We took a marshutka from Kutaisi to Akhaltsikhe and when we got off we were admiring the cars set up as hardware shops and were trying to work out which way to go to get to our hotel when a bustling woman approached us offering accommodation at her guesthouse. We had already booked a room a hotel so politely declined her offer. Not giving up she offered home cooked meals and a husband who could drive us to Vardzia and other places of interest […]
Churches
Kutaisi, Georgia
Wizz Air flies in and out of Kutaisi from all over Europe for very few euros so it’s likely the budget traveller to Georgia will fly via this city rather than Tbilisi. Our first visit to Georgia saw us finish in Kutaisi where we then flew to Warsaw. Our second visit had us arrive in Kutaisi from Munich and leave from there to Budapest. Kutaisi it turns out is more than just a place for budget airline arrivals and departures. The town has quite […]
The Georgian Military Highway
We did two day trips from Tbilisi when we were there in April and I can recommend both to future travellers to Georgia. The first was with a driver up what is known as the Georgian Military Highway to Kazbegi, a truly magnificent drive. We stopped off at a few beautiful points along the way both there and back. The second trip from Tbilisi was to Uplitsikhe cave city and Gori, birthplace of Stalin and home to the Stalin Museum. I’ll cover this one […]
Tbilisi – Capital of Georgia
We have been fortunate enough to visit Georgia and its capital Tbilisi on two occasions this year. The first experience in Georgia was so good (but relatively short, just 10 days in April) so when we needed to exit the Schengen Zone we decided to return to Georgia and explore some more. In October we were back for around 3 weeks. I’ll write about both trips now so all the Georgia posts are together. Let’s start with a bit of background about the place… […]
Last day in Armenia – Debed Canyon
We stayed in Vanadzor for two nights with a guy who is also involved in the ARK Armenia organisation we helped out with in Kapan. We arrived after our Lake Sevan trip and the following day we were off exploring again, this time hitch-hiking and on buses. Our target was the dramatic and beautiful Debed Canyon and a few monasteries there. Our attempts at hitch-hiking out of town didn’t last long as a very crowded mini-van bus came along and we jumped in that. […]
Qazvin
Once the capital of all Iran, Qazvin these days is a smallish city with a population around 400,00 and home to a few pleasant sights. The main reason for us and many other tourists to come to Qazvin is the city’s proximity to the Alamut Valley & Castle of the Assassins. We had an amazing day trip exploring these places and it was great to be in the mountains again. But Qazvin itself was also nice to wander around. The highlight of the town […]
Christian & Jewish sites in Iran
I was really surprised to find beautiful Christian sites on our travels in Iran plus a Jewish holy place. Iranians like to say how tolerant they have been of other religions, throughout history. This was quite new to me as the few Iranians I have met outside of Iran had escaped the country because of religious persecution. From what I understand there is quite a difference in the treatment of those who have always been Christian (e.g. Armenian minority in Iran- accepted) and Muslims […]