DAY 1: Sunday 30th April - Monday May 1st 2023 MELBOURNE – BAKU

May 23, 2023

We spent the weekend in Melbourne and celebrated Marcus’ 47th birthday on the Sunday afternoon prior to heading to Melbourne airport to embark on our Emirates flight to Dubai. All went smoothly with the emigration processes and Corinne also managed to retrieve the GST paid on her newly purchased ear-pods. We were delighted to encounter Chris and Diana in the departure lounge and at around 22:00 on Sunday 30th April our Emirates A380-800 commenced the fourteen hour flight to Dubai.

The very long Sunday night flight was comfortable and interspersed with pleasant meals, drinks and fleeting attempts to catch some sleep. Noise cancelling headphones certainly enhanced the likelihood of gaining adequate somnolence.The time difference of six hours meant that our arrival time of 06:00 local time at Dubai corresponded to midday May 1st in Melbourne.

We now commenced the great hunt for terminal lounge F2 for our next flight to Baku Heydar. Directions to terminal F in the vast main terminal were fraught with ambiguity but an assistant assured us that we needed the airport passenger train to terminals B and C and there we would find directions to terminal F. This was correct but it was a bit of a treasure hunt to now find a bus that would lead us to the desired locale. The bus trip took forever and it seemed that we passed F2 twice before our 20 minute tour of Dubai Airport terminated. In so doing we counted twelve or so A380 super-jumbos along the way. To add to the day’s merriment we checked in with Azerbaijan visas being requested and then commenced another prolonged bus journey to finally arrive at our Flydubai Air Boeing 737 MAX. These are the planes that were all grounded about three years ago after two dreadful crashes involving ‘new’ planes!

The time was now 08:30 and the ground temperature in Dubai was a pleasant 27 C but even in this early morning time the level of smog and atmospheric haze made the numerous gigantic skyscrapers of the nearby CBD indistinct but nonetheless impressive engineering marvels.

Our 1800 km flight to Baku headed off NNW across the Arabian Gulf and crossed the Iranian border on course to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. The flight path took us to the east of the city of Shiraz, famous for its wine production and then as we approached the Caspian Sea we were quite close to the Iranian capital of Tehran although dense cloud cover prevented any clear view or sightings of the city below.

On arrival at Baku we completed immigration, visa and passport issues and were relieved to find that our luggage had arrived safely too. On exiting the Baku Heydar terminal we found Sinclair and Janet awaiting our arrival. Much excitement and chatter thus ensued. They had flown from South Australia via KL to Baku on Turkish Airlines and had arrived half an hour before us.

Chris, Diana, Janet, Sinclair, Jak & Corinne, Baku airport, Azerbaijan

Our local guide Elmar located our group of six and ushered us towards the mini bus for the 20 km trip into the city centre.

The view along the airport highway to our hotel was most impressive with an extraordinary range of architecture on display. There were many multi-storey sandstone apartment blocks reminding us of the typical Soviet structures we’d encountered in Russia. The presence of numerous ultramodern buildings exhibiting imaginative shapes was as we’d been led to expect except that the range of architectural gems was phenomenal. Some designs had hints of the Sydney Opera House shapes and others looked to have been influenced by Salvador Dali.

The route to our hotel in the old city centre was blocked in several places because of the F1 Grand Prix held here yesterday.

Our driver dropped us off quite close to the hotel and we then walked along sections of the racetrack to eventually reach the Sultan’s Inn Boutique Hotel which will be home for the next five nights.

After checking in and showering we then wandered through parts of the old city and were amazed to see the many beautiful old stone buildings with picturesque gardens and cobblestoned alleyways creating a delightful precinct for the many tourists visiting.

We had a meal at a nearby restaurant and then after a quick trip to a mini-market headed back for some well earned sleep after nearly two days of travel.

Our initial impressions of Baku is that it has lots to offer visually and in terms of its history. Enthusiasm and optimism abound.

DAY 2: Tuesday May 2nd 2023 - FREE DAY IN BAKU

May 22, 2023

After an interesting Azerbaijani breakfast of eggs, olives, salami type meats and cheeses plus coffee, we then set out on a day to explore the city of Baku.

View from our breakfast room, Sultan Inn Hotel

Baku is a city of around five million people and lies in the intercontinental region being neither a European nor an Asian city. Baku is a complex architectural love child of European and Soviet parents owing much of its splendour to the vast wealth obtained from the oil and gas riches of the Caspian basin oil boom of the post World War II period and the second boom of the 1960s.

From first encounter it is undeniably apparent that this is an exceptionally wealthy city with spectacular buildings both old and new together with manicured parks and gardens and a population generally living in ideal conditions of political security and financial contentment.

At the heart of the city where we are presently accommodated lies the UNESCO listed Iceri Seher (Old City) within the crenellated arc of the old fortress wall.

Our day’s exploration of Baku started in this region of the old city wall with its stone mansions and its pedestrianised tree lined streets filled with exclusive boutiques.

An interesting juxtaposition was apparent in the occurrence of the recent F1 motor racing infrastructure blending in with ancient stone walls. Sections of the racetrack weaved amongst the sandstone blocked buildings with narrow pathways leading from the old world down to the Caspian waterfront where modern architectural marvels abound.

We ventured north eastwards from the old city towards the tourist icon of Fountain Square and the market region. The spotlessly clean and wide streets of Baku were filled with pedestrians as this is obviously an extremely popular tourist location drawing visitors from Europe and Asia.

After a midday coffee break we ventured down to Neftchilar Road and worked our way via picturesque gardens and restaurant filled alleyways along the boulevard towards the Baku Yacht Club. Along the way we passed the Carpet Museum, the UNS theatre, the National Museum of Art and the Philharmonic Hall with its extraordinary 20m high trumpets.

At this point we passed under the boulevard highway and took a trip on the funicular railway up to the Flame Towers and Parliament Lookout point.

The panoramic view out across the city was fabulous with blue skies and balmy mid-twenties temperatures. The old stone mosque near the base of the Flame Tower provided a spectacular contrast with the ancient minarets being reflected in the gigantic mirrored walls of these fabulous towers.

View over city (our hotel is just left of centre)

The return to our hotel at around 16:30 required us to reverse our pathway but our meanderings meant we found interesting new buildings, monuments and gardens we’d bypassed on our earlier travels. Very close to our Sultan’s Inn Hotel is the Maiden’s Tower which we’ll visit tomorrow. It provided a useful landmark for our exploration of Baku city as it offered a visible link to our home base for much of the day.

After pre-dinner refreshments at our hotel, the six of us ventured down to the restaurant precinct nearby and had an enjoyable evening partaking of the local cuisine.

This ‘free’ day of wandering somewhat aimlessly around Baku has been an absolute delight and the impression we’ve gained of this city is one of total admiration and visual superlatives.

We look forward to tomorrow when we’ll have the opportunity to explore more of the city under the tutelage of our guide Elmar.

DAY 3: Wednesday May 3rd 2023 BAKU CITY TOUR

May 21, 2023

Immediately after breakfast we were met by our guide Elmar and were driven by Ilqar in our mini-bus to the lookout point referred to as Memory Alley.

Our bus stopped at a point directly opposite the Azerbaijan Parliament and across the road from the Flame Towers. These three sinuous glass towers built in 2012 are phenomenal from the point of view of their ‘flame’ shape and their heights being 28 to 33 storeys high. They and other similar 21st century buildings around Baku form contemporary Baku’s architectural signature.

On heading towards Memory Alley Elmar gave us a potted summary of the history of Azerbaijan, particularly Baku’s in the times onwards from Tsar Peter the Great who captured the region in 1723. The discovery of oil and gas led to the commercial extraction of crude oil in 1872 and by 1905 Azerbaijan was producing 50% of the world’s petroleum. This oil wealth resulted in vast expenditure with the construction of lavish mansions, numerous city buildings and extensive infrastructure. This led to the population becoming polarised with the extremely wealthy ‘oil barons’ and their associates at one end and the abject poverty of oil workers and labourers at the other. This division meant that the communist Bolsheviks took control with the additional intention of defending the oil fields from the Turks.

In this post Russian revolutionary period, Baku sustained a further series of brutal massacres involving Armenian and Turkish troops.

Stalin’s anti-religion drive of the 1930s saw the Red Army destroy many majestic mosques as well as Baku city’s main and superb cathedral.

The dissolution of the USSR in 1990s led to further conflict with Azerbaijan’s independence being opposed by the Soviets who invaded Baku in 1990 and killed hundreds of protesting Baku citizens.

At Memory Alley (Shehilder Khiyabany) there is a cemetery stretching 200m from the Flame Tower buildings to a memorial shrine commemorating the victims of the 1990 Russian attack. The avenue is referred to as Martyrs’ Lane with a hundred and twenty aligned graves with the headstones depicting the faces of victims of this brutal attack. A large eternal flame burns dramatically at the centre base of the shrine.

Turkish Graves, Memory Alley - Shehidler Khiyabany

Jak and Sinclair at Shrine of Remembrance, Memory Alley - Shehidler Khiyabany

Following this confronting visit to the war cemetery we visited the nearby lookout and took photos of the city below. The weather was grey with threatening clouds and very windy conditions so it was decided to head downwards to rejoin our bus and head to the new Heydar Aliyev Centre.

On arrival at the Centre we were informed that unexpectedly it was closed for the morning due to a special meeting with visiting dignitaries. Plan B came into focus so we headed for the Carpet Museum.

The carpet museum is housed in a 2014 building designed by Austrian architect Franz Janz. The museum is shaped like a stylised roll of carpet and exhibits an extensive historic record of carpets and associated weaving materials. The range of carpets includes 17th century flatweaves through to modernist picture rugs.

Our next tourist venture was to the Palace of the Shirvanshahs which is inside the old city wall. This splendid collection of high stone walls and sandstone domes was the seat of the Azerbaijani ruling dynasty during the Middle Ages especially the 15th century.

Artefacts inside Palace of the Shirvanshahs

Painting inside Palace of the Shirvanshahs

The buildings have been carefully restored since 2003 with many interesting artefacts added to complement the historical setting. Within the palace confines we visited the Shah’s mosque and bath houses which have been excavated from beneath ancient rubble in recent times.

Shah’s mosque Palace of the Shirvanshahs

Our return pathway to home was via numerous alleyways with ancient residential buildings serviced by a maze of meandering pathways.

Along the way we passed the Siniq Qatari Mosque which is more commonly referred to as Baku’s Mohammed mosque. This mosque dates from the year 1079 and is considered the oldest still remaining in Baku. It’s name translates to ‘Broken Tower’ mosque due to one of its minarets being seriously damaged by a 1723 Russian naval bombardment firing canon from the Caspian Sea some kilometres away!

