-Four views from my compartment aboard the Dogu Ekspresi train, which daily runs the 2,000km from Istanbul to Kars, eastwards across Anatolia.
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A few shots of Kars, including a shot of myself acting in a rather colonial manner, and two views of the old Armenian church. There are no Armenians in Kars now though, obvisouly. The church has been a mosque for some time, and is an official monument under the protection of the Turkish Ministry of Culture. Overall it seems to be in good condition, although I was not able to find anyone to unlock the door and let me inside.
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-A pseudo-panoramic view of Kars from the fortress. (Please click on the image for a much better view.)
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-And four views of the road from Kars to the Turkish-Georgian border at Posof/Vale, including the last minaret I saw (from the window of a somewhat rustic loo).
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For more information on rail travel to or in or from Turkey, please visit this excellent page, part of the amazing "The Man in Seat 61" website, a triumph of British enthusiasm for travelling by rail.
The timetable for the Istanbul-Kars "Mountain Express" train can be found here, on the Turkish Railways website. The train leaves Istanbul Haydarpasha Station (on the Asian side) at 08:35 (Day 1), and arrives in Kars at 22:00 (Day 2), stopping at Izmit, Eskishehir, Ankara, Kirikkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan, and Erzurum along the way. I recommend a private compartment (roughly 70 Euros, sleeps 2) in the first class carriage, especially in winter, when the compartment's radiator is a godsend. The views from the train are absolutely stunning.
For more on travel in Turkey, you could also consult Tom Brosnahan's excellent Turkey Travel Planner, or delve deeper into Seat61.com.
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