Georgia - June 22nd

Safety Measures
Georgia´s Largest Car Park
Hotel Sunshine - Unwise Name Choice
Barkeeper Kit

Yesterday evening we found a small restaurant not far from the hotel - in the next Fressgaße!

Fressgaße is a lovely word German for a street which is only full of eating places - mecca of all touris like us!!!



Wednesday June 22nd Today we had a quick pit-stop as Tazo had picked up a nail or small screw in his tyre. As a safety measure we had it removed but safety amongst Georgian drivers is difficult for westerners to appreciate. They drive like crazy, overtaking at random, speeding, using the phone (SMS), going the wrong way around obstacles, avoiding stray dogs, but always with one thing in mind - don´t scratch my car - consequently we felt quite safe but sometimes closed our eyes just to be on the safe side. Screw removed - water added - no hissing - drive on - no charge!




Today we drove over a 100 km with trucks lining the street next to us. Endless. Apparently this road is one of only 3 which lead to the Russian border and is the only one open for everyone. Two others are in Russian controlled areas: Russian troops still "protect" part of Georgia populated by a few die-hard Russian farmers. 2008 they came - European politicians bent down, put their tongues out and lapped up (cheap) Russian oil.




Drove 150 km over the mountain pass to Kazbegi and the Hotel Sunshine - which was being hit by a rain shower - for a hike but the weather deteriorated as we got nearer. 

All along the road are places to stop offering picnic places and all are HALAL! You drive up and there is a place to sit around a table and all your food and drink will usually be supplied - including a sheep which will be slaughtered and cooked for you. Many were on the banks of the river and while you are waiting for your lamb steaks  to be prepared (according to Arab/Halal ritual) you can go rafting. WC is also provided.



WC!! Bavaria-style!!




We stopped (along with busloads of other touris) at Ananuri Church and Castle. Very pretty on a hillside overlooking the lakes. Except that when it was built and defended, the town lay where the waters now lap the trees. The slightly younger church (by 100 years) displays some absolutely beautiful wall carvings and inside some very old wall paintings. Delightful.





Rain eased and finally stopped / but still cloudy and dull. We decided to risk a short (!!) walk. We drove to the foot of the hills under the two churches we could see from our hotel. We then proceeded up a fairly steep, slate-strewn path for 50 minutes, arriving at the two churches that are so often used in adverts for Georgia.
Breathtakingly beautiful despite the clouds obscuring all the mountains in the background.





Then another hour down through the woods before reaching our car. A great walk, even though Renate and I were pretty tired (slang: knackererd) by the time we reached the Landrover. Then into town and the next surprise. I was allowed to tap my own beer. The village is nearly a hamlet but at least two little supermarkets offer beer on tap to be filled in bottles to take home! What a wonderful idea! What a wonderful way to end the day? Freshly tapped beer at the hostel with bread and cheese with a panorama of the hills and churches where we had just walked.

Goodnight - Unfortunately they only had 2 liter bottles!!!!!!!!




Tourist Program:
Ananuri fortress – Kazbegi – Gudauri balcony – Hiking to Gergeti – Stepantsminda

Hotel booking with Stepantsminda - 

In the morning Drive to Ananuri Fortress – a well-preserved castle on the shore of the Zhinvali Reservoir, the former defensive fortress of the feudal era.

Stop in Gudauri – popular ski resort which is beautiful in ay season. Here you will see the Balcony dedicated to the treaty of Georgiyevsk and enjoy the amazing views to the mountains that opens from here.

After 5-minute drive, you will visit Sour waters of Vedza. The place offers picturesque scenes. Next you hike on Gergeti mountain, where is Trinity Church (Gergeti) situated at an altitude of 2170 m at the foot of Mount Kazbek. The church was built in the XIV century and is the only cross-domed church in the historic Georgian province Khevi. From the top of the hill opens the incredibly beautiful scenery. duration: 7-8 hours, length: 180km Hiking duration: 2-3 hours



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 Armenia June 29th Last Day - walk in the basalt canyon - church in the cliff We meet Arara Tours for a beer This is our final day of our wonderful holiday. Tonight at 2 a.m. the taxi will be waiting to take us to the airport. I am glad that we are out of the town today and a (very) short walk is planned. However, pretty (or not) Yerevan is, it is always an anti-climax to be "waiting around" for your flight home. We will be leaving with heavy hearts and with the intention of returning. But more of that (maybe) in a final blog report. Pick up and first bad news for Mher; Renate has been reading her guide book over breakfast and there is a short description of an artist, Sergey Paradjanov, and we want to visit the museum of his life and works instead of the National Museum! Two phone calls later and all arranged. We drove out to the Azat River and its canyon. The destination was the Geghard Monastery and the hellenistic Garni Temple at the village of Garni (which happens to be
Read more
Image
Georgia - June 23    Best Value Breakfast Hiking in the Juta Valley  8 Km walk - c.300m Altitude Our Tour program read like this: Today´s trip is to the highest situated town in the Kazbegi region – Juta. On the way, we stop by the mysterious statues  that we call the Georgian Easter Island and we stop in the most important village of the region, which is Sno where the  Georgian Patriarch comes from. We continue our trip by visiting beautiful village of Juta, which is located at 2200 m.  above sea level, Juta is one of the highest inhabited villages in Georgia. From Juta you can see Chaukhi mountain massif,  containing seven peaks with altitudes from 3400  to 3843m.  At our breakfast table with panoramic view of the Gelgeti Church (surrounded by low cloud) we both felt a little overwhelmed as little plates appeared at regular intervals, and at one stage I even ran into the kitchen and cancelled the fried egg Renate had ordered the night before!  After the best breakfast in Georgia we w
Read more
Image
Armenia  27th June  Monastery - Graveyard - Caravanserai - Short Walk - Winery - Bed Typical Armenian Hospitality or Guide Advantage Hike to the medieval fortress of King Smbat, standing on the elevation of about 1950 m,  you will continue to Takhats Kar Monastery on the elevation of 2080 m. On your way to Yerevan visit Areni wine market  where you’ll have a chance to taste one of famous wines in Armenia. Head to Yerevan.  Hiking – 12 km / Ascent| descent – 680 m  The program for the day looked harmless enough, but by the end of the day we were absolutely knackered! Just a few kilometers from our lovely hotel on Lake Sevan (and now that the sun was shining, we were really sad to leave!) was a small ancient monastery (Hayravank, dating to 9th-12th centuries) where we made a short stop. A few km further and a graveyard, and a much longer stop. Renate had read about the site and Mher obliged with an unscheduled stop. There are many very early graves and headstones (Khachkars)  at the Nora
Read more