Der Hova is right, Armenia is two hours AHEAD :-)

Yesterday, we went to Ani... it was like a fairy tale city. I had seen it twice from the Armenian side of the river, but up close it is so huge, so impressive. The massive ramparts, the collection of beautiful churches, including a massive Cathedral which dwarves anyone, and some round churches, amazing views, and breathtaking frescos. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will save the words and post a few pics later. The plentiful signs did not mention Armenia anywhere, despite the extensive Armenian inscriptions everywhere. It was strange standing across the river from where I had been before, but unable to cross either time. The Turkish flag on one bank and the Armenian and Russian on the other.

After that Lena and Jack decided to head back to Istanbul, so I decided to join them, rather than go church hunting on my own. Especially since they were the ones who had a bit of Turkish skills, and I had none, and the locals had no English skills. Even at the fancy hotels, nothing.

That's all for now...