Don Curry no longer felt like looking at the fate of other churches. As he drove back to Kars, it started to snow. In some places in the city itself, a thin layer of snow had also spread. Don Curry used his camera to take some wintry photos in the snowstorm so that he could later prove this absurd episode of his journey through Anatolia. Instead of visiting anything else, he went into a baklava patisserie with snow-dampened hair. The owner's daughter spoke very good English and had even visited Berlin. She explained the differences between the numerous types of baklava to Don Curry and helped him make a selection. In the end, he took a box with 9 different baklavas, cooked himself a tea in the warm hotel room, and continued his exploration journey with his taste buds.

During a late walk through the dark Kars, it became apparent that the snow had already melted again. Instead of the illuminated castle, there was a laser show for Republic Day today, with a giant Turkish flag fluttering around. Don Curry didn't stay outside for too long, as it was still terribly cold, winter cold...