West on the Dagu Expresi to Erzurum
Things That Do Scare Me
04.25.2023 - 05.25.2023
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Turkey and Georgia 2023
on Bob Brink's travel map.
May 10, 2023
The cold meds worked, so I managed to get some much-needed sleep. I was packed and at breakfast by 7:03. I gulped down my yoghurt and granola along with a cup of coffee and was downstairs by 7:10. Three minutes later I was in my taxi and arrived at the station by 7:25 for my 8:00 am train. I guess I could have had a second cup of coffee.
Since Kars is the eastern terminus of the Dagu Expresi, the train was already waiting. I walked to the end of the platform to admire the train and take some photographs.
There was an excited couple checking things out. He posed on the old engine beside the platform.
I had arrived two days prior on the Dagu Expresi from Kayseri. That trip took over 19 hours, and I had my own sleeper compartment. My journey on this day would only take four hours. I found my car and boarded. I now had a seat in a coach car.
I was going back along the train line to the city of Erzurum. From there I would take a bus to the Black Sea city of Trabzon and then another bus to Georgia.
I had an assigned seat, but the car was not full, which allowed me to move from one side of the car to the other to take photographs. My activity was noted, especially by a man who constantly pointed out things that he thought I should photograph. The scenery was quite beautiful and even though I had been this way less than 48 hours before, it was new to me since we had been in the dark on this part of my eastbound journey. There were lots of towns, farms, cattle, horses, the river, and mountains. This ride really completed my time on the Dagu Expresi.
There was a steady flow of passengers getting on and off at every station. I was the only foreign tourist.
The time passed quickly. I was sad because this was my last train ride of the trip. I had been on trains for almost fifty hours during my two weeks in Turkey, and I was still loving it. I would soon be in Georgia where a driver would take me everywhere. I would no longer be responsible for boarding the right trains or finding my hotels. I had thought that would be a relief and make the latter part of my trip a bit more relaxing, but I now recognized that I would really miss this part of my travel experience.
We arrived right on time at Erzurum station.
A week earlier I had enjoyed what I called a rest day. I had spent the night in Konya rather than being met at the train station and heading out for an eight-hour day of travel to Cappadocia. This was my second rest day. The first itinerary had me transferring straight from the train station to the bus terminal to take a five-hour bus ride to Trabzon. I decided instead to spend the night in Erzurum and be on my own, no tours or guides on this day.
The Rafo Hotel was only a ten-minute walk from the station, so I started rolling my little bag along, using my Google Maps to guide me. The weather was perfect. Snowcapped mountains towered over the city. The app told me that I was close. I saw a hotel where Google maps seemed to indicate that my hotel should be. I said to myself, “Please don't let that be my hotel.” It wasn't. I compared the directions to the street and decided the app could not be right, so I turned left. Google disagreed. After a few steps I turned back around and followed the directions down an alley. I was glad that it was daylight.
The app was correct. I was soon at the Rafo Hotel.
This was my seventh hotel in Turkey but the first one where I was greeted by a female hotel clerk. It was also by far the nicest greeting I had received. Not only did I get a warm welcome, but she offered me coffee and a sweet. “Do you want Nescafe or a Turkish coffee?” At my last hotel I took the Turkish coffee. This time I went with Nescafe. She told me that she had made the pudding herself.
It was a modern room, and I had a great view of the mountains.
I did a quick WhatsApp with Po and headed out to see the city.
Erzurum is a small city of about 375,000 and sits at 1,900 metres (6,200 feet). Like other cities in this area of the world, it has been passed back and forth over the centuries between various empires- Assyrians, Armenian, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Persian and Russian. It once had a substantial Armenian population which was subsequently eliminated during what is known as the Armenia genocide in 1915. After WWI the city was one of the starting points for the war that established the modern Turkish republic.
I walked first to the Yakutiye Madrasa which was built in 1310. It is now a museum.
From there I walked past Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque on my way to Erzurum Castle.
Then I saw an interesting looking pizza restaurant and decided a late lunch break/early supper was in order. I chose a pasta dish.
I continued my walk up to the castle. The first fortification was probably built during the iron age. The present fort dates perhaps to 415 AD, but it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. The last big restoration took place in the 16th century. The minaret was built in 1137 and was rebuilt in the 19th century with a clock.
One room was a small, carpeted mosque. It was obvious to me that I should take off my shoes before entering. Two men walked in. I saw one of them look down at my feet. I assumed it was to see if this old foreign tourist had done the right thing. He saw that I had and nodded.
The minaret was in the corner. I have climbed a few minarets during my travels so suspected what was involved. There were many uneven steps in the circular staircase. At the top I had climb a ladder and fit through a hatch.
There was a great 360-degree view of the city.
There is a ski jump in Erzurum. I assume that it is a legacy from 2011 when the city hosted the World University games.
The men from the mosque were there with two young women who said that they were studying English. They wanted to practice.
Then it was time to descend. Luckily, I had my friends to help by handing down my camera after I had climbed back through the hatch. I then had to walk down the uneven steps (later I learned that there are 67) with no handrails. A misstep would have likely meant at least some major bumps and bruises. The ride in the balloon did not scare me. But going back down that minaret did.
I had been lucky in previous stops such as Izmir, Avanos, and Kars where I had found really nice coffee shops. I was not so lucky in Erzurum. I walked up to a second-floor café with large windows looking out on the city. When I went to order I was asked if I smoked. The main area was full of smoke. I sat at a table next to the cash. Yes, I have learned all about the great Turkish vice, “smokes like a Turk”.
I returned to the hotel. I asked about a taxi to the bus stop and had my photo taken with the sweets lady.
I retired to my modern room. I did my routine of alternating downloading and reviewing my photos and videos with a bit of reading. I had not done or seen anything amazing, but I had taken a four-hour train ride, visited a 1600-year-old fort, and climbed a nine-hundred-year-old minaret. I was quite happy with my decision to spend the night in Erzurum. After this I only had two more nights in Turkey.
Posted by Bob Brink 17:54 Archived in Turkey Tagged trains turkey dagu_express erzurum Comments (2)