Blogs from Tbilisi, Tbilisi District, Georgia, Asia

We rolled up the green valley out of Akhaltsikhe and gently back into the steppe. As we climbed, we began to get the sense that we were already in Armenia. Most of the towns in the Javakheti region are inhabited by Armenians and this becomes more so the case as one nears the border post at Bavra. In contrast to the Georgians we met in our first days across the border, the Armenians we were meeting showed a mastery of the Russian language and it was a delight to chat with a dialect that we could largely understand. As we interacted with person after friendly person we began to "warm up" in the language and the wide vocabulary of our counterparts allowed them to get points across to us when we could not initially understand. We ... read more

Die Abfahrt von Kars war ohne Regen, das war schon mal gut. Die Landschaft veränderte sich nicht, auch wenn wir stetig an Höhe gewannen: weite, völlig baumlose Täler. Um die Häuser herum der lebenswichtige Schatz: getrocknete Kuhfladen, die zum Heizen benutzt werden. Die Dörfer trostlos, grau. Die höchste Stelle war 2550 m, da waren dann die Schneeflecken sowohl über, neben und unter uns. Die Straße war gewohnt schlecht, man musste dauernd irgendwelchen Schlaglöchern ausweichen, oder es gab zur Abwechslung Schotterstrecken, die man am besten stehend fährt. Auf der Ostseite des Passes waren dann tatsächlich einige Bäume - irgendwer war hier sehr schlampig und hat nicht alles abgeholzt. Denn sobald man dann in Georgien war, auf gleicher Höhe, gab es Bäume im Überfluss - also keine naturgeographische elende Lage in der Türkei, sondern einfach Abholzung. Selber schuld..... ... read more

My last two days in north-easternTurkey were certainly the icing on the cake cycling through challenging yet breathtakingly beautiful scenery varying between mountains and lakes. I was joined on one occasion by a scruff of a dog whom I named Latch. After briefly patting him on the head, he ended up joining me for the next 25 KM. It was only a long downhill stretch where I eventually managed to evade him and was personally a little sad when we went our separate ways as he had kept me such good company on the long undulating road. After a particularly long day's ride climbing over the highest pass of the trip so far I found myself in the town of Artvin, where I met a cyclist called Murat who kindly invited me to stay at his ... read more

The second day in Tbilisi was a Sunday and the Georgian capital was quieter with slightly less traffic on the road. I wanted to explore the city on foot and spend a lot of time just walking around. I wanted to see more of the capital from above so I headed for the cable car that takes tourists from the city to a fortress high up on the hill. The view from the cable car is just spectacular. I can understand why the Georgians built their capital here, it had a long river (Mtkvari river) and mountains. Enjoy the pictures of Tbilisi. One of my favourite dish in Georgia is a chicken soup (, it was delicious, but very salty. I had to drink a gallon of water afterwards.... read more

Thur 8-9th of August 2013 Hopa, Turkey to Batumi, then Tbilisi Georgia Woke up early to have breakfast, so that I can head for the border town of Sarp before it gets hot in the morning. There was already a long queue for Georgia. Many more were crossing the border as foot passengers. It was easy for them as there was no need for visa for the Turks and there is no vehicle to check. For me the process took a bit longer and they checked my car over very thoroughly. After nearly one and a half hour, I was in Gerogia. I stopped to change my money to Georgian money and then drove to a place near Butami, a resort on the Black sea. Something funny happened at the hotel. At the restaurant, the staff ... read more