The final event for this busy day was to visit the Qiz Qalasi (Maiden’s Tower) adjacent to our Sultan’s Inn hotel. This tapering 29m sandstone tower is regarded as Baku’s foremost historical icon. It dates from around the 12th century and its fortress value was assured by the 5m thick walls at the base of the tower and an unusual projecting spine-buttress.

We climbed to the top of the tower via narrow stone spiral staircase with such a low ceiling that a few head bumps were inevitable. The view from the top was panoramic despite the gloomy surrounding weather pattern.

Jak at the top of Qiz Qalasi (Maiden’s Tower)

We returned to our hotel at around 16:30 and had our evening meal at our hotel’s third floor restaurant.

Our hotel is inside the ringed city wall which encloses the Icari Seher or ‘Old City’ which is UNESCO listed and contains medieval caravanserais, tiny mosques, galleries, hotel accommodation and the inevitable bevy of souvenir shops and restaurants.

Tomorrow there are more exciting sites on the venue including mud volcanoes.

DAY 4: Thursday May 4th 2023 BAKU & GOBUSTAN

May 20, 2023

After breakfast we joined our tour guide Elmar and headed south 65km to the Gobustan Petroglyph Reserve. Our travels initially followed close to the Caspian Sea coastline through industrial areas which appeared to be heavily involved with the petroleum industry. Out to sea we could identify numerous oil drilling rigs and the coastal ports harboured ships with drilling platforms anchored nearby.

The coastal region was typically barren rolling hillsides with practically no prominent vegetation giving a desert appearance to the landscape for most of our travel southwards.

Our first stop was at the UNESCO Gobustan Petroglyph Reserve where we visited the ‘state of the art’ Petroglyph Museum which offered a comprehensive explanation and context to the reserve’s historical significance.

The museum had numerous displays of petroglyphs dating from Palaeolithic times through to the Bronze Age. The exhibits were extremely well presented with comprehensive English descriptions of the items and their relation to the historical timeline.

We then drove a further two kilometres up onto the rocky mountain ridge above the Museum. From the car park a pathway meanders for a few hundred metres amongst the large sandstone boulders that cover the hillside.

At various locations along the way were petroglyphs (stone engravings) some dating back over 12 000 years.

It was interesting spotting and deciphering the numerous figures on the rock walls we passed. Amongst the most appealing figures were representations of oxen, horses, boars and of course humans. The human figures were identifiable by gender as the females were typically shown without arms or heads.

Reed boat petroglyph, Boyukdash Mountain

One figure of particular interest was a spindly reed boat sailing towards the sunset. Comparing this with similar ancient rock images in Norway led famous ethnologist Thor Heyerdahl to speculate that Scandinavians might have originated from what is now Azerbaijan. This fits with the description of “Caucasian” ethnic origins for many European races.

Following the exceedingly interesting morning learning of petroglyphs and their historical significance we boarded our bus and drove a further 20 km southwards to a nondescript spot named Dasgil Hill where we encountered a weird collection of baby mud volcanoes.

The volcanoes are 3-5m high dome shaped rises with open craters little more than 20cm across. Ever so slowly, oozing from the craters is a thick grey but cold mud. There are quite a few of these conical mounds that gurgle and occasionally spit mud creating an eerie impression of living ‘geological flatulence’! The bubbling is presumably due to methane generated in the subterranean materials.

It is apparent at this time that this curiosity is not yet tourist oriented as facilities are presently meagre. However there are signs of walkways to be built and adjacent buildings to be utilised for therapeutic use of the mud. The mud supposedly has beneficial effects in treating arthritic/rheumatic disorders and various dermatological complaints.

Being well and truly past midday we now drove back to Baku and spent the next few hours at the Heydar Aliyev Centre.

This exhibition centre is housed in a jaw-droppingly original building designed by the architect Zaha Hadid and opened in 2012.

The huge building is a majestic statement of fluid architecture with curling waves and peaks made from large curved white tiles that blend to form an image of superb beauty. Apparently this building is frequently rated as one of the 21st century’s most appealing structures in Azerbaijan and this is in a city noted for extraordinarily beautiful buildings.

The interior is equally impressive and on our visit we were fortunate to see a special exhibit of exquisite carpets for which Azerbaijan is duly famous. One prominent carpet set was of three parts called ‘Halli Gabbeh’ or Paradise Garden. The range of colours in this carpet trio was phenomenal and the complexity of the garden scenery meant that it was truly a work of art!

Another exhibition hall was displaying the paintings and tapestries of Turkish artist Devrim Erbil. The detail in his abstract depiction of scenes was remarkable.

We were then moved to another gallery which had a visiting display of 230 dolls, the work of many famous doll makers including Azerbaijani doll makers Luisa Daghistanly and Solmaz Musyeva.

The complexity of the dolls and intricacy of the bodies and clothing were astounding and far more interesting than one might imagine from familiarity of children’s dolls. These amazing dolls are part of a private collection on loan at present. The value of the 230 exhibits was in the order of millions of Euros we were informed and gauging from the quality and range of styles of these models it is easy to understand this price tag.

In addition to these exhibits we spent time in the hall showing traditional musical instruments of Azerbaijan. The range of stringed instruments was especially intriguing and part of the display offered the opportunity to hear samples of music from the individual instruments by standing on a pressure activated mat adjacent to each instrument directly underneath an acoustic dome.

A time line from 1923 to the early 21st century showed an historical journey of Heydar Aliyev from his early childhood through to his role as President of Azerbaijan together with details of the ever changing political world of those times.

Our next and final destination for this busy day was to visit the National History Museum in central Baku. This is more of a display of a late 19th century mansion than a museum but nonetheless it was an entertaining but quite brief visitation.

The Museum exhibits Azerbaijani culture and history within the opulent mansion of the greatest oil baron of the times, namely Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. Among the treasures is the dazzling neo-Moorish ‘Oriental Hall’ for which apparently 9 kg of gold foil was used to decorate the ceilings and cornices. Taghiyev’s art-nouveau bedroom was expansive but dreary and unappealing. One unexplained curiosity is that Taghiyev had a full sized billiard table on which they played a type of ‘pool’ except that the table had no pockets; very strange!

On leaving the museum we walked back to our hotel and after some pre-dinner drinks dined in the restaurant next door.

Today has been a very busy day with quite a deal of travel and much to see of great interest.

Azerbaijan is offering us wonderful opportunities to learn more about our world and the fascinating culture of these Caucasian people.

DAY 5: Friday May 5th 2023 BAKU – ABSHERON PENINSULA

May 19, 2023

Our final full day in the Baku region involved a visit to the Absheron Peninsula. This prominent section of Azerbaijan is eastwards of Baku and extends as a finger of land out into the Caspian Sea.

This region is a rich oil field as suggested by the numerous ‘pump-jacks’ that are visible beside the road as we headed out of Baku.

Our first stop was at Ateshgah (‘House of Fire’) which is a 18th century temple within the confines of a fortified wall. In the centre is a four pillared stone dome with side flues above a flaming raised hearth. The flame has been burning continuously since the building of the temple over two hundred years ago.

Markazi Ibadalgah (The Central altar), Atashgah Temple

The intriguing release of hydrocarbon gases and other compounds from these subterranean vents was of great interest to the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev who visited the region in the late 1800s. Other prominent visitors included the Nobel brothers (Alfred as in the prize donor) with their interest in using carbon based fuels as explosives for infrastructure and tunnel building and other heavy rock based excavation.

The Ateshgah fire temple is centred within a triangular courtyard of sides 50 to 60m. Around the perimeter are simple small stone rooms originally built for Indian Shivaite devotees. The rooms have now been converted to interpretation areas serving as a continuum of mini museums.

Jak emerging through doorway, Atashgah Temple

Natural gas seeps through the rocky ground and this so called “burning earth” was presumably the origin of ancient fire worshippers.

Zoroastrianism is probably the oldest of such worshipping and their religion has its history extending from around 1500 years BCE.

Zarathustra (or Zoroaster) experienced revelations called ‘gathas’ that used fire as a conduit between himself and god. These gathas comprise the core of the text ‘Avesta’, a collection of Zoroastrian holy texts. The symbol for Zoroastrianism is called the ‘Faravahar’ and it depicts a bearded man with one hand reaching forward as he sits above a pair of wings that are outstretched from a circle representing eternity. Apparently it’s incorrect to suggest that Zoroastrians worshipped fire but more appropriate to say it was fire that provided a means of communication with god!

After winding our way through a series of old village back streets we then visited Mardakan where our first and very brief visit was to the Tuba Shahi Mosque. Nearby was the Great Mardakan Castle fortress.

It is claimed that this castle was built in the 12th century for Shirvanshah Ahistan I. There has been a good deal of restoration work in more recent times enhancing its grandeur. The tower is 22m high and quadrangular in section.

Our visit was enriched by having Vividad, a local and elderly local historian provide information on the castle and the interesting artefacts uncovered by archaeologists and are now on display around the base of the castle. This courtyard around the castle had several open and deep holes that provided a potentially dangerous walking area. In 2001 the Mardakan Castle Fortress was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Reserve list.

Our final tourist treat for the day was to experience the wonders of Yanar Dag where a 10m long strip of ‘eternal’ fire burns gently out of the base of a stony embankment.

Yanar Dag means ‘Fire Mountain’ although it’s little more than a very modest hillock. Some say that the flames have gone unquenched for millennia and others say the escaping natural gas was accidentally ignited by a shepherd’s discarded cigarette back in the 1950s. In addition to the 10m of smallish flames there is an amphitheatre, a covered interpretation centre and a courtyard exhibiting ancient stone structures together with associated explanations.

We then headed back into Baku and on the way passed numerous architectural splendours including the comparatively new and highly impressive National Stadium that featured as the venue for the opening ceremony of the European Games in 2015.

We had our final evening meal in Baku at a nearby caravanserai where we had a most enjoyable dinner from an upper deck whilst observing a large group celebrate a birthday party below. Music, dancing and much merriment ensued in the large dining area as we watched from above.

We have been awestruck by this city and its surrounding region and it will be with heavy hearts that we say farewell to Baku tomorrow as we continue our wonderful visit into western Azerbaijan.

DAY 6: Saturday May 6th 2023 BAKU – MARAZA – SHAMAKHA – SHEKI

May 18, 2023

After saying farewell to the staff at Sultan’s Inn we loaded the bus with our bags and headed north-westwards towards Maraza.

The landscape was for the first 50km was barren and desertlike with no trees and very sparse vegetation.

As we ventured further north we then entered a completely different agricultural environment with cattle, sheep, grain crops (mostly wheat), grape vines plus walnut and almond groves.

