Photo: Ronel at Ani
The hotel we stayed in Kars was in poor condition. We found the people at the hotel, tourist office, and even the local kids to be quite rude. That night we had a few too many beers and had some very serious discussions about the troubles in South Africa. Ronel, upset, left us at the bar. When Wayne and I returned a little later to the hotel, Ronel was not there. Worried, we went looking for her, and shortly found her on the street on the way back to the hotel.
The next day we hired a taxi to take us to Ani. There were very few other vehicles on the country road. At one point a sheepherder s dog, about the size of our car, threatened to attack the vehicle. It was the biggest dog I had ever seen.
We had the sights of Ani all to ourselves. The remains of the old city, which predated Christ, was widely scattered on the site. It once had over 100,000 population. Across the river that ran adjacent to Ani, was Armenia. A single checkpoint protected the border. I could see large pieces of old pottery half buried in the ground. It seemed so unusual that they had not been excavated, and that there were not efforts to protect the pieces. Ani was the highlight of my trip.
Photo: Edge of Ani city
Photo: Walls & buildings of Ani
Photo: Close up of tower
Photo: Ani wall
Photo: Ruins of building
Photo: Ani tower
Photo: Border with Armenia
Photo: Ani cathedral built in 987
Photo: Remains of Church of Redeemer
Photo: Church of Redeemer, built 1034. Half was destroyed in 1957 by lightening
Map of Turkey trip
