Our first stop in Armenia was a beautiful monastery occupying a commanding position overlooking the Debed gorge. Founded around 976 by Queen Khosrvanuch, who funded the construction of the domed Church of the Holy Cross (Surp Nishan) at the center of the complex, it saw a building boom in...
Today we got bad news; our permit to cross borders to Azerbaijan was not granted. So we took the 65+kilometer forest highway through the Gombori Ridge separating Alazani and Iori River valleys through Gombori Pass (1620 m) towards the Armenian border. We were so happy that we got sunny...
We did overnight next to the monastery, beautifully situated uphill in a cypress grove. It was one of two famous medieval Georgian Neoplatonist academies, the other being Gelati near Kutaisi. Shota Rustaveli, the national poet, is thought to have studied here. The main Transfiguration...
Telavi, the largest town in Kakheti, is a popular base for exploring the region’s viticultural, historical and architectural riches. It is set in the vineyard-strewn Alazani valley, between the Gombori Mountains and the Great Caucasus. We have parked next to the Batonistsikhe...
The village of Tsinandali was somehow so depressive that we took a walk around to take some photos of our favorite old soviet trucks. The bulk of the automotive industry of the Soviet Union, with annual production approaching 1.8 million units, was located in the Russian SFSR, except ZAZ...
In Tsinandali is located the palace and gardens of prince Alexander Chavchavadze (1786–1846) – one of the most colorful and influential characters in Georgian history. The palace (🎫 10 GEL) tour took us to half a dozen rooms restored in 19th-century style and related exciting episodes...
Due to weather conditions, we couldn’t enjoy Nekresi’s early Georgian architecture and the views across the Alazani valley. We parked in the main parking, 1,5km from the monastery. From there, we took a shuttle (🚐 3 GEL/return) to reach the top of the steep mountain. The first church is a...
We had gloomy weather at Gremi, the former capital of Kakheti (1466-1672). It was a lively trading town on the Silk Road and a royal residence until being totally devastated by Shah Abbas in 1615. The town never regained its past prosperity, and the kings of Kakheti transferred their...
A mostly paved road brought us to the majestic cathedral in Alaverdi. At the beginning of the 11th century, when Georgia entered its cultural and political golden age, King Kvirike of Kakheti had built a 50m tall cathedral. It remained the tallest church in Georgia for nearly a millennium...
In the late afternoon, we reached a popular valley town Stepantsminda (known as Kazbegi), with the famous hilltop silhouette of Tsminda Sameba Church and the towering snowy cone of Mt Kazbek (5054 m). The main attraction is the the14th-century church sitting above Stepantsminda in 2200 m...