After a short walk and dolmus ride to the center of town, we followed a few Van locals to an assuradely good breakfast place. It did not disappoint. Moments after we sat, a waiter asked us if we wanted “khavalti,” the Turkish word for breakfast.
Without delay, small plate after small plate appeared on our table. Olives, cheese, eggs and meat, scrambled eggs and almond butter, an herbed cheese spread, and the piece de resistance, a strange sheet of clotted cream topped with honey and ground almonds. All this was served with piles of warm lavash, or flat bread, and as much tea as one could drink. We all ate until we feared our stomachs would burst, then ate some more. All for the grand price of roughly $7.
After breakfast, we checked into our hotel, Otel Aslan, complete with peeling paint, filthy bathrooms, and blankets that looked as though they had never seen soap in their clearly long lives. It was not exactly somewhere we wanted to hang out and relax, but that wasn’t what the trip was about anyway. Instead, we were off to Van Castle, built a very long time ago on a high rocky outcrop overlooking the lake. Nothing was roped off, a fact we enjoyed lavishly as we meandered about and climbed to its highest points. The sun sets very early in the east, so as we sat on the crumbling castel walls, we were further entertained by the light of the low sun bouncing off that enormous lake, towards us, turning the puddles on the bumpy terrain far below us into shimmering, golden mirrors.
The downside to the early sunset was that there is very little to do in Van after dark. We ate some delicious varieties of baklava, followed by some very good and very cheap doner (in case we died before dessert, as Grandpa would say), at which point we were at a total loss as to what we should do. Oddly enough, in this conservative, underdeveloped little city, we ended our night with some video games, much to my despair.
The next morning we woke up early to a gray and chilly sky and took a bus to Dogubeyazit, an even smaller town even further east, just 30 minutes from Iran. Still on the outskirts of town, we were welcomed by Mt. Ararat, Turkey's tallest mountain. Standing at over 16,000 feet, peak hidden in clouds, this alleged keeper of Noah’s Ark lived up to its name, literally “mountain of pain.” We couldn't even make out its peak for the clouds that covered it. Once in town, we visited another castle, built much more recently but complete with ornate carvings and a beautiful, crumbling mosque.
The castle had open windows on nearly all sides, and from its location at the top of a hill, we had an incredible view of the town and countryside below us. The only disappointment was that Mt. Arrarat was blocked by a rocky hill. After lunch and tea, we hopped back on a bus to Van, where we once again ate doner and baklava (in its normal order), then played tavle (backgammon) and drank yet more tea at a small café.
By Saturday, it was high time for another Van breakfast. Fearful of disappointment, we returned to the same restaurant and again stuffed ourselves silly. Next up was a trip to Akdamar, a small island on the lake known for its millennium-old Armenian church and the remains of a monastery. We took a short ferry ride to the island, and were soon after awestruck by its quaint beauty. The church itself was quite small and made of stone. Its interior was covered in fading blue murals depicting bibilical stories. Just as in Europe, its stone walls were pockmarked by crosses I can only assume were left by crusaders. Its outside was even more
remarkable. Its ornate carvings included the only known depiction of Jonah and the Whale where the whale is actually a chimera. Behind the church was a beautiful old cemetery, and beyond it extended a high rocky outcrop, which we of course had to climb. Once at the top, we could see the entirety of the island and shore and mountains from which we came, as well as that ever-extending lake behind us. It was quite cloudy and cool, but while we were up there the sun slowly, and just ever so slightly, broke through some of the clouds to shine on the mountains down below. We retunred to Van for some late lunch, then went in search of the Cat House, located at the university outside of town. Van is home to a special variety of cats that is slowly dying out. They are distinguishable by their white fur, different colored eyes (often one blue and one green), and joy of swimming. This special house was built in an attempt to revitalize the population, although it doesn’t seem to be very effective. It turned out that this Cat House was merely a building with outdoor pens on either side full of separated male and female cats. They can run in and out of the building as they wish, and kittens are kept in their very own rooms. While the intention is undoubtedly good, it just struck me as unnatural to keep so many cats together in one place, largely void of human affection. It goes without saying that they very much enjoyed our company. Natalie was particularly overcome with cat love as we oohed and awed at their every move.
Back in the city, we ate a little dinner, then went to a café to watch a Turkish League football game. The room was filled with small stools and men, all staring up at a TV screen in the corner. It was a terrible game really, and after it I just wanted to go relax at the dingy hotel and read my book.
Sunday morning was our last chance for that glorious breakfast, so we gobbled it up and then waddled over to the Van Museum, which was grossly underwhelming, but free.
Across the street from the museum were several Turkish carpet shops, and Jamie was far too curious to pass them up. We all went in and were served tea as the vendor unfolded rug upon rug for our viewing pleasure. They were actually quite reasonably priced, especially when compared to what they would cost at home, and Jamie and Natalie both ended up buying one. The more time we spent there, the more tempted I became to enter the bidding, but my bank account kept screaming in the back of my head for me to resist.
And so, after a flight back to Ankara, a traffic-ridden bus ride, and a taxi to campus, our trip ended and it was back to work.
