In 2018 Facebook responded to the Cambridge Analytica data breach by, in a classic example of locking the barn door after the horse has fled, shutting down third party access to its platform. Suddenly we could no longer cross-post our WordPress posts to our Facebook Page! As an interim measure, below are all the Facebook profile status posts from our trip to the Caucasus.
Lovely evening exploring Kyiv. Great B&B right beside The Maidan, the heart of the city.
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Travelling to Chisinau, Moldova from Boryspil International Airport, September 9th
Great stay in Kyiv. On to Moldova!
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Travelling to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan from Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku, Azerbaijan – September 12th
Have arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan but only in transit. Fly to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan tonight. Great couple of days in Moldova, seeing the sights and museums of the capital – Chisinau – and doing a day tour of the cave monastery in Orheiul Vechi and the largest wine caves in the world at Milestii Mici (so big you need to drive through them). Topped off the day with a night at the Chisinau opera – Rigoletto. Moldova is the place to go for fabulous food and excellent wine.
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Fountain Square, Baku, Azerbaijan – September 16th
Have been without internet for 3 days in Turkmenistan. Now in Baku,Azerbaijan so will send pix of Turkmenistan shortly.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan – September 16th
Turkmenistan was one strange place. Glad we visited but was so different from all of the other “stans” we visited 2 years ago. Ashgabat in particular was a very soulless city. Almost every building was constructed of white marble and most were identical to each other. No character, no heart. At night, all was lit up in crazy colours, much like Vegas I was told. Lots of humongous monuments and mosques. Billions spent by the previous president on golden monuments and statues honouring himself. A country with very strange priorities. Very paranoid government with lots of rules and restrictions including on behaviour and dress (primarily on women of course).
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“The Gates of Hell”, Turkmenistan – September 16th
The best part of Turkmenistan…the Darvaza gas craters. Drove hours through the Karakoum desert to see the “Gates of Hell”. Slept overnight in a yurt beside the largest crater. Quite the eerie glow at night. Lots of camels wandering in the desert. Also got to see some legendary Akhal-Teke horses.
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Konye Urgench, Turkmenistan – September 16th
Very interesting visit to Konye Urgench in northern Turkmenistan. Important ancient city on the Silk Road that was almost completely obliterated first by the Mongols and then by Tamerlane.
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Old Nisa, Turkmenistan – September 16th
Ruins of Old Nisa near Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
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Baku, Azerbaijan – September 16th
Walking tour of the new city in Baku, Azerbaijan. Lots of interesting history and some gorgeous architecture mixed in with communist utilitarianism. Today we visit the old town.
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Old Town, Baku, Azerbaijan – September 19th
Just loving Baku, Azerbaijan. Old city especially is fascinating even if it is quite touristed. Old palaces and towers. Plenty of mosques, small cafes and cobbled streets. People are wonderfully friendly and helpful. Food is fantastic and relatively inexpensive.
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Gobustan Peninsula, Azerbaijan – September 19th
Day visiting Gobustan petroglyphs and mud volcanoes southwest of Baku. Then off to the Zoroastrian fire temple in Ateshgah and the forever burning hillside of Yanardag.
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More Baku, Azerbaijan – September 19th
Our last day in Baku. Fountains Square to start then wandered along the Bulvar beside the Caspian Sea. A look-see at the Carpet Museum and a funicular ride up to the Flame Towers.
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Lahic, Azerbaijan – September 22nd
Decided to book a taxi to Sheki as we wanted to see Lahic on the way and public transport would be very complicated though cheap.
Lahic is a mountain village famous for its traditional coppersmiths. Started out from verdant Baku then miles and miles of barren desert which got progressively greener as we approached northwestern Azerbaijan.
Gorgeous mountain valley views after the turnoff to Lahic. Town itself was rather deserted. Cute cobbled streets but very few workshops and not even one place to eat. Not sure it was worth the detour.
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Sheki, Azerbaijan – September 22nd
Very interesting couple of days in Sheki, Azerbaijan. Great hotel high up on a ridge above town with a great panorama. Winter Palace of the Sheki Khans was only partially restored but you could take photos unlike the main summer palace, Xan Sarayi. Highlight of both palaces were the sebeke windows. Amazing stained glass and wood creations press-fit together with no glue or nails. Lavish and intricate murals of flowers and battle scenes cover most of the walls and ceilings. Town also had an impressive twin-level caravansaray now restored with a hotel and small handicraft shops.
