08:00 Leave for Ani 08:50 Arrive Ani Walk through interesting ruins, past shops, a mosque, a cathedral with beautiful frescoes including a blond Christ. On the other side of the river which was the boundary between Turkey and Armenia there was an active rock quarry and guard tower. The city of Ani was once an important Georgian city. The frescoes of Jesus  in the Georgian church was showing Jesus as a blond man versus the dark reflection of the Jesus images  painted in the Armenian churches.

Ani being  the capital of the Armenian Prince hood in the 10th century, was adorned with churches and cathedrals. This cathedral was converted in to a mosque when the city was invaded in 1054.- Fethiye Camii

10:50 Home visit to family friends of Meli. They lived at the last home  on the Eastern most part of this frontier of Turkey
The elder lady was a matriarch with her daughter in law and her sister in law. There were two beautiful grandchildren. the boy have had an open heart surgery. We were served tea, bread and home made cheese stored in an animal hide.
11:50 Leave for Kars
12:30 Brief Store visit buy water and hotel to pick up luggage and lunch which we ate on the bus to save time. We traveled the longer but the more scenic route through Gole and Oltu. We had a great picnic lunch  on the bus.
It was delicious and helped us save time.

Pass 2300 meters into Black Sea drainage area
Scenery changes from grass lands to Pine forests, steep cliffs and red hills.  Beautiful scenery with irrigated grass fields which ends up as bailed hay.
Stopped for  photo of a family of sisters and brothers stacking hay. Ken helped them.
We could have taken the shorter highway to Erzurum. but the group enjoyed taking the back roads to see more of the country side.
This road was in construction for most part of it.
We all agreed that once the road becomes a proper highway some of its charm will be lost because some of the by the road fields will be left under the highway.

The colors changed from red to purple and yellow.
When we finally arrived in Erzurum, the traffic on the streets were quite a contrast to the beautiful country side that we had traveled through that afternoon.

06:00 PM arrived at the Hotel Hitit
07:00 PM Fantastic dinner at Erzurum Evleri. The group wanted to return to Erzurum Evleri tomorrow.

We had stuffed grape leaves, yogurt soup, borek pilav
 

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