Countryside departing Baku en route to Sheki

We then made a stop at the Diri Baba mausoleum near the village of Maraza.

This mausoleum was built in 1402 by order of Shirvanshah Ibrahim I.

It is regarded as a very significant holy pilgrimage site and was an important location for travellers on the Silk Road. The internal walls of the tomb are adorned with geometrical figures and ancient Islamic text. Nearby, a number of small caves were to be found but these lacked information on their religious or historical significance.

Adjacent to the mausoleum was an Islamic cemetery with tombstones so weather worn one can only imagine that they too belong to the fifteenth century. Bright red poppies featured in amongst these ancient graves.

We then drove to Shamakha (Samaxi) to visit the historical Juma Mosque. This is the second oldest mosque in the Caucasus although it has been largely rebuilt. It was originally built in 743 but suffered major structural damage in the earthquakes of 1859 and 1902. During the March genocide of 1918 Armenian Nationalists set the mosque on fire and many hundreds of worshippers trapped inside were killed. The reconstruction of the mosque was completed in 2013. The ‘new’ structure is very impressive although there’s very little visible evidence of the 8th century mosque remaining.

Corinne, Janet & Diana, Juma Mosque, Shamakha (Samaxi)

On a hillside overlooking the Shamakha Grand Mosque is the mausoleum of Yeddi Gumbez with its seven domed tombs two of which have collapsed. These domes enclose the burial grounds of prominent members of the family of Shirvanshah Shahs from around the 15th century. The tombstones inside the five remaining domes are colourful with the fine details of writing and symbols remarkably well preserved.

We then had a very long drive for nearly two hours to Lahic. On the way we stopped for traditional herb crepes cooked on a roadside hot plate heated by firewood and then enjoyed a brew of the local tea.

Our next interlude was at the Zervana suspension bridge where a quick trip across the bridge and back provided an entertaining opportunity too stretch the legs as icy glacial waters cascaded down the Girdimanchay River way below us.

Corinne & Tony on Zervana suspension bridge over Girdimanchay River, en route to Lahic

Zervana suspension bridge over Girdimanchay River, en route to Lahic

Our road to Lahic then wound its way through a spectacular canyon following the river along a narrow road perched precariously 50m or more above the river. The geology of the mountains was incredible with vast vertical rock walls towering above the road. Up ahead we would see high snow covered peaks letting us know that we are now definitely in the Caucasus!

In Lahic we followed Huseynov Kuc (Coppersmith Street) which is the main pedestrian street for visiting tourists.

This street is paved with shiny smooth river-stones and lined with older houses built traditionally with interleaving stone and timber layers plus box windows.

Coppersmiths exhibit their wares up and down the street and several of the workshops are accessible where one finds traditional tools and museum-like antiques amongst a dusty and ancient world of artisans.

The day ended with a further two hour drive to Sheki with us arriving at our Macara Hotel at 20:30.

We had a meal in the hotel’s main dining room and headed off for some well earned rest after a long day of travel and sight-seeing.

Particular credit should go to our driver Ilqar who drove about 350km today and showed great skill at all times especially on the potentially dangerous road to Lahic.

Tomorrow we’ll spend a more relaxing day in and around Sheki. Sadly it will be our final full day in Azerbaijan.

DAY 7: Sunday May 7th 2023 SHEKI

May 17, 2023

Sheki is regarded as one of Azerbaijan’s loveliest towns being nestled in surrounding green forests with a backdrop of the snow capped Caucasus mountains.

The township of around 70 000 people with its dappling of old ochre brick homes and tiled roofs has much to offer apart from spectacular mountain scenery with a famous palace and many other antiquities on offer. In 2019 the old heart of the township was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sheki was originally established somewhat higher up the valley at the location now called Kish. That town was destroyed by floods in 1716 but Khan Haci Celebi build a new fortress at Nukha (called Sheki since the 1960s). Then an even more catastrophic flood in 1772 occurred but the city withstood the onslaught and was subsequently declared the Royal Capital of this region of Azerbaijan.

Our initial tourist destination in Sheki was the Xan Sarayi or Khan’s Palace.

This ornate 1762 palace has six large rooms on two levels and each is decorated with amazing murals that are bathed in dazzling coloured light shining through intricately designed stained glass windows imported from Venice.

This building served as the Sheki Khan’s administrative palace and is now the only remaining one of around forty royal structures within the fortress compound. The external façade of the palace combines ‘silvered stalactite vaulting’ with dark blue, turquoise and ochre geometrical patterns and the walled rose garden in front has two huge plane trees planted in 1530. There was a former mosque in the lower section of the fortress that now serves as the Museum of Folk and Applied Arts.

The local handcraft shops nearby are housed in the former fortress jail. Among the numerous tourist nick-nacks on sale was a chain-stitch embroidered picture of a duck orchid (caleana) and we subsequently learnt that the orchid is the regional floral emblem although we’ve seen no actual orchids so far.

Caleana orchid (regional floral emblem) embroidery, Museum of Folk & Applied Arts

We then drove to the nearby village of Kish to visit the Albanian Church. The name Albania refers to a former northern Azerbaijani Christian nation and has nothing to do with the Adriatic country.

This first century Christian church entails a brilliantly renovated round-towered temple which now serves as a museum. Numerous artefacts, some dating around 2000 BCE are on display as are glass covered excavated open graves showing skeletons from the Bronze Age.

Some of the skeletal bones suggest very tall (2m plus) people existed at that time which led Thor Heyerdahl to hypothesise that the so-called god Odin was the person in Norwegian mythology who came to Northern Europe from a place called Azer!

The gardens around this 1st century church had a number of exquisite irises and tulips presently in flower.

We then spent an hour in the local bazaar which covered a very large area and was filled with busy merchants and customers seeking out desired fruits, vegetables, meats, shoes, clothes and general household items.

We had a deal of fun with photographing the market people as some, mostly older women were quite shy whereas others, mostly younger men were desperately keen to be photographed.

We then headed back up towards the Khan’s Palace to visit the town’s famous caravanserai. This 18th century structure has an imposing wooden gateway leading to a high dome through to a twin level arcade of sturdy arches that enclose a central courtyard.

The gardens nearby were neatly maintained with apple and walnut trees and numerous roses many now in bud.

A short walk up a side street brought us to the local madrassah which serves as both a mosque and an educational facility specialising in Islamic religious knowledge for primary and early secondary students.

To end our day’s visit to Sheki we wandered down the street outside the caravanserai where small roadside shops offered the usual trinkets in addition to a colourful range of sugary confectionery and a comprehensive selection of nuts.

Tomorrow we head for the border and cross over to Georgia where we will have a new guide, bus and driver.

DAY 8: Monday May 8th 2023 SHEKI – SIGHNAGHI – KVARELI

May 16, 2023

We departed Sheki at 08:30 and commenced a two hour drive towards Codna which is the town on the Azerbaijani side of the border zone into Georgia.

At the border we presented ‘thank you’ cards and gratuities to Elmar and Ilqar who as our tour-guide and driver for this last week have been so friendly and obliging; we are very grateful for their marvellous efforts in ensuring our time in Azerbaijan was so enjoyable.

The crossing of the border into Georgia went smoothly although it entailed a 500m walk with our bags uphill through the neutral zone between the two countries.

Awaiting us on the Georgian side was our new guide Natia and driver Gela.

Having loaded up our bus we then travelled southwards for an hour to the town of Sighnaghi. This very attractive town is perched on a hilltop facing the snow-capped Caucasus across the vast agricultural region of the Alazani valley.

This 18th and 19th century fortified town has architecture reminiscent somewhat of Tuscany with the added spectacle of a 4km stone wall incorporating 28 watchtowers.

We had lunch at a prominently positioned wine bar overlooking the city and adjacent to the wall at a point next to the largest of the watchtowers. The extensive range of foods on offer was specifically an introduction to Georgian cuisine and was delectable and complemented by wine degustation.

After this amazing meal we wandered around the town and eventually ended up at “The Pheasant’s Tears” wine bar for some further wine tasting.

We found the taste and smell of the typical Georgian wines that are fermented in large underground clay amphoras a little strange and quite different from our Australian wines.

Group with guide Natia at Pheasant Tears Wine Bar

Sign (Gaumarjos means 'cheers') Pheasant Tears Wine Bar, Sighnaghi

Wine amphora, Pheasant Tears Wine Bar, Sighnaghi

We then travelled 2km south to visit the Bodbe Convent which is the revered burial site of St. Nino, a nun of great prominence from the 4th century. Her grave is in a small chapel within a small church built by King Miriam and the tomb is partly silver covered with a bejewelled turquoise halo.

A new and much larger church is presently being constructed nearby within the lovely gardens and lawns maintained by the nuns. We were surprised to see a nun in full black habit plus work boots mowing a large lawn area.

For a further introduction to Georgian wines we travelled to another prominent wine district to visit the Khareba winery. This elaborate winery is located in a tunnel that was built by Russians in the 1950s during the Soviet era. Here we tasted Kakhetian wines made in accordance with local traditions and found them generally more to our liking than most of those tried earlier n the afternoon.

Wine tasting at Tunnel winery at Khareba

After a unexpected day of travel, over-eating and three separate wine tastings, we adjourned to our hotel Chateau Kvareli for a relaxing alcohol free evening!

DAY 9: Tuesday May 9th 2023 ALAVERDI – TSINANDALI – IKHALTO

May 15, 2023

We departed our Kvareli hotel at around 09:30 and drove to the site of the late Bronze Age City of Gremi which functioned as the capital city of Kakheti in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

Archeological excavations from around Gremi have located various items dated from the first millennium BCE, some of which were on display in the magnificent Church of Archangels built in 1565 which now serves as a museum.

The church is perched high on a hillside overlooking farming land that encompasses large areas of vineyards, grazing land and orchards.

The internal walls of the church were adorned with frescoes many of which appeared to be in their original 16th century condition being remarkably well preserved despite a degree of colour fading in the images. Restoration work was apparent in some other sections we observed.

Around the church were a significant number of ‘stray’ dogs, some of which looked quite old and scruffy. We were told that they are all vaccinated, neutered and ear-tagged by the local authorities who provide roadside kennels and encourage locals to feed them!

Our next stop was at the Alaverdi Cathedral which was built in the early 11th century. It is one of the four Great Cathedrals of Georgia and the highest ranking in importance amongst the ancient churches in Georgia.

The Georgian Orthodox Church has played a key role in the restorative process for the cathedral, having established an antiquity repository holding samples of ecclesiastical art, religious icons and manuscripts as well as other Georgian national religious treasures.

After leaving Alaverdi we visited the Ikalto Monastery in Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia.

