The chill heart of the Northeast Erzurum

In the northeastern corner of Turkey, Erzurum has an unenviable reputation as one of the coldest places in the country -- 40 degrees below in winter, as the taxi drivers into town will delight in telling you. Given that the local stone from which most of the older buildings were made is also a dour dark gray and it's easy to imagine how it's often thought of as rather a grim place, not somewhere that would top... [read full story]