Blogs from Georgia, Asia - page 17

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Asia » Georgia » Northern Georgia October 3rd 2014

We are truly very lucky. We had decided to come to Kazbegi in the Caucasus for two nights and the day we had here was quite the best one could expect at this time of year. We woke to find not a cloud in the sky and the towering Mt Kazbegi (5047m) in front of us. I was excited. The plan was to walk up to a shrine with views of a glacier coming off the mountain. We had an excellent breakfast served by Diana (Guest House Diana +995599570313). The Lonely Planet said she cooked excellent meals and they are right. Diana spoke a few words of English and her kids a few more. We had a large room with views of the mountain and shared a big modern bathroom. There were not many guests. We ... read more
Diana's Guest house
Wouldn't you be excited to get up the mountain
Kazbegi from church

Asia » Georgia » Tbilisi District October 3rd 2014

Today I felt like I just started school all over again, only in a country, culture and language I have perhaps an elementary understanding at the moment. I joined Archil at the school and think I learned more than the students in some regards. But I digress, let's start with last nights dinner. After our trip to Kazbegi yesterday we took some time to recoup. Yesterday afternoon mirrored the routine of many of my Sundays. Sleeping in, thinking about what to cook for dinner, buying dinner, and cooking dinner. I decided that in the spirit of the Georgian supra I would introduce some American dishes to the Georgian table. Only with the aid of Papa Carlo and Salome, Archils wife, and Mariam, Archils baby daughter, was I able to accomplish the task of locating all the ... read more
Archil at Buckswood School
Archil at Buckswood School
Cafeteria at Buckswood Empty

Asia » Georgia » Northern Georgia October 2nd 2014

Whoever said a picture says a thousand words surely didn't visit the Kazbegi Region. Over the past few days I spent time in the valleys and mountanious region, taking in breathtaking views, sampling authentic Kinkali, and learning about the antiquity of the Georgian heritage. Before leaving Tblisi Archil and I had to accomplish three things: pick up Andrew (the owner of the house in Kazbegi), pick up dinner from the mall, and fill the tank with LNG (liquified natural gas). In Tblisi the mall houses everything you would want, kind of like a Costco. We ended up picking up Andrew prior to shopping, and Archil and Andrew asked me how I liked football. Naturally, being American, I told them I enjoyed the sport, but soon realized that they were asking about soccer. It turned out that ... read more
Andrew and aArchil
LNG gas station
Beer in mall market

Asia » Georgia » Tbilisi District October 1st 2014

So on our last night in Tbilisi we had decided to go out for dinner. The prices were relatively cheap and the apartment kitchen was not so easy to cook in. I must admit that you can hardly call it a date after 30 years of marriage! Lonely Planet rated a place in the Old Town called the Alani restaurant. Ossetian food - sounds good. Then a TripAdvisor cross reference suggested it may have gone down hill. And there was this other one, Talaura on Kostava Road with good review. Kostava road according to Google Maps was a short walk from the top of the Funicular Railway. So off we set as this was something we wanted to do. The walk to the funicular was easy although not inspiring. Dark streets and uneven pavements with not ... read more
At Nariqala Fortress with Tbilisi behind us dominated by new church
Interior of Sioni Cathedral in the Old Town
'Georgian Snickers'

Asia » Georgia » Tbilisi District September 29th 2014

I woke up late today, with dreams of yesterday. Fortunately, I can share some of the days events with you. First, I remembered the breath taking views from The Monastery of John Zebazene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9a99sHRBw I dreamed of the supra and I dreamed of a Kinto, a traditional Georgian entertainer, playing music at a supra. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI0pNYfYpv4 Then I woke up and realized it was time for the third day of the adventure that is Georgia.... read more

Asia » Georgia » Tbilisi District September 29th 2014

Rain was in the forecast, I woke up late and it was a Monday so my host, Archil, had to work. Expectations were modest for the days activities, but somehow the weather turned, guests stopped by the house, and we were anything but idle. Today's activities started with me working on there phrase good morning (in Georgian it is Good morning. დილა მშვიდობისა. (dee-lah mshvee-doh-bee-sah)). I spoke with the women of the household while Archil was at work, and then we took a trip to the History of Georgia Monument. After this we returned to the house, before preparing to go to one of the most famous churches in Mtskheta, and to no suprise there was a dinner planned at a local restaurant where I got the opportunity to sample Kinkala, a very traditional Georgian dish. ... read more
History of Georgia Monument
View of apartment buildings from the History of Georgia Monument.
Jesus depicted curing the blind on the History of Georgia monument.

Asia » Georgia » Tbilisi District September 28th 2014

After reviewing my blog from the first day and from the valuable feedback and message you, the loyal viewers of my blog, provided I decided to have this post be a be of snapshots I took yesterday. Captions provide some bits of the Gerogian story I am learning day by day.... read more
Tbilisi welcome sign, if you don't feel welcome in Georgia then I don't know where you might feel welcome
Street markets are very popular in Georgia since supermarkets like Wal-Mart do not exists here
More street markets

Asia » Georgia » Tbilisi District September 28th 2014

Its true. This morning during breakfast I was having a conversation with my excellent and courteous host when it hit me - my next blog for my review of my second day in Georgia must be titled Tblisi loves you! You see, last night while after Archil and I got off the metro and during our walk to Freedom Square he showed me his phone. He was showing me his wifi settings, and in capitalized plain English was the saying - "TBLISI LOVES YOU". It turns out the city offers free wifi to all who come to the city and this hospitality here towards guests is a tradition amongst Georgians. As I was told last night, visitors are a gift from God. I can personally attest to the fundamental truth of that statement. My host family, ... read more
Luka, myself and Archil (left to right)
Georgian grapes, part of the fabric of the Georgian meal
The sign directing visitors to the Monastery

Asia » Georgia » Tbilisi District September 27th 2014

I have been up since 6 am on September 26th, traveled through four different countries, and I still have the energy to write this blog post before I crash. So to make this easy to read (since I know I can ramble if left to my own devices) I will divide this post into bite size bits. Air travel I traveled on three different types of aircraft today, mainly by means of Air Canada and one on Turkish. If I could give 5 stars to the Air Canada crews I would. they were the most polite, courteous, and helpful staff I have ever experienced while flying. Tthe fact they also announce directions in English and French was also an added point for uniqueness. On my first flight I met a trainer from the UK who had ... read more
Omelet breakfast courtesy of Air Canada
Keeping it simple, smoking kills
The African Tribe boarding a flight for a a Medina from Istanbul, Turkey

Asia » Georgia » Tbilisi District September 27th 2014

I just arrived at the Istanbul Airport. I think it is near 4am EST on Sept 27th now, which means I am nearing the 24 hour travel mark. I have a lot to share from my travels today, but somehow I would like to break up the posts a bit so they are Asher for you to digest. That last post was a bit lengthy, but that's what happens when I get to the airport 4 hours early. As I was preparing to leave Pittsburgh I stood at gate A18 and gave the lady for Air Canada my boarding pass and passport. After walking down the long steel tunnel I turned left, walked down the metal staircase and walked across the Tarmac to see this sight. http://youtu.be/un6yuUp01Nw Oh by the way, I just arrived in Georgia ... read more




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