During the 6th century reign of King David, the monastery was established by Saint Zenon who was one of the 13 Assyrian Fathers.

The Ikalto Monastery was famous for its Academy and because it was a great cultural and educational centre, it played a key role in the history of Georgian Enlightenment. Apart from its role as a Christian monastery the academy provided education in literature, languages, astronomy and mathematics especially algebra and geometry.

In 1616 the Academy was destroyed by fire resulting from Iranian invaders but rubble and some collapsed stonework remains. Of the three churches associated with the original monastery, only the rebuilt Church Gutaeba remains and that is presently undergoing major structural engineering work internally to prevent its further deterioration.

It now being early afternoon, we headed in to Telavi which is the main city and administrative centre for Georgia’s eastern province of Kakheti. We spent an interesting and entertaining hour visiting the local bazaar where practically every imaginable type of food was for sale. We had lots of amusing interaction with the market people, many wanting to know where we were from and what we liked most about Georgia. Lots of photos were taken and we were often offered samples of food to try as we wandered through this large complex.

Fruit & vgetable stall, Telavi Food Market

Tony photographing lady, Telavi Food Market

The final destination for the day’s activities was to visit the Tsinandali Estate. This is an expansive property established by Prince Alexander Chavchavadze (1786 - 1846) who, apart rom being extremely handsome was a Georgian poet, writer, translator, polyglot, public benefactor, military figure and big landowner. Unsurprisingly he was regarded as the pre-eminent Georgian aristocrat of that era.

His position in society was exemplified by the fact that the Tsar, Alexander III and his Romanov family would spend holidays staying at the Chavchavadze palace.

We had an informative guided tour of the Palace House Museum of Chavchavadze now called Tsinandali; grandeur and opulence prevailed throughout.

We learnt that the estate now includes 80 hectares of vineyards and has a flourishing wine production based on European wine making methodology rather than the traditional Georgian technique using terracotta amphoras.

We visited the expansive underground wine cellar and then had a wine tasting session to conclude our visit to Tsinandali. The wines were similar to Australian wines and most enjoyable and our group purchased several bottles of their wine.

Artefacts in original wine cellar, Tsinandall Estate

Wine in original wine cellar, Tsinandall Estate

We spent our evening staying in the Hotel Agre in Ruispiri village.

View of Caucasus Mountains from our hotel room, Arge Hotel, Ruispiri Village

Group at dinner, Arge Hotel, Ruispiri Village

This has been a thoroughly entertaining day enjoyed in pleasant sunny conditions with the temperature around 20C.

DAY 10: Wednesday May 10th 2023 KAKAHETI REGION – TBILISI

May 14, 2023

After breakfast we contacted Max in NZ and then checked out of our hotel which had the biggest rooms imaginable for a hotel although they were sparse in facilities.

The morning was spent driving mostly southwards to Tbilisi.

On one steeper section of the road we were held up for some time due to a bus crash that had occurred further up the highway. There were six or more police cars and ambulances in attendance and we think another bus may have been involved too. Hopefully there were only minor injuries but the incident looked very serious.

After another hour’s travel we stopped at the village of Badiauri to sample the traditonal Georgian shoti bread specialty. The bread flour is made from a selected strain of local wheat and the bread is cooked in a tandoori oven fuelled by firewood that produces red hot coals. The elongated loaves cost 2 Lari (approx $1) and were eaten hot directly from the oven. Gouda cheese which is another local product was added to the bread to create a delicious mid-morning meal.

We arrived in Tbilisi at around 13:00 and commenced an afternoon of site seeing in the old and touristy part of the Georgian Capital city.

The bus dropped us off at the steps leading to the Tsminda Sameva Cathedral. We climbed many steps up to this imposing structure which is the preeminent symbol of Georgian Orthodox religion in Tbilisi. It towers over the hillside and it was consecrated in 2004. The cathedral is a massive and lavish expression of Georgian architecture with concrete, granite, marble and gold used extensively. The 84m high cathedral is topped with a gold covered cross above a 12 sided golden central dome. The church incorporates three level of churches with the top one being the sparingly decorated cathedral with relatively few icons.

The nearby Bell Tower, which despite being smaller than the cathedral, was equally impressive as it housed two massive bells amongst others in a geometrically appealing structure.

Bell Tower, Tsminda Sameba Cathedral, Tbilisi

A drink of the local lemonade was next on the agenda and there was a choice of eight fruit flavoured carbonated drinks. These thirst quenchers proved most popular as the heat of the day was taking its toll.

Jak & Corinne drinking Lagidze Water (lemonade)

We then climbed up to the landmark Metekhi Church that is perched on the edge of a nearly vertical rock wall overlooking the Mtkvari River below. Nearby is the imposing 1960s equestrian statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali who built his palace and first church at this site and declared Tbilisi the capital in the 5th century.

Statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali, Tbilisi

On descending to near river level we boarded a cable car that took us from the old town high across the Mtkvari River and up to the Nrikala Fortress from which we were able to gain panoramic views across this impressive city. The fortress includes the St. Nicholas Church which had been rebuilt after it was totally destroyed by an unintended explosion of dynamite that was stored in the church during Soviet times.

Diana, Corinne & Jak on cable car, Tbilisi

Our journey then followed a pathway back down towards the famous bath-houses and the nearby mosque. The small river has a waterfall that brings water from the high plateau above. The water has a sulfur smell and was the source of the bath water that supposedly had various medical and therapeutic benefits.

View of bath houses from Nrikala Fortress, Tbilisi

Having now arrived in the dense touristy area we decided to take time and divert through the Meidan Bazaar which is in an underground tunnel of length about 100m. The tunnel is filled with items from both the old and modern world serving as both an ‘historical shopping’ area and a museum.

A further shopping centre was then visited and this one took the form of a modern day caravanserai. Amongst the artefacts on display were a number of old gramophone players as in the HMV logo.

Old gramophones in modern day caravanserai, Tbilisi

We had a brief look inside the Sioni Cathedral and listened to a woman chanting prayers at very high speed but we’d decided at this point we’d had enough ecclesiastical encounters for one day and headed for a nearby cafe for drinks.

The homeward trip took us along Shardeni Street past a prominent theatre, a carpet market/museum and a shop specialising in highly decorative and expensive enamelled jewellery. We passed the famous Old Clock Tower and then crossed the covered Peace Bridge before returning to find our bus waiting a few hundred metres up the road.

Old Clock Tower, Shardeni Street, Tbilisi

Our driver then dropped us off at our Citrus Hotel which is clean and comfortable.

We had dinner at a local restaurant recommended to Janet by a Georgian friend. The traffic was appalling and it was a battle getting to the restaurant.

Our group at a local restaurant, Tbilisi

We had a delectable meal and caught an Uber home. His car accommodated all six of us and the 20 minute ride cost about $5.

It’s been an exhausting day as there’s so much to see in Tbilisi; we’ll spend more time exploring this Georgian gem tomorrow.

DAY 11: Wednesday May 11th 2023 SECOND PART OF CITY TOUR

May 13, 2023

At 09:30 we were driven by our bus driver to the top of Mtstaminda Mountain on the western side of Tbilisi, about 400m above the city centre below.

Funicular Restaurant & communications tower top of Mtstaminda Mountain, Tbilisi

The view from the top was panoramic and many photos of Tbilisi were taken using various formats involving standard zoom, fisheye and telephoto lenses.

View from top of Mtstaminda Mountain, Tbilisi

Our hotel from top of Mtstaminda Mountain, Tbilisi

Even from several kilometres away, the Sameba Cathedral was very prominent with its golden dome glistening in the early morning sunshine. Another feature that was more obvious from this elevated site was the fact that the Mtkvari River has a significant ‘S’ bend in it just after the Metekhi Bridge. The waters from this substantial and quite fast flowing river head eastwards towards Azerbaijan and eventually flow into the Caspian Sea.

Sameba Cathedral from top of Mtstaminda Mountain, Tbilisi

Mtkvari River from top of Mtstaminda Mountain, Tbilisi

Tbilisi has a population of 1.5 million which constitutes about a third of the total Georgian population. Most people speak Georgian and Russian but English is becoming more significant as it’s now taught in schools.

Jak on Funicular, Mtstaminda Mountain, Tbilisi

From Mtstaminda Mountain we took the funicular railway back down to the city level and walked a few blocks to the Georgian National Museum.

This highly impressive museum has an extraordinary collection of archeological treasures but particularly stunning was the wealth of gold, silver and precious-stone work some dating back to 3000 BCE. All exhibits were labelled with comprehensive descriptions in both Georgian and English.

Many of these fabulously beautiful archeological treasures come from excavated burial sites in Georgia especially from around Colchis in western Georgia.

One piece that was utterly awesome was a golden goblet from about 1800 BCE. The goblet, the size of an apple was made on a lathe from a single piece of gold and decorated with inlaid cornelian, lapis lazuli and amber. It is so archeologically significant because there are no other known items of similar decoration and beauty anywhere on Earth!

Golden goblet from about 1800 BCE, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi

Apart from the gold and silver adornments, the museum also has an amazing archeological display of hominids, most coming from Dmanisi in southern Georgia. The large exhibit is principally of skulls and extends back in history to the earliest skulls estimated to be from 1.8 million years ago.

Archeological display of hominids, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi

Silver cup decorated with a gilt portrait of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, 2nd Century AD, Tbilisi

With time running out we spent a few fleeting moments in other galleries of the museum seeing exhibits of ancient coins (pre Roman), ceramics, minerals and Georgian wildlife.

Of particular interest to us was the bird exhibit showing that Georgia has amongst numerous other birds, bar-tailed godwits, ruddy turnstones and pied oystercatchers which we also see in Australia.

After a coffee break we spent the next few hours wandering along Rustaveli Avenue observing the varied styles of architecture in the buildings.

The high arched Parliament building is practically opposite the National Museum and was constructed between 1938 and 1953 for Georgia’s Soviet government.

A brief visit to the Kashveti Church (“Stone Birth” Church) was next on the agenda. It was supposedly built in the 6th century by Davit Gareja a Syrian priest who visited with the desire to spread Christianity in Georgia. According to the legend, a nun accused him of getting her pregnant. He replied that if that were true, she’d give birth to a baby, and if not she’d give birth to a stone which duly happened!

Kashveti Church (“Stone Birth” Church), Tbilisi

We next passed the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Tbilisi with its interlaced brown and sandstone façade; a singularly unusual sample of Russian architecture. Further on, we viewed the Rustaveli Theatre and then the Tsereteli Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) which is now housed in the beautifully converted former Cadet Corps building.