Took a local bus out to Kis to visit an ancient Albanian church/museum high up on a hill.
Took a local bus out to Kis to visit an ancient Albanian church/museum high up on a hill.
Food has been so tasty. Lots of lamb & chicken & cheesy dishes and the bread is to die for.
Tomorrow we head for Georgia.
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Sighnaghi, Georgia – September 25th
Sighnaghi, Georgia. A beautiful mountain town surrounded by a towered, fortified wall. Right in the heart of wine country. Kakheti wines are quite unique. Most are made using the traditional qvevri method. No yeast or sugar is added and the crushed grapes with skins are fermented in giant underground clay vats. Quite a unique taste.
Visited the Historical Museum with interesting archeological finds and famous Georgian paintings. Hiked to the 4th century Bodbe Convent to see the remains of St Nino. Amazing views of the Caucasus mountains everywhere. Walked on the ancient town wall. Did a wine tasting tour with our new found friend Geun Young Koh from Korea. A young lady bitten with the same travel bug as us! Enjoyed lots of wine, chacha (the local hootch) and a delicious dinner together. Food in Georgia is excellent.
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Telavi, Georgia – September 28th
Just finished up four days in Telavi, Georgia. First day, explored the Batonistsikhe Castle and its art and history museum. This castle was the birth and death place of Georgia’s favorite king – Erekle II. Ate dinner beside a 900 year old plane tree.
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Telavi, Georgia – September 28th
We hired a driver for our second day as we toured a number of sights outside of Telavi. First stop was the Chavchavadze Estate of Prince Alexander Chavchavadze (1786-1840). He’s the one who introduced the European method of wine making to Georgia. They are still producing most delicious wine. Next stop was the Shumi Winery where we had a great tour and tasting and a review the Georgian qvevri method of wine production. Next stop was across the Alazani valley to Grimi Fortress. This was the capital of Kakheti from 1466 to 1672. Just down the road, we visited Nekresi Monastery (6th century +). High up on a ridge, it afforded great valley views. Final stop was the Khareba Winery. Another tour through 7.7 km of wine tunnels and more wine tasting of course.
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Telavi, Georgia – September 28th
A couple of easy days. Took a local marshrutky (minivan bus) then hiked up the hill to Ikalto Monastery (8th c). On the way home, driver actually stopped the bus to pick a rose for me. What hospitality!
Today, we took another local bus to visit Alaverdi Cathdral (11th c). This was the tallest church in Georgia for nearly 1000 years. Amazing frescoes. We visited on the last day of Alaverdoba. Many people from all around the country were visiting to pray and feast.
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Kazbegi, Georgia – September 30th
Gorgeous fall weather in beautiful Kazbegi, Georgia. It’s quite cold but the sun has been shining and the fall colours are amazing. Drove from Telavi and stopped at the Ananuri Fortress 17th c. Then carried on up the Georgian Military Highway towards Stepantsminda. Stopped at the Friendship Monument (with Russia, though perhaps not so friendly anymore) just before the 2379m Jvari Pass. Stunning mountain vistas as we descended into the Tergi Valley. Mt. Kazbegi looms high over the town with its iconic Tsminda Sameba Church perched on the mountainside.
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Kazbegi, Georgia – October 1st
Visited the famous 14th c Tsminda Sameba Church high (2200m) above the village. Views of it with Mt. Kazbegi towering behind have almost become a symbol of Georgia.
In the afternoon, we took a minibus up the Dariali Gorge towards the Russian border. Visited the small community of Tsdo high up on the mountainside, saw the new 2011 Dariali Monastery near the border (built to annoy the Russians), and hiked up to the beautiful ‘Big Waterfall Gveleti’.
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Tbilisi to Yerevan – October 5th
Morning marshrutky to Tibilsi, capital of Georgia. Did an excellent mid-afternoon 3 hour walking tour of the city. Got a good overview of the town so we will be ready to see it in earnest after we return from Armenia. Hopped the overnight sleeper train to Yerevan, capital of Armenia. Classic Soviet style train ride reminiscent of our Trans-Siberian trip. 1st class private compartment with nice clean sheets and snack included. And of course we brought some celebratory wine.
