Our wonderful guide Anna and driver Hovig were there at our hotel door at 02:00 waiting to assist us with our transfer to Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport.
Anna stayed with us until we’d all checked in on our flight to Vienna and we then said goodbye to her and the Caucasus. Anna has been an outstanding and exceptionally knowledgeable guide and we were so sad to say farewell after a week in which we’d all learnt to admire and love her for her friendliness, her dedication to making our trip so much fun and valuable, and most of all, her enthusiastic dedication to, and deep love of her country Armenia.
Our arrival in Vienna at 06:00 local time went smoothly although it occurred with minimal sleep.
Our next four days will be spent in Vienna and during this time we intend to relax and let spontaneity determine the course of events.
At this point, we will terminate the written part of our blog but include some photos of places we’ll visit and see whilst in Vienna.
Our three weeks in the Caucasus has been a marvellous opportunity to visit three countries that are not well known by many but are in fact very important in terms of their impact on the history of Europe, Asia and the world in general.
The history of this Eurasian region is exceedingly complex and one’s understanding of the political forces, conflict and wars over the past centuries is largely influenced and varies by the interpretation offered by the people from each country.
The geography and geology of the Caucasus encompasses all possible landscapes. We’ve experienced barren near desert areas to fertile agricultural plains to lush forests and deep river gorges to the high alpine peaks that separate the Caucasus from Russia. Often these stark variations occur within short distances of travel.
At this point is is most appropriate to thank a number of people who played such an important role in making our holiday such a success. Our three guides, Elmar, Natia and Anna were marvellous with their knowledge of their countries and their organisational skills being key factors in our amazing travels. The three drivers too deserve high praise for coping with long days of travel often on crowded and frequently on difficult road conditions.
Finally, our heart felt gratitude is extended to both Niko and Diana. As a team over the internet they worked together over a difficult (Covid) period of three years to plan, organise, fine-tune and finally present a travel package that met perfection in so many ways. Thank you both so much!
In conclusion, the six of us Australian visitors will leave the Caucasus with such happy memories of a very different region of the world. The Caucasians we’ve met were, without exception delightful and very friendly and many went out of their way to welcome us to their country and to make our stay so rewarding and memorable.
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