The Biltmore Hotel is another grandiose structure on Rustaveli Avenue and is classified as a ‘Seven Star’ super luxury establishment although we didn’t venture inside as we probably would not have met the dress code!

To finish our pedestrian based afternoon we walked back to Freedom Square, formerly Lenin Square.

With the collapse of the USSR in 1992, the original Lenin statue was toppled and replaced with a superb 35m tall granite column upon which is a sculpture of St. George on horseback, slaying the dragon. The very large figure of St.George, horse and dragon are all covered in gold and on this sunny afternoon the spectacle looked magnificent.

Saint George & the Dragon, Freedom Square, Tbilisi

For our evening dinner we drove a considerable distance to the Ethnographer restaurant which we were informed had a fine reputation for both meals and local, traditional dance performances.

Group at Ethnographer restaurant, Tbilisi

We were not in any way disappointed, having had a superb barbecue banquet meal with salads, wines, fruits, nuts and chacha (Georgian grappa) in addition.

Without doubt, the highlight of the evening was the dancing performed by locals in various traditional costumes with high energy music accompaniment. The male dancers displayed amazing strength with feats of high jumping, fast spinning and extraordinary agility. The females were beautifully costumed and their choreography exhibited meticulous timing and grace.

Dancers at Ethnographer restaurant, Tbilisi

The show involved six individual, five minute performances spread over about ninety minutes and each entailed different costumes and dancing styles. We had seen similar amazing dancing with the Cossacks dance performances in Moscow sixteen years ago.

We then caught taxis back to our Citrus Hotel arriving home at around 22:00 after another amazing day in Tbilisi.

DAY 12: Friday May 12th 2023 JVARI – MTSKHETA – ANANURI – GUDAURI – KAZBEGI

May 12, 2023

Before leaving Tbilisi we had the opportunity of making contact with Niko, our Caucasian tour manager. He visited our hotel after breakfast and it was nice to meet him and to discuss the tour package he’d arranged for us three years ago, before the onslaught of Covid. We complimented him on all facets of the Caucasus visit so far.

Niko (our local travel agent) & Diana at Hotel Citrus, Tbilisi

As it was now foggy and raining quite steadily, we left Tbilisi and headed out of the city without delay and drove to Mtskheta an hour north of Tbilisi.

This township has been the religious centre for Georgia since Christianity was established here in about 327 AD.

On arrival, we put on raincoats and walked up the hillside to Jvari Church (The Cross Church). To many Georgians it is the holiest of holies, as it stands where King Miriam erected his famous wooden cross and over which this church was constructed in the period 585-604 AD by the Duke of Kaitli.

Jvari Church (The Cross Church), Mtskheta

View through the mist from Jvari Church (The Cross Church), Mtskheta

Jak at Jvari Church (The Cross Church), Mtskheta

The church is an attractive structure being a symmetrical cross shape with four side rooms and a low dome sitting on a squat octagonal drum. In the very centre is a large carved wooden cross standing on an ancient stone plinth.

Inside Jvari Church (The Cross Church), Mtskheta

As the rain had practically stopped we moved on the nearby Vetitskhoveli Cathedral which is surrounded by souvenir shops and the usual tourist attractions.

Souvenir shops on way to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta

This enormous Cathedral dates from the 11th century, early in the age of Georgian Christian architecture. There are numerous stone carvings both inside and outside the cathedral and Christ’s robe is believed to lie beneath the central nave, under a square pillar decorated with colourful frescoes.

Frescoe depicting the Zodiac sign inside Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta

Priest Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta

It surely is a spectacular and awe inspiring structure and the internal adornment and decorations are breathtaking.

From a tourist shop in Vetitskhoveli, Corinne purchased a silver pendant featuring a central green piece of amazonite inlaid into mother of pearl; a most attractive piece of jewellery.

Our travels now required a steady climb towards the Caucasus Mountains up ahead. On reaching the Zhinvali Dam and hydro-power station, we took time to stretch the legs and view the expansive reservoir below. This lake is one of the principal sources of drinking water for Tbilisi.

We then continued our ascent on the so called ‘Georgian Military Highway’ and for our next stop visited the Ananuri Castle, Churches and Fortress. This overlooks the Zhinvali Reservoir from a point on the western arm of the lake.

The fortress has its origins in the 13th century with the two churches inside having been built in the 17th century. The frescoes in the Church of the Assumption are vivid although their colours may have been ‘slightly’ enhanced. The fortress towers appear ancient, as dilapidation is apparent in places and as such, a walk along the battlements appeared hazardous. We bypassed this opportunity.

We continued upwards towards Gudauri, the highest town on the Military Highway at 2200m above sea level. This is a popular ski resort area from Christmas to April but it was less than appealing for us on our visit due to thick fog and rain. The so called highway at this altitude is a quite narrow, uneven and rutted surface involving many tight hairpin corners. On either side of the road were very high mountains covered in snow and having numerous glaciers.

Snow on the side of the road near Gudari

Highest point we recorded (2375m) on Military Highway

One extraordinary feature of this location is that the ‘highway’ is one or the main access roads into Russia and is used by vast numbers of semi-trailers who negotiate this inadequate route. They bring goods into Russia from Georgia, Armenia and even Iran and Turkey.

Many of these big trucks wait on the side of the highway seeking formal permission to enter Russia which is subject to negotiations often necessitating ‘financial’ incentives to gain border access. Trucks may wait up to a week or more before crossing into Russia.

Consequently, on our travels on the Highway we passed about 10km (!) of parked trucks. We wondered how the drivers coped personally with such extensive delays and the effects on perishable goods being transported.

Incidentally there was a steady stream of large trucks going the other way, presumably leaving Russia, the border being only 30km away.

We finally arrived at Stephantsminda and transferred in to two 4WDs to take the mountain road up to Gergeti Tsminda Sameba Church.

Gergeti Tsminda Sameba Church, Stephantsminda

In freezing conditions, with wind and rain, we walked up from the car park to the church but our enthusiasm for matters ecclesiastical was waning and our desire to find our accommodation and rest, got the better of us and thus our visit was fairly short. The so called ‘spectacular views’ from this high point were shrouded in misty rain and fog.

Snow-capped mountains from Gergeti Tsminda Sameba Church, Stephantsminda

Gergeti Tsminda Sameba Church from Stephantsminda village

We next had hot soup in a café in Stephantsminda and then moved into the InTourist Hotel in nearby Kazbegi.

This has been our first wet day on our travels, and as it entailed a lot of time on the road, we didn’t miss out on so much but hopefully tomorrow will bring clearer skies.

DAY 13: Saturday May 13th 2023 KAZBEGI – GORI – VILLAGE ATENI

May 11, 2023

As there was drizzling rain, we departed Kazbegi without spending time in the township. We then commenced an arduous four hour drive back south on the Military Highway over the high pass near Guadari and then took a new road that headed us more westwards towards th village of Uplistsikhe.

Tunnel for transport during winter on road from Kasbegi to Guadari, Caucasus Mountains

B-double semitrailers, on road from Kasbegi to Guadari, Caucasus Mountains

View from the bus descending the Caucasus Mountains towards Uplistsikhe

Our diver did an amazing job coping with the wet and dangerous conditions on the mountain road. The negotiation of hairpin bends when lots of traffic, including numerous trucks and b-double semitrailers had to be passed, required his obvious experience and great skill.

Hairpin bends descending the Caucasus Mountains towards Uplistsikhe

On reaching Uplistsikhe we had lunch and then drove a short distance to visit an ancient cave city. This enormous archeological cave city lies next to the Mtkvari River and is thought to have its origins between 600 and 100 BCE.

It was initially a pre-Christian, pagan city dedicated principally to the Sun Goddess.

After 645 AD, Uplistsikhe became the residence of Christian kings of Kartli and subsequently an important trade centre on the main caravan route between Europe and Asia.

At its peak the Uplistsikhe cave city housed about 20 000 people and today the 40 hectare site we visited represents only about half of the original city. Much of the city was destroyed by the Mongols in 1240.

The caves are carved out of the sandstone rock hillside with large room-sized chambers serving as living quarters, temples, theatres, a pharmacy and several wine production areas.

One of the numerous human excavated caves originally served as a chamber for animal sacrifices, but was later converted into a basilica. The Uplistsikhe Eklesia (church) is situated near the highest point of the city and is built over what was presumably the original pagan sun temple.

Uplistsikhe Eklesia (church), Cave city, Uplistsikhe

On leaving this amazing cave city, we exited through a long descending tunnel to a point next to the Mtkvari River. It is thought that this tunnel was used both as an emergency escape route from the cave city and also for bringing water from the river up to the city.

Mtkvari River near cave entrance, Cave city, Uplistsikhe

Having departed Uplistsikhe we headed to nearby Gori, the city synonymous with the name Joseph Stalin and we then visited the eponymous museum.

The museum presents a relatively biased account of Stalin’s life with practically no reference to purges, Gulags, oppression, starvation or the 1939 pact with Hitler.

The museum charts Stalin’s life from his birth in 1878 to his death in 1953 with numerous photographs, portraits and many of his private possessions. Several marble busts of Stalin are also featured.

Stalin’s office furniture, Stalin Museum, Gori

Outside the museum is Stalin’s supposedly bullet proof train carriage in which he travelled to the Yalta conference in 1945 with Churchill and Roosevelt at the end of WW II (he didn’t like flying). The carriage incorporates his bedroom, bathroom and dining room as well as communications facilities and a primitive air-conditioning unit.

Stalin's train carriage, Stalin Museum, Gori

Next door to the museum is the Dzhugashvili’s (Stalin’s surname) tiny family cottage made of mud-brick and wood where Stalin lived for the first four years of his life. His father was a cobbler and his workshop was under the house.

House where Stalin lived as a child, Stalin Museum, Gori

The reverential preservation of these historically significant facets of Stalin’s life led us to believe that Stalin is much more admired by Gori’s residents than most people elsewhere.

In the mid to late afternoon we drove to Iago’s wine cellar at Chardakhki and had a most informative talk from Mr Iago on the production of wines from his boutique winery based upon four hectares of vines. We taste tested three of his ‘traditionally’ produced wines and found them to be of superb quality.

Mr Iago explaining about the wine, Iago Winery, Chardakhki

Group wine tasting, Iago Winery, Chardakhki

Mr Iago decanting wine, Iago Winery, Chardakhki

He informed us that he exports almost 100% of his wine with some selling in Melbourne and Sydney where he has visited on wine trading missions. As well as wine tasting, he provided cheeses, fruits and other local nibbles to supplement his high quality wines. It was a most interesting and pleasant session.

With the sun setting, it was time to consider an evening meal and we were duly informed that this had been pre-arranged at a wine cellar in the Ateni Valley just south of Gori.