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Tbilisi to Yerevan – October 5th
Morning marshrutky to Tibilsi, capital of Georgia. Did an excellent mid-afternoon 3 hour walking tour of the city. Got a good overview of the town so we will be ready to see it in earnest after we return from Armenia. Hopped the overnight sleeper train to Yerevan, capital of Armenia. Classic Soviet style train ride reminiscent of our Trans-Siberian trip. 1st class private compartment with nice clean sheets and snack included. And of course we brought some celebratory wine.
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Yerevan, Armenia – October 6th
A short but sweet visit to Armenia. Early morning views of Mt. Ararat as our train pulled into Yerevan, the capital. Our Azoyan Guest House room lost its water so we ended up at a nearby apartment. Lots of room and our hostess, Lucine, provided tons of food for our breakfasts. Wandered the city all day. Stalinesque buildings everywhere including the main Republic Square. Toured through the excellent History Museum of Armenia then walked past the Moscow Theatre to the 13th c Katoghike Church. Swan Lake beside the Opera House was pretty but looked more like a large wading pool. “The Cascade” was a giant stairway that had art ‘installations’ on both the exterior sides and within it. Great views of the city and Mt. Ararat from the top. Tried but were too late to get into the manuscript museum The Matenadaran (will have to come back some day as it has amazing illuminated books saved from the various invasions of Armenia). Quick stop at Grand Candy, a colorful candy shop that has every confection imaginable. Tomorrow, we head out on a guided tour of several monasteries north and east of Yerevan.
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Lake Sevan – October 7th
Took a daytrip outside of Yerevan to the Lake Sevan area. There are A LOT of monasteries and churches in Armenia (Georgia too for that matter) and I must admit they all started to run together. First stop was Sevanavank, with two 9th c churches high on a promontory with fantastic lake views. Next up – Hayravank, 1100 years old and built of tufa. Armenian churches are much plainer than Georgian ones, rarely frescoed and no icons to pray to except for Virgin Mary/Jesus. A mainstay are the ‘khachkars’ that are in and around them. These are intricately carved stone steles that act as memorial stones reaching up to 1.5m in height. The village of Noratus, our next stop, is home to hundreds of them.
After a fabulous lunch of Georgian specialties we headed south to Geghard Monastery. Founded in the 4th c it is carved out of a rock face. We were lucky to hear a choir recital inside its spectacular acoustic chamber. Fantastic. Last stop of the day was the Garni Temple. A 1st c Hellenistic style pagan temple perched on the edge of the Azat River gorge.
Dinner that evening at a taverna that included rousing folk song performances.
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Tibilisi again – October 8th
Spent our last three days in Tbilisi. Saturday and Sunday everyone was celebrating Tbilisoba. This a city wide festival with lots of wine drinking, bbq eating, kids’ rides, food and souvenir booths, harvest displays and music. It was quite fun to just wander through the city taking in the festivities and of course helping them to consume all of that tasty wine (only $3/L). Checked out the Museum of Georgia, the whimsical Clock Tower, Anchiskhati Basilica, the ultramodern Peace Bridge, Sioni Cathedral, Rike Park (one of the festival sites), Metekhi Church, and took the Cable Car ride up to Narikala Fortress and the 20m Mother of Georgia statue.
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last day – October 8th
Our last day 
Took a day trip by marshrutky to Mtskheta, the cradle of Georgian culture, 30 minutes north of Tbilisi. Visited Samtavro Church (1130) and its nunnery and the tiny Tsminda Nino. Wandered through the cobbled streets looking for souvenirs and then went to the impressive Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Quite the fortress. Christ’s robe lies under the central nave and King Erekle II is buried here too.
Took a day trip by marshrutky to Mtskheta, the cradle of Georgian culture, 30 minutes north of Tbilisi. Visited Samtavro Church (1130) and its nunnery and the tiny Tsminda Nino. Wandered through the cobbled streets looking for souvenirs and then went to the impressive Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Quite the fortress. Christ’s robe lies under the central nave and King Erekle II is buried here too.Topped off the day with a wonderful traditional Georgian meal followed by a fabulous soak in the nearby sulphur baths.
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The Caucasus (with a few bonus stops!)