Although I’ve completed my write-up of my trip to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, there was quite a lot that I missed out and have meant to come back to. This is one of those posts, but the summary of the trip is at https://www.julianwhite.uk/turkey-georgia-and-armenia-final-thoughts/, with a link to all the blog posts that I wrote up telling the story of that little adventure.
Apparently these can occasionally be found in the UK, but they’re rather delicious, a similar concept to Bueno bars. Light in taste, gentle pistachio flavour and plenty of chocolate. It might be evident that I had way too much time to think on this railway journey.
Although I’ve completed my write-up of my trip to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, there was quite a lot that I missed out and have meant to come back to. This is one of those posts, but the summary of the trip is at https://www.julianwhite.uk/turkey-georgia-and-armenia-final-thoughts/, with a link to all the blog posts that I wrote up telling the story of that little adventure.
We only had one night in Ankara, so whilst Jonathan opted for a basement room in a nearby hotel, I went for the Ibis Styles.
The rather nice lobby.
The beer selection from which I could choose my welcome drink.
The room, which was clean, cosy and warm. So I promptly opened the window to make it cold.
They made me a coffee during the check-in and there’s the welcome snack and bottled waters.
I went for the welcome beer of the Efes Malt, which was light, malty and really rather good.
The breakfast room in the morning, when I first realised that there was now quite a lot of snow outside.
The breakfast buffet.
Delicious and healthy.
The colourful corridor.
I’m not sure I’ve seen a warning of a fine for not returning the keycard.
Anyway, this was a really rather lovely hotel with friendly staff, fast wifi (this was important), a comfortable environment and clean rooms. The breakfast choice was extensive, the stay was reasonably priced and I’d stay here again.
Although I’ve completed my write-up of my trip to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, there was quite a lot that I missed out and have meant to come back to. This is one of those posts, but the summary of the trip is at https://www.julianwhite.uk/turkey-georgia-and-armenia-final-thoughts/, with a link to all the blog posts that I wrote up telling the story of that little adventure.
As a random thought when we were walking around the city by Güvenpark, it occurred to me that we wouldn’t struggle getting a taxi if we needed one.
Although I’ve completed my write-up of my trip to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, there was quite a lot that I missed out and have meant to come back to. This is one of those posts, but the summary of the trip is at https://www.julianwhite.uk/turkey-georgia-and-armenia-final-thoughts/, with a link to all the blog posts that I wrote up telling the story of that little adventure.
There are a number of dioramas at the Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. These ones are about the Çanakkale campaign (better known here as the Gallipoli campaign) which was fought between 1915 and 1916. The allies hoped to seize the Dardanelles, take Istanbul, knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war and open a reliable sea route to Russia.
It began with the allies making a naval attempt in February and March 1915, which ran into mines, mobile artillery and the awkward reality that narrow waters are excellent at turning expensive ships into sinking lessons. After heavy losses on 18 March, the plan shifted to an amphibious landing, but that again had a sub-optimal ending.
The landings on 25 April 1915 brought British and French forces, alongside the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), onto multiple points of the Gallipoli peninsula, only to find the Ottomans dug in, well-led and fighting with a defensive advantage. Months of trench warfare followed, marked by appalling casualties, disease, supply problems and offensives that gained metres at a time and then promptly lost them again. Ottoman resistance, galvanised by capable commanders including Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself, turned the campaign into a defining moment of national memory in Turkey, while in Australia and New Zealand it became a tragic story of identity and loss.
This whole conflict was a real victory not just for the Ottomans, but for their prestige and honour. The Ottomans were ultimately left defeated by the First World War, but from there came the new Turkish nation.
The text of Atatürk’s speech in the 1930s:
“Those heroes that shed their blood in the territory of this country! You are in the soil of a friendly country here. Therefore, rest in peace. You are lying together with the Mehmetçik, side by side, in each other’s arms. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries! Wipe your tears away. Your sons are now lying in the bosom of ours. They are now in peace and will rest in peace here forever. After losing their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well.”
Although I’ve completed my write-up of my trip to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, there was quite a lot that I missed out and have meant to come back to. This is one of those posts, but the summary of the trip is at https://www.julianwhite.uk/turkey-georgia-and-armenia-final-thoughts/, with a link to all the blog posts that I wrote up telling the story of that little adventure.
This is the Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III which is a reminder that the Ottomans were doing hydration in some considerable style. Plonked outside Topkapı Palace, it’s a public fountain and sebil (a kiosk where free water was provided by an attendant) from the early 1700s, commissioned by Sultan Ahmed III, who clearly believed that if you’re going to dispense water you may as well do it with finesse.
Although I’ve completed my write-up of my trip to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, there was quite a lot that I missed out and have meant to come back to. This is one of those posts, but the summary of the trip is at https://www.julianwhite.uk/turkey-georgia-and-armenia-final-thoughts/, with a link to all the blog posts that I wrote up telling the story of that little adventure.
The first two nights of our trip were spent at the Jammy Hotel in Istanbul and I was pleased that they were open given that we arrived after midnight. The staff member was friendly and welcoming, using his phone to translate into English. He was jovial and fun, I liked him, noting that he had upgraded both of us. He randomly mixed up the keys and this was the room that I got, basic, but functional.
The reception area.
There’s normally a buffet breakfast included, but it was quiet and so we offered this plated breakfast instead. I gave my egg to Jonathan as it didn’t appeal to me, but the rest of the breakfast was functional and pleasant. I love olives, so they went down well. That meat looking stuff I wasn’t brave enough to try, but I was surprised and delighted at all the bread.
It was a similar breakfast the next day, but it was filling and tasty.