This was the commencement of an unexpected adventure. The road to the Ateni Valley involved a maze of back streets in southern Gori and when we ‘arrived’ at the location we were told that we had a short walk to the wine cellar.

The walk, in semi-darkness and drizzling rain initially involved a muddy, rocky and puddled road down hill for 200m to a very fast flowing river. With trepidation, we crossed this 10m wide river via a narrow wooden foot bridge with just a single wooden hand rail. We then commenced in near darkness, a climb up further slippery ground for another 300m to arrive eventually at the Vacheishvili Wine Cellar. Although this late evening ordeal was a potential cause for annoyance, much merriment prevailed instead, because at the wine centre there was a warm log fire, a sumptuous barbecue meal and excellent Qartli region wines to sample. We had the opportunity of chatting about wine production in this area with the cellar owner Nika Vacheishvili. Nika opened his marani (vineyard) to preserve the winemaking traditions of the Tana Valley that date back to the 7th century. He also served as the Minister for Culture, Heritage Preservation and Sport in the Georgian Government in 2008 and is recognised as a scholar specialising in Georgian art.

Walking to Nika Vacheishvili's Wine Cellar in the Ateni Valley just south of Gori

Nika Vacheishvili's father cooking barbecue for us at his Wine Cellar in the Ateni Valleyi

Group dining at Nika Vacheishvili's Wine Cellar in the Ateni Valley

To shorten the trip back to our bus, Nika drove us down the hill to the footbridge in his 4WD and we clambered up the muddy hill for our transport to overnight accommodation. A new facet of the adventure then began as we now had about 100km to travel to the hotel in Borjomi west of Gori. This meant that we now passed Stalin’s Museum for the third time in the day and eventually arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at well after midnight.

Our hotel was undoubtedly ‘five star’ with a large bedroom, adjacent sitting room and luxurious facilities. However, sleep was the order of the day/night!

DAY 14: Sunday May 14th 2023 BORJOMI – SAPARA – VARDZIA

May 10, 2023

After breakfast we went for a walk in Borjomi and visited the historical Mineral Water Park and associated gardens. The park is beside the Agura River that was in near maximum flow due to the melting of winter snow and ice in the Caucasus Mountains to the north. The noise of boulders tumbling in the strong river current was very apparent and river rafting which is popular in this region, would be presumably quite dangerous at this time of the year.

Agura River, Historical Mineral Water Park, Borjomi

Within the park is a mineral spring which has waters consumed in large volumes by the many visitors who believe that it has miraculous therapeutic properties.

Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra stayed at their Summer Palace near Borjomi having brought their son Alexei to this city hoping that the mineral waters would alleviate his haemophilia.

We tasted the mineral water finding it both slightly salty and having an odour of sulfur. Unfortunately a miraculous cure for old age was not forthcoming!

Jak & Sinclair tasting the mineral water at Historical Mineral Water Park, Borjomi

A number of visitors to the park were seen filling 5L containers with the water presumably to seek out the benefits of this so called elixir.

Statue of Prometheus, Borjomi Historical Mineral Water Park

Lush spring growth on trees, Borjomi Historical Mineral Water Park

In the Borjomi street near the park are examples of unusual and highly attractive Georgian architecture. Most notably was the former Persian Viceroy’s house in blue with its intricately mirrored ceiling second floor veranda. The house now provides luxury accommodation for the many visitors to this city seeking its famous water.

Former Persian Viceroy’s house outside Borjomi Historical Mineral Water Park

Corinne purchased a lovely double sided enamel and silver pendant from one of the many souvenir shops in the vicinity of the Mineral Water Park.

We then headed south westwards and had coffee in the fortress town of Akhalikhe. We briefly visited the local open market area to purchase some spices and view the peculiar array of mechanical, electrical and other goods on sale.

We decided to bypass the 12th century Safara Monastery and spend more time at the Khertvisi Fortress. This impressive 10th century fortress appears castle-like with its encircling high stone wall perched on a rocky crag above the confluence of the Paravani and Mtkvari Rivers. According to semi-legendary tradition Alexander the Great fought battles here which in itself is surprising considering he lived 1400 years before this fortress was built!

We then had one of the absolute highlights of our Georgian visit; namely the cave city and monastery ensemble of Vardzia.

The remarkable city of Vardzia is both a cultural symbol and an absolutely spectacular natural phenomenon that could be best described as the “Petra of Georgia”.

King Giorgi III built a fortification here in the 12th century and his daughter ‘King’ Tamar established the cave monastery that grew into a holy city housing as many as 2000 monks.

The city entails 400 rooms, 13 churches and 25 wine cellars carved into a high sandstone mountain hillside. The monks lived in these rock-hewn dwellings that constitute a 13 storey cave building; a structure of mind-boggling proportion.

A major earthquake in 1283 destroyed the outer sections of many of the caves which had previously been hidden behind stone walls.

At the heart of this incredible spectacle is the Church of the Assumption with its twin arched portico and three bells. One of the many frescoes shows King Tamar before she married as shown by the fact that she’s not wearing a wimple around her neck.

Church of the Assumption, Cave city and monastery ensemble of Vardzia

King Tamar, Church of the Assumption, Cave city and monastery ensemble of Vardzia

Bells, Church of the Assumption, Cave city and monastery ensemble of Vardzia

The multitude of pathways through this complex collection of caverns could result in one getting lost. Natia, our guide managed to get us to an isolated back corner through a low narrow tunnel to the ‘spring’ where drinking water was directed through terracotta pipes to areas below.

Spring, Cave city and monastery ensemble of Vardzia

After a fascinating time exploring this amazing ‘city’ we descended through a sequence of three steep narrow tunnels and emerged at the lower level with a short walk back to the car park.

Natia in Tunnel, Cave city and monastery ensemble of Vardzia

Black Redstart, below Cave city and monastery ensemble of Vardzia

We then drove to the Vardzia Resort which will be our accommodation for the next two nights.

This has been a memorable day and the Vardzia Cave City is surely deserving of a high listing among the ‘wonders of the world’!

DAY 15: Monday May 15th 2023 VARDZIA

May 09, 2023

This morning was the first time for two weeks in the Caucasus where we had free time after breakfast with no need to do anything but relax and enjoy the delightful surroundings of our Vardzia area.

Our first goal was to catch up on our travel blog for the past couple of days as we’ve been unable to record details and photos of our travels due to very late night finishes.

In midday sunshine but with a chilly wind, we walked along the road for about a kilometre from the Vardzia Resort, following next to the Mtkvari River towards the turn off to the Vaniskvabebi historical site.

We climbed up the very steep roadway for 300m and were met by a man who, by using sign-language and smiling gestures, informed us that we were not allowed to proceed any further.

A sign nearby indicated that the caves and walkways high on this stone hewn hillside were unstable and dangerous. We took photos but had to leave our mountain climb at this point.

In our recent travels we’ve noted that along the sides of the roads in Georgia, both asparagus and rhubarb grow as native plants. Further investigations revealed that asparagus has its botanical origin in Eurasia.

Asparagus growing below Cave city and monastery ensemble of Vardzia

Wild rhubarb growing near Vardzia Resort

It’s interesting to note that at our present location at Vardzia we are only a few kilometres away from the border with Turkey.

Ringed-billed gull, Mtkvari River, Vardzia

We then followed the road further north-eastwards and ventured down to the Mtkvari River bank and attempted, with minimal success to get photos of the large white ringed-billed gulls that frequent the river area searching for fish.

From across the river we then watched a small herd of frisky cattle being driven into a makeshift yard by very energetic local stockmen. At this point we decided to head back to our hotel.

On the return journey, Corinne managed to photograph an Eurasian hoopoe. These are colourful birds noted for their distinctive crown of feathers. We’d previously photographed other species of hoopoe in southern Africa.

In the later afternoon we enjoyed evening drinks in the pleasant garden of the Vardzia Resort and then had our dinner, it being a farewell and last evening for us in Georgia.

Tomorrow we cross the border and venture southwards into Armenia.

DAY 16: Tuesday May 16th 2023 VARDZIA - BAVRA – GYUMRI

May 08, 2023

After a leisurely breakfast, we wandered around the gardens of the Vardzia Resort and progressively worked our way up to the highest point of the extensive property.

View of Cave City from our room, Vardzia Resort

The pathway up through the gardens and orchards took us past small caves, tiny waterfalls and even a little church tucked in against a rocky cliff-face.

Inside St Marion's Chapel above Vardzia Resort

From the top of the property we were able get a fantastic panoramic view out across the Mtkvari River and over to the Vardzia Cave City, now bathed in mid-morning sunshine.

View from St Marion's Chapel above Vardzia Resort

On returning to the resort, we packed our bags and checked out. We then spent the next hour or so, sitting in the sunshine outside the hotel chatting, making phone calls to home and relaxing.

Natia then organised for us to visit an ‘older’ Georgian couple who lived next door to the resort.

The husband was an apiarist and had about twenty bee-hives in his garden. We tasted his honey with fresh home-made bread; the verdict, delicious. The wife was not only a bread maker of considerable skill, but also a cheese maker. They possess only one cow and make cheese each day from their cow’s milk. We tasted cheeses at two stages of preparation and decided that it was quite bland and a bit rubbery.

Tony tasting honey at house near Vardzia Resort

Lady making cheese at house near Vardzia Resort

At around 13:00 we boarded our bus and headed towards the Armenian border by firstly going north to Chertvisi and then following the highway south to the border crossing at Ninotsminda - Bavra.

The initial part of our journey followed the Mtkvari River gorge for about 20km. This steep mountainous region had numerous smaller rivers several of which were dammed for hydro-electric power generation.

Road from Vardzia to Armenia - Georgia border

This road then reached a plateau and generally followed a broad valley with snow-capped mountains in the far distance on either side. Green pasture lands extended across this plane and it appeared to be a productive agricultural region. In local villages we passed through, it was not uncommon to see the very large and singularly untidy nests of storks perched atop of power poles.

At the border crossing we said farewell to Natia and Gela and then proceeded across to the Armenian Border Control point. The people involved were cheerful and cooperative and we managed to complete the formalities quite promptly.

Now in Armenia, we met our new guide Anna, and driver Hovig both of whom were welcoming and very friendly. The Mercedes bus we are to use in Armenia is spacious and comparatively new.

We then drove about 60km south to the city of Gyumri and booked into our hotel (Villa Kars) in which the facilities are austere and basic but certainly adequate considering we’re staying for only one night.

We had the remainder of the afternoon to join Anna on a walking tour of Gyumri.

Gyumri has a population of about 114 000 and is the second largest city in Armenia being also the capital of Shiraz Province in Northern Armenia. It’s at an altitude of 1550m above sea-level.

