Blogs from Georgia, Asia - page 7

There is always one constant about international travel: in one way or another you have a mirror held up to your face and you learn something about yourself. It can be overt, it can be subtle, it can be difficult, it can be frivolous, it can lead to big life changes. I suppose it most likely depends on how willing you are to see the image in the mirror and what the reflection tells you. In a very light-hearted, yet jaw dropping moment recently in Georgia, Kyle learned a little something about himself. What he is to do with the information, I do not know. What will I do with my observation? Think about it when I need a little chuckle to myself. As a matter of course, travel has changed these days because we are ... read more

In the Midwest, we say if you don’t like the weather, just wait an hour because it changes so quickly. I think the similar could be said about the topography of Georgia. If you don’t like the view, drive an hour and you can see an entirely different scene. We tested this theory and drove from the river and mountain landscape of Borjomi to the intense mountains of the Kazbeghi Region in northern Georgia. We passed by emerald lakes and stately monasteries, followed rivers and their tributaries, watched as Georgian farmers harvested wheat, orchard grass and honey and enjoyed as they shepherded their herds of cattle and sheep high into the mountains. We traveled through the rapidly growing ski towns and watched as sky divers took advantage of the heights. We took sharp hairpin turns and ... read more

Visiting Stepantsminda means the obligatory visit to the Gergeti Trinity Church. It sits atop a mountain and stares down at anyone passing through the tiny town. While in the Khevi province, we spent our mornings, afternoons and evenings admiring it from afar as it caught the sunlight and hid behind the clouds. It only seemed fitting we make the trek to the top of the mountain to get a closer look. The Gergeti Trinity Church sits at an elevation of 2170 km on the right bank of Chkheri under Mount Kazbek, one of the highest peaks in the Caucasus Mountains. It was built in the 14th century and is still an active Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church. It is no surprise it was shut down briefly by the Russians, but it never lost it’s appeal. It ... read more

Rarely would I ever top a city’s must see list with a hotel, but the Stamba Hotel is more than just a hotel. It is a place to eat, drink, sleep, shop and marvel. At every turn, there is a new and interesting vignette, an aesthetic feast and a stop in your tracks wonder. It might actually cause stimulation overload, but at the same time you can’t get enough. Once a large publishing house, the warehouse building is now a boutique hotel that feels more like a living, breathing art gallery. The rooms seem like upscale loft apartments sprinkled with unexpected, decadent fixtures, like gold plated free standing bath tubs in the middle of the room or on the balcony. In a nod toward the building’s history, the walls of the rooms, the bar and the ... read more

I’m a planner. I’m a plotter, I’m an organizer and I’m a dreamer. I can be a bit of a romantic, an adventurer and an information seeker. I know all of these dimensions about myself because of travel. I have learned I have an insatiable appetite for information when I am planning a trip. I have learned that I want to plan and plan and plan, but I don’t want to create a rigid travel itinerary. I want to lay out an old fashioned paper map and I want to trace routes. I want a trip that lands somewhere between overly scheduled and do whatever whenever the spirit moves me. I want to see everything, but I also want long, leisurely moments where I simply watch the world go by before my eyes. These are the ... read more