Trabzon and Batumi

Day 1:

So, I leave for Heathrow at ridiculous O'clock in the morning. After 3 and a half hours and sleeping through the inflight meal (grrrrr!!!) i arrive at Istanbul airport and join the monster que visas.
Eventuly i get to Trabzon and have my now broken bag (grrr!!!) searched by customs.

I find the place i want to stay. Which is a catholic guesthouse attached to a church. It's a very nice place and the owner is aswelll, its technically free but they ask you to make a donation to the church (which i do).

As I'm pretty knackerd after the flight i decide to go for a quick wander before bed.
I get some yummy turkish ice cream and have a wander along the sea front before dinner.
I didn't realize before how muslim a country turkey is.
For dinner i go to a proper turkish kebab shop. It was amazing and puts the English ones to shame! So, to bed at 9pm for a bright and early start.

Day 2:

I over slept today getting up at 10am because the mosque opposite get blarring out loud singing every couple of hours.
I got to the otogar (bus station) to catch a bus to Hopa. The costal road is pretty and makes the 3 hours fly by. I change to a rickty mini bus at Hopa for a the boader town of Sarp.
Quickly across the border and now im in Georgia (intrestingly the only other country in the world to celebrate St Georges day)
Theres a stark differance between the buldings here than in Turkey, everything looks older and the paint is peeling. I check into my hotel (not a par on last nights) and go to buy an overnight train ticket to Tbilisi for tomorrow night. A little wonder along the sea front in the drizzle that is now falling and i decide to go find an internet cafe. So tomorrow explore Batumi a bit more than the overnight train to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.



Craig

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