The city was devastated by the Spitak earthquake in 1988 that killed an estimated 50 000 people and destroyed many of the city’s buildings.

The extensive damage to the city is still very much apparent as many structures are yet to be rebuilt or repaired. About 2000 people still live in shipping containers, a ‘temporary’ post earthquake plan that persists.

Despite this terrible occurrence, the city still has much to offer in the way of architecture and interesting sites.

We walked down Abovyan Street to the pedestrian mall where buildings are mostly stone, with black and orange coloured stone being common.

The historic Kumayri region of Gyumri with its cobblestoned streets leads down to Vardanants Square with its fountain and huge bronze statue celebrating Armenia’s pyrrhic victory over Persian forces at the Battle of Avarayr in June 451 AD. The battle is considered one of the first battles over the defense of the Christian faith.

We visited the Amenaprkich Church which is still undergoing reconstruction after being practically destroyed in the earthquake. Part of the church’s pre-earthquake dome lies in disarray nearby.

We walked for another hour through the central city streets observing the various architectural styles of Soviet and more recent buildings. The damage to many buildings and obvious financial limitations in reparations were ever apparent.

Russian barber shop built in 1947 and still functioning, Gyumri

Having visited an ATM we now had a supply of Armenian drams ($1 Australian is about 250 drams). We enjoyed a pleasant evening meal in a local restaurant and then walked back to our hotel for rest and recuperation.

Tomorrow we’ll spend some more time in Gyumri before moving on.

DAY 17: Wednesday May 17th 2023 GYUMRI CITY TOUR – DILIJAN

May 07, 2023

The offerings for breakfast were meagre but nonetheless we enjoyed a cup of tea and a hard-boiled egg plus some bread.

We still had an hour before boarding our bus, so we strolled around the block in which our hotel was located. Some interesting doors were photographed during this brief walk beyond Abovyan Street.

After checking out of the hotel, Anna then led us on further exploration of Gyumri. Many of the more interesting buildings are constructed from the black and red tufa stone. This rock is mined from quarries where both the black and apricot coloured stone occur in close proximity. They are presumably of similar mineral composition with the variation being in the red having a higher iron oxide content.

Building built from black & orange tufa stone, Gyumri

Our meandering down Shahumain Street brought us eventually to Vardanants Square and the recently reconstructed and yet impressive Yot Verk Church, (Seven Wounds of the Holy Mother of God Church!)

This Armenian Apostolic Church does not have any icons but religious paintings are plentiful and often grotesque. The church was busy with visitors and worshipers, and several of the devout seemed to have an insatiable desire to go around kissing the images, walls and altars. An interesting feature of this cathedral was the use of baby-blue drapes around the main altar.

Inside Yot Verk Church, (Seven Wounds of the Holy Mother of God Church!), Gyumri

We ventured into an apse area, and much to our surprise, a priest in a small adjacent room beckoned us to enter. We initially thought it might be a confessional room but that proposition proved to be unfounded.

The priest sat us down and with a cheerful smile and welcoming demeanour, commenced a protracted blessing session. This intriguing ceremony lasted for about five minutes, during which time the priest recited continual prayers and waved a largish silver cross back and forth over our foreheads.

The blessing terminated with the silver crucifix being pressed upon our lips followed by the priest making all sorts of ‘crossing gestures’ and the like. We then thanked this most amiable and obviously senior cleric for his concern for our souls and his attempt to set us on the path to righteousness. Incidentally, his efforts were to no avail, we’re sad to confess!

Priest giving blessing to Jak, Yot Verk Church, (Seven Wounds of the Holy Mother of God Church!), Gyumri

Priest, Yot Verk Church, (Seven Wounds of the Holy Mother of God Church!), Gyumri

After a coffee in the fashionable Rizhkov Street we returned to the central square and boarded the bus for our trip to Dilijan.

Jak & Corinne having coffee in shopping mall, Gyumri

The road followed the M7 highway and the first major town we passed through was Spitak. This was the epicentre of the disastrous 1988 earthquake.

Gas powered bus at Spitak between Gyumri and Dilijan

At Fioletokovo, we turned off the highway and drove a short distance along a very bumpy and dusty road to visit the family home of Molokan people, namely Mikhail and Natalya Rudometkin.

The Molokans are an ethnic minority group living in an enclave as a spiritual Christian sect that evolved from Eastern Orthodoxy in the East Slavic lands. They are somewhat like a cross between Quakers and Amish people in their adherence to a strict lifestyle and self-sufficiency. Their subsistence is largely based upon dairy and vegetable produce.

We had a most interesting lunch at their home with tea from a samovar, potato and cabbage piroshkis plus jam filled crepes. Our Armenian hostess Natalaya, who only speaks Russian, was charming and obviously so pleased that we had thoroughly enjoyed the meal she had prepared.

Natalya Rudometkin serving tea at house of Molokans ethnic minority people, Fioletovo Village

Group at tea ceremony at house of Molokans ethnic minority people, Fioletovo Village

Home-made pastries, pancakes & jam at house of Molokans ethnic minority people, Fioletovo Village

We spent a short time wandering around their garden and orchard which are positioned along the banks of a fast flowing stream with adjacent areas of rich alluvial soil in which they grow their vegetables.

Garden at house of Molokans ethnic minority people, Fioletovo Village

House of our hosts, Mikhail and Natalya Rudometkin, Molokans ethnic minority people, Fioletovo Village

Along the dusty road nearby, we photographed ancient tractors and then came upon a group of very young children playing in a sand pit area. As part of their religious sect, even the female children wear head scarves, as do their mothers.

Jak, Sinclair & Chris with tractor & trailer, Fioletovo Village

Jak & Sinclair on tractor, Fioletovo Village

On arrival at Dilijan in the mid-afternoon, it meant we had leisure time to spend in the town’s historic centre.

Dilijan is in the Tavush province of Armenia and is renowned for its cobblestoned Sharambeyan Street with all its artisans.

Within the stone and wooden traditional buildings, we encountered ceramic artists, potters, wood turners as well as hotels, restaurants and various tourist and souvenir shops. We purchased a beautiful locally made painted porcelain dish.

We ended the day’s activities and ventured in our bus up the steep hill overlooking the city to the Hover Hotel which will be our caravanserai for this evening.

We had a pleasurable meal in the hotel’s restaurant and had an unusually early night to our beds.

DAY 18: Thursday May 18th 2023 DILIJAN – LAKE SEVAN – SELIM PASS – YEGHEGNADZOR

May 06, 2023

On leaving the excellent Hover hotel, we drove down into Dilijan and obtained some Armenian dram from an ATM in the town centre.

We then headed southwards for 40km through dense and steep forest being the Dilijan National Park, progressively climbing to an altitude of around 1900m.

We then passed through the longest tunnel in Armenia, it being 1.30km long. On exiting the tunnel, we found the surrounding landscape dramatically different with, now grassy hillsides, green valleys and few trees of any note.

Our travels following the M4 brought us now southwards to Lake Sevan.

Lake Sevan is the largest lake in the Caucasus (area 1240 square km) and is one of the largest freshwater, high altitude lakes in the world.

View of Lake Sevan rom Monastery of Sevanavank, Sevan Peninsula

Soviet irrigation schemes of the 1950s resulted in the level of the lake dropping 20m. This drop in water level uncovered forts, houses and artefacts dating back 2000 years.

Water conservation strategies in the last twenty years have seen a slow but desired rise in the level of the lake and some shoreline houses are now partly submerged.

We parked at the Sevanavank Peninsula tourist area at the western side of the northern basin of Lake Sevan.

Group in the rain, Monastery of Sevanavank, Sevan Peninsula

On climbing 245 steps, we arrived at the top of the elevated site where a pagan temple had been built in pre-Christian times. It was then replaced in 305 AD by a church; since then it has been destroyed. Two further churches were subsequently built as replacements in the 9th century and we visited both in drizzling rain. In front of Surp Astvatsatin were a number of intricately carved khachkars which are Armenian stone crosses normally used as grave headstones. These outdoor steles are carved by specialists and each has a unique design featuring a cross as the centre piece and additional motifs surrounding it.

Monastery of Sevanavank, Sevan Peninsula

Inside church, Monastery of Sevanavank, Sevan Peninsula

Khachkar iInside church, Monastery of Sevanavank, Sevan Peninsula

Panorama from top of hill, Monastery of Sevanavank, Sevan Peninsula

Jak & Corinne at top of hill, Monastery of Sevanavank, Sevan Peninsula

For a complete change of tourism diet and now as the rain had stopped, we then moved south to the Mikaelyan cheese production farm.

An enthusiastic and informative guide gave us detailed information on the farm’s present production of ten types of craft cheeses. We descended into a climate controlled cellar and observed on shelves, numerous different types of cheeses undergoing maturation. The factory produces soft and hard cheeses with the maturation process typically involving the cheese being left in prolonged contact with wines, spirits, herbs and spices.

Cheese Cellar, Mikayelyans' Family Farm, Noratus village, Armenia

Inside Cheese Cellar, Mikayelyans' Family Farm, Noratus village

We had a light degustation meal as an opportunity to taste the various cheeses. Our cheese guide offered details on the foods and wines that might best complement each cheese. To supplement our ten individual cheeses, we had fresh fruits, processed meats, nuts and crisp-breads.

Group at tasting table, Mikayelyans' Family Farm, Noratus village

Tasting platter, Mikayelyans' Family Farm, Noratus village

Our group then spent an hour or more in an ancient cemetery in the small village of Noratus quite near Lake Sevan. This graveyard is famous for its khachkars and there are over nine hundred here, several of them over a thousand years old.

The oldest date back to the 10th century and the seven hectare cemetery provides a fascinating opportunity for one to wander and view the varied sizes, shapes and inscriptions carved into these ancient tombstones.

Wedding Tombstone in Cemetry, Noratus village

The next part of our afternoon’s adventure required a two hour drive over the Selim Pass at 2410m into the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia.

After negotiating numerous tight hairpin ends on a dreadfully potholed road, we eventually stopped at a nondescript location. A short walk from the road took us to a caravanserai built in 1332 AD.

Selim Caravanserai, Selim Pass in Gegharkunik Province

This is possibly one of the oldest caravanserais in existence that hasn’t been significantly damaged, renovated or generally altered in the past thousand years. It was built during the reign of Khan Abu Said II and is still in remarkable condition. It served as one of the many stop-over points on the ancient Silk Road.

Group at Selim Caravanserai, Selim Pass in Gegharkunik Province

Inside Selim Caravanserai, Selim Pass in Gegharkunik Province

The internal structure has a central, covered alleyway where the animals such as camels, oxen and goats would rest and feed overnight.

