The rain finally stopped just before morning, so we set off for the ‘must see’ Ani ruins which are up by the Armenian border.
On the old Silk Road, this medieval Armenian Capital overlooks a deep gorge and the Armenia of today which is, of course, fenced off as the border is closed.
Guy was quite desperate to come here for reasons I can’t fathom, but whether it’s been worth the two and half day trek is questionable. A lot of it is rubble and the churches and other buildings that do remain are strewn out over a vast plateau.
It is a UNESCO site though, and there’s no doubt that the Armenians were master stonemasons. Cows were wandering around the whole site and the area around the carpark was full of turkeys, geese and ducks.
We drove back to Kars mid afternoon, as from Ani, all roads lead there anyway. Loads of huge birds along the way, but Guy was having difficulty with the zoom lens and it wasn’t until we got back that we worked out they were Honey Buzzards.
Just before the city, the signal failed on my phone, so we had to try and remember the complicated route back to the car park. It wasn’t long before the man appeared who offered help yesterday – in fact he’s now been to see us three times, always trying to help but difficult to get rid of.
We had a walk up to the citadel behind where we are parked – good views from the top but nothing inside the walls.
Back in the city centre, we went in search of ‘the fantastic Russian architecture’ mentioned in the Rough Guide, but still not sure if we found it or not. The streets were buzzing with cafes and restaurants though, and it’s certainly a nicer place than we first thought.
A quick look in the mosque bought us face to face with our local friend. He pointed out every detail and then we made our escape!