And the outside of the hotel. I liked it here, although Jonathan was hoping that it was a bit more decadent. I thought for the money it represented decent value for money and it was relatively clean throughout. I like street noise and I think I got the slightly noisier room, so that worked out well and it was a solid introduction to the wonderful city that is Istanbul.
Although I’ve completed my write-up of my trip to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia, there was quite a lot that I missed out and have meant to come back to. This is one of those posts, but the summary of the trip is at https://www.julianwhite.uk/turkey-georgia-and-armenia-final-thoughts/, with a link to all the blog posts that I wrote up telling the story of that little adventure.
One of my videos that I never got around to uploading before, this is the call to prayer in a snowy Erzurum.
Firstly, this was a quite amazing trip and many thanks to Jonathan for his company and leading me through Turkey, Georgia and Armenia. It was an adventure that I won’t forget and I have very many fond memories of it.
At the base of this page is a list of everything that I’ve posted about this trip, I think I made 89 blog posts about it. And, there are more coming, as I’ve rather rushed through this so that I’ve completed it to at least some degree.
This is my heat map of where I took photos and it also shows quite nicely our journey from Istanbul to Yerevan. There were a lot of trains and buses on this trip.
TURKEY
I’ve wanted to come to Turkey for some time and to be able to see so much of it has been something of a treat. The food here was one of the most notable elements, certainly some of the best kebabs that I’ve had. The lack of Internet was a problem for me, something resolvable by taking an eSim in future, but it tells a wider story. This was a country where access to the Internet was locked in a way that I haven’t experienced in some time, indeed, it was actually Russia that I last recall this happening for me.
Istanbul, as no-one will be surprised by, had a lot of history and I only scratched the surface of it on this trip. Ankara had more life to it in many ways and their railway station is really quite shiny. Erzurum was historic, the pace of life felt slowest here of any city we went to on the trip.
The welcome was always friendly, although the pace often felt slow, and not just when our train pulled into Erzurum 12 hours late. But, a train journey of 32 hours was in very many ways really quite fun, it’s beaten my longest rail journey record from when I travelled from Birmingham (Alabama) to Newark (New Jersey).
This officially secular country was much more religious as we travelled to the east, although it’s politically in an odd place where it has the very European country of Georgia to the east of it and the very European countries of Greece and Bulgaria to the west of it. It, however, is fiercely independent and has a proud history from when it was the Ottoman Empire.
And, let’s not forget the cats. The very many cats.
GEORGIA
Georgia was dynamic, forward-thinking and clearly going places. I hadn’t been prepared for the number of EU flags and the Museum of Soviet Occupation told its own story about the twentieth century. In terms of the food, it had cuisines from all over the world, something that we didn’t experience in the same way in Turkey.
Batumi was the city that surprised me the most, it certainly was the Las Vegas of the wider region as Jonathan had told me about in advance. A city that has undergone a transformation that doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Tbilisi was vibrant, charming, growing and the tourists are likely to keep on coming here.
It’s hard to see the economic resurgence of Georgia coming to an end unless there are wider political issues. With more flights coming in from Europe, this feels like it will attract more tourists, more business and even more growth. And, they felt more open and there was much less regulation of the Internet, something which it shared with Armenia.
Modernity was the element that struck me the most, it might look like it’s living in the past, but this has a future.
ARMENIA
When we were being driven through the Armenian countryside, it did feel like a country that needed a lot of economic growth. But, Yerevan was a modern looking city and it’s clear that’s where the economic drivers are in terms of where the future for Armenia is going to come from.
The Soviet legacy is strong here, it’s a country that finds itself with a smaller amount of territory than it might like and its political future is more uncertain than perhaps somewhere like Georgia. But, it really felt like an independent country with its own destiny, there was a confidence that seemed to be there.
My comments, as ever, are a little random, but they’re the thoughts that come to mind. And, I very much look forward to visiting all three of the countries again. There will now be lots more posts, but below are the ones I’ve posted so far, more than enough to surprise and delight my two loyal blog readers.
We boarded another bus in Hopa where just three of us, myself, Jonathan and the French guy got on. I had hopes that this might be comfortable, but they were just shuttling us to another part of Hopa. I did though get 45 seconds of charging my phone up.
The second bus was a little more rickety, but it wasn’t a long journey to the border. These buses don’t have fixed timetables, they just go when they’re full or after the driver thinks that passengers have waited long enough.
The price list.
This is Sarp, a small town by the Georgian border.
The Black Sea and this is, I think, the first time that I’ve seen it. Although I’ve visited Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria, I’ve never been to the Black Sea coast of those countries.
The large buildings on the right are border control and the Georgian town of Sarpi is visible in the background.
I’ve left my two loyal blog readers hanging on for dear life with the excitement of my last post about Erzurum Otogar. The signs didn’t show what number platform the bus (or marshrutka to be more precise) was going from, so we headed out to look for it and immediately found it.
This wasn’t the most spacious when it filled up, but it was clean and comfortable. We went back into Erzurum to pick up some more passengers and we were aware of this, but felt more confident getting on at the original spot.
One of the lakes that we went by near Artvin.
The views were beautiful during the bus journey, although it was hard to take photos. This is the services near the village of Çağlıyan, with views over the nearby mountains. I have a couple of videos which might give an indication of the views, I’ll get around to posting them at some point.
After some beautiful scenery we pulled into Hopa. We knew from instructions online that we had to find a stop near an underpass and when we saw that, we jumped out. A French guy nearby also got out at the same time and this is relevant to the story in a few posts.
We weren’t staying in Hopa, we were looking for another bus to take us to the Georgian border, but more on this in the next instalment.