The side chambers provided room for the various merchants and other travellers to negotiate trade deals, cook meals and sleep.

Side chamber, Selim Caravanserai, Selim Pass in Gegharkunik Province

The view of snow capped mountains in the south towards Iran was great although affected by misty conditions.

View from Selim Caravanserai, Selim Pass in Gegharkunik Province

We then continued on further south and at Yeghegnadzor we took a side road and reached our accommodation for the night at the Arevi Hotel.

Our hotel room looks out onto a massive and steep rocky cliff-face with high mountains behind.

View from our hotel window, Arevi Hotel, Yehegnadzor

This area is a popular region for mountaineers and skiers and the manager of our hotel has positioned as decoration, large photographs of himself and mountaineering friends conquering several of the 4500-5500m peaks in this region.

This has been a most interesting day and the visit to the caravanserai was a very special treat.

We are having a fantastic opportunity to learn a little about a section of the world that has to a large extent been a mysterious and neglected part of Eurasia.

DAY 19: Friday May 19th 2023 YEGHEGNADZOR – NORAVANK – GNISHIK PROTECTED AREA – KHOR VIRAP – YEREVAN

May 05, 2023

We awoke to glorious sunshine illuminating the spectacular cliffs directly opposite our hotel.

After a quick breakfast, we were on the road by 08:30 and heading down to the little village of Areni where we transferred to two old Russian built, gas powered ‘jeeps’.

In convoy, we then commenced a steep climb on a narrow stony four-wheel drive track to a high ‘lookout point’ at 1760m in the Gnishik Protected Area.

Group with jeeps, Gnishik Protected area, Areni Village

Our observation point gave us an amazing panoramic view across the ravine with jagged orange and grey coloured cliffs plunging into a green river basin way below. This might be best called Armenia’s ‘mini-grand canyon’.

View from Gnishik Protected area, Areni Village

We spent an hour at this location enjoying the spectacular scenery but one of our other objectives was to see a bezoar goat.

Bezoar goats are ancestors of domestic goats and live in mountainous regions of the Caucasus and Turkey. They are an endangered species and get their name from a special rigid hairball in their stomach, called a bezoar. In ancient times these bezoar ‘stones’ were thought to bring good luck and so these goats were killed to get the ‘lucky’ bezoars. The population of bezoar goats was thus seriously threatened. The numbers are now slowly recovering due to these animals being wholly protected.

From our high vantage point we spotted several herds of bezoars but they were too far away to get anything but rather inadequate photos.

On departing our ridge top site, we descended on another rocky path that had frighteningly deep drop-offs at the track’s edge. The road terminated at the 14th century Noravank Monastery.

This monastery was founded in 1205 and has been sensitively renovated in the 1990s. The complex includes three churches but the main one is Surp Astvatsatin built in 1339 which is positioned on top of the mausoleum of Prince Burtel Orbelian. The church is ‘upstairs’ and the steps leading up are now blocked to the public.

The churches are constructed from a reddish-gold stone with numerous carvings depicting Biblical scenes and persons as well as events of historical significance. The three churches looked highly impressive in the morning sunshine.

For our luncheon break, we had a stopover at the “Old Bridge Winery” in Areni village. The Areni area is a major wine producing region for Armenia.

The wine-tasting session involved four of their local wines that we found most impressive. The owner of the winery and his staff gave interesting descriptions of the wines and their grapes used in production. The wines were served along with cheeses, dried and fresh fruits, olives and other tasty morsels.

We stopped briefly at the Areni T’rchuneri (Bird) Cave for photos. The cave is an archeological treasure with some fantastically old objects found therein.

Amongst the amazing finds was a wine cellar with dried grapes, plums and seeds dating from the Bronze Age (4000BCE). A leather shoe was found within the cave and has been tested and estimated to be 5500 years old.

Areni T’rchuneri (Bird) Cave near Arpa Valley

From Areni we then followed the road westwards through Ararat to Artashat. This vast valley region is renowned for its agricultural products. Apart from many vineyards, the area has extensive orchards and large regions of vegetable cropping.

We were now in the midst of a thunderstorm and intermittent heavy rain.

We rushed up to the Khor Virap Monastery from which we could look across to the Turkish border just a kilometre or so away.

Turkish border (line of trees) viewed from Khor Virap Monastery, Ararat Province, Armenia

Unfortunately the weather conditions had dampened our enthusiasm but at least we could just see one of the lower peaks of Mt Ararat through the mist and clouds. This is the mountain upon which, supposedly Noah’s Ark came to rest after the global deluge as told of in both Genesis and the Quran.

It is even suggested that the population of the Ararat Province is descended from Noah’s third son Japheth.

We then finished our travels with a fairly short drive north to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

The traffic was high density and the rain made driving conditions even more difficult but our trusty driver Hovig did a marvellous job and managed to drop us of at the Yerevan fruit and meat market. The fruits, herbs, spices and especially the dried fruits were displayed in a most appealing and colourful manner. Several of the vendors were keen for us to try their fruits etc and offered samples to taste.

Dried fruit, Yerevan fruit and meat market, Yerevan

We then checked in at the Ani Plaza Hotel recognising that tomorrow will be our last day in the Caucasus. Very late tomorrow night/morning we leave for Austria.

DAY 20: Saturday May 20th 2023 YEREVAN – GEGHARD – GARNI – SYMPHONY OF THE STONES – YEREVAN CITY TOUR

May 04, 2023

This being our final day in Armenia and with so much to see in and around Yerevan, it was undoubtedly going to be a busy day.

We departed Yerevan quite early and drove for about an hour to the Kotayk Province, heading south-east towards the village of Garni.

We thus arrived at a destination referred to as the ‘Symphony of Stones’.

We walked down a concrete pathway for about 500m and the sight above us was indescribably magnificent.

Group walking up path, Symphony of Stones, Garni Gorge

The near vertical rocky cliff above the road is comprised of thousands of hexagonal basalt columns, creating the impression of a cathedral organ with its many pipes. The scene was breathtaking and our group was mesmerised by this extraordinary geological formation. We took many photos although they probably don’t do justice in terms of the splendour we’d experienced.

Hexagonal basalt columns,Symphony of Stones, Garni Gorge

Fish (Sturgeon?) in pond, Symphony of Stones, Garni Gorge

With a certain amount of regret we had to move on, and our next destination was the Geghard Monastery. Some of us were inclined to think “what… another monastery?!” but this proved to be unexpectedly different and interesting. Geghard is the Armenian for lance or spear, and the monastery supposedly had in its keeping, in earlier times the lance that a Roman soldier used to pierce Christ’s side during the crucifixion.

Cave monastery of Geghard, Kotayk Province

This 12th century cave monastery is carved out of a basalt hillside alongside the Amat River. The Geghard Monastery is somewhat similar in its structural origins to the Lalibela churches we’d visited in Ethiopia in 2014. The very large Armenian excavated cave church extends back into the mountainside a considerable distance with several small chapels attached to the main monastery. One chapel we were able to access was at the end of dark stone tunnel barely high enough to stand up in.

Dome inside Cave monastery of Geghard, Kotayk Province

We turned the corner at the end of the tunnel and there in semi darkness were five women singing. They were wearing priestess type clothing and their singing was absolutely hypnotic. The divine voices were harmonically toned to perfection and the sounds produced reminded one of Gregorian Chanting. We stayed and listened to this brilliant madrigal group until our time limit meant we had to move on.

Choir inside Cave monastery of Geghard, Kotayk Province

Quite nearby is the Garni Temple. This pagan temple was built in the 1st century AD by Armenian King Trdat I. The temple has a Hellenistic style similar to the Parthenon and sits on a prominent ridge overlooking the Azat River. It was dedicated to the sun god Mitra.

Symphony of Rocks where we had walked earlier in the morning from Garni Temple

Garni Temple (Pagan Temple) from Symphony of Stones, Garni Gorge

The temple was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1679 but then rebuilt from the rubble in the 1970s although a number of replacement stone sections had to be used, especially in the Ionic columns.

For a late morning tea break we visited a private home and watched two local women make traditional Armenian flatbread “Lavash”. The dough was rolled to a very thin flat sheet and then laid on a cushion where is was spread out to cover the cushion. One of the women with adept skill, then quickly thrust the cushion with its dough layer against the side of the tandoori oven. It stuck to the side of the stone oven and within a minute, the flatbread was ready for eating and it was tasty. Cheese and spring onions were used to add to the flavour.

Women baking traditional Armenian flatbread “Lavash” in Tandoori oven, Garni Village

By early afternoon we were back in Yerevan and ready to spend some time viewing the more prominent buildings in the city.

We drove to the Republic Square and took photos of the National Gallery with the fountain in front and the square surrounded by a number of impressive buildings.

National Gallery, Republic Square, Yerevan

We then moved on to the Armenian Genocide Memorial.

Armenia has suffered war for centuries as its position, wedged between Russia, Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan has meant ongoing battles over territory and religion. This prolonged conflict over the last two millenia has seen Armenia losing about two thirds of the land area it once possessed in the first few centuries AD. The present day situation is such that two thirds of the total former Armenian population no longer live in Armenia. Very large and ethnically significant numbers of Armenians now live in the regions of north-eastern Turkey and northern Iran (formerly Persia) that had been lost by Armenia through wars.

The Turks in the late 19th century were determined to take greater possession of Western Armenia and set out with the intention of doing this by stealth. Ottoman power and Islam were pressed upon on the Christian Armenians which inevitably led to breaking point. This culminated in 1915 with Turkish Revolutionaries invading Armenia and an estimated two million Armenians were murdered in this act of barbaric genocide.

The Genocide Museum and Memorial pay homage to those millions who died in this terrible saga, which to this day is claimed to have “never occurred” by some countries that politically support Turkey.

Genocide Memorial, Yerevan, Armenia, 20 May 2023

We finished the day with a visit to the Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts. We viewed a vast array of documents and manuscripts supposedly making this museum one of the richest repositories of such manuscripts and ancient books in the world.

Anatomical manuscript in Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, Yerevan

Arabic manuscript in Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, Yerevan

On exiting the Matenadaran Institute we were delighted to find the rain had stopped and there, in the southern distance about 30km away was the massive snow covered peak of Mt Ararat. Mt Ararat has two prominent peaks and the one we saw yesterday through misty rain was Little Ararat (3925m), The peak we were looking at now was the high peak (5137m). It looked magnificent and dominated the horizon despite being so far away.

On our return to our hotel we passed the impressive Armenian Parliament House and the Opera House but time was not sufficient to do much more.

We had a quick meal and headed back to pack and prepare for tomorrow’s 04:45 flight to Austria.