Armenia: To Yerevan

We crossed the border into Armenia (112), and drove a little ways before we came to a church complex from the 9th century.

After that we stopped for lunch and made the long trip overland to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. 

The following day we were up and out to visit a monastery with an amazing view of Mt. Ararat.

We then made our way back to Yerevan for lunch, and then were off again to another monastery, this one dating back to the 4th century.

Inside, we were treated to an a capella concert.

We then had time to explore the rest of the complex.

After the monastery, we visited the temple of Garni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a temple to Apollo.

All in all, a great couple of days!

Georgia: Back to Tbilisi

Today we drove back to Tbilisi. Along the way we stopped at an ancient cave town, called Lord's Castle.

We also stopped at the town where Stalin was born and visited the Stalin Museum, as well as the home he was born and the bulletproof train car in which he rode around the USSR.

Georgia: To Gudauri

Today we drove to the mountain town of Gudauri, stopping several times along the way. Our first stop was at the Jvari Monastery, an imposing structure atop a hill overlooking the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi Rivers.

Our next stop was the town of Mtskheta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the cathedral there which allegedly houses the robe in which Jesus Christ was crucified. The cathedral was first constructed in the 4th century.

We continued driving and our next stop was this lovely old church:

We then made our way up the mountains to a fourth and final church of the day. The views were spectacular!

We then made our way to the hotel for the night.

Georgia: David Gareja Monastery

Today we visited the David Gareja Monastery, which was founded in the 6th century. The monastery was located a few hours' drive outside of Tbilisi, so it took awhile to get there over bumpy roads. The scenery was gorgeous!

The monastery was built into sandstone rock, and later fortified.

After visiting the monastery, we had a picnic lunch on the way back to Tbilisi. The ride took just as long to get back into town. We had a little downtime before dinner.

Georgia: Tbilisi

Today we had a city tour of Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia. We saw so much! I could write all about it, but I thought I'd let the pictures tell the story today!

Georgia (111): Arrival at Tbilisi

Today we crossed the border into Georgia, my 111th country. Like most border crossings in the former Soviet Union, this one involved physically walking across the actual border carrying all your bags. We said goodbye to our guide and driver from Azerbaijan, crossed the border, and then said hello to our new driver and guide. We drove to a beautiful church from the 15th century. Inside were frescos which have never been restored. It was remarkable how well-preserved they were considering their age.

After the church, we had our first experience with Georgian food, which I can already tell I will enjoy much more than than the food in Azerbaijan. Most notable was a kind of cheese bread they have. SO good!!! At lunch, we had a performance of folk music, and afterwards we had a wine tasting of a local wine.

After lunch, we drove to Signagi, which was a quaint town overlooking a gorgeous green valley. The town had narrow streets and richly carved balconies. It was a cute little village.

We left Signagi and drove the rest of the way to Tbilisi and checked into our hotel for the next three nights. The rest of the evening was on our own, and I decided to try to catch up on some much needed sleep so I will be ready for tomorrow's exploration of Tbilisi, which is the capital of Georgia and has a population of 1.5 million.

Azerbaijan: Sheki

This morning we first visited the market which was filled with the usual market suspects. Afterwards we visited a palace. The palace was small, but was beautifully painted inside.

After the palace, we visited a small ethnographic museum and then walked to a local school. Along the way we stopped to visit a caravanserai and a few handicraft shops. At the school we saw the kids and generally just disrupted their day. I felt sorry for the teacher because we got the kids all riled up and then left!

After the school we had lunch, and then boarded smaller vehicles to take us to the village of Kish. In Kish we visited a church from the 6th century and then walked through the town's cobblestone streets. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel for a little downtime before dinner at the caravanserai we had visited earlier in the day.