Already on the Turkish side, we could notice a change in the vegetation. The further north we moved, the greener it became. This culminated on the Turkish Black Sea coast in slopes full of tea plantations!
But we have been looking forward to new discoveries in Georgia for a few days already, so we quickly head towards the border. As usual, we are not allowed to cross the border together in the vehicle. Sophia has to cross the border on foot, and we don’t see each other again until we reach the other side. A few glances inside our motorhome later, Chris is also on the Georgian side and we continue our journey along the coast. To arrive in the new country, we would like to spend a few days by the sea. Unfortunately, it turns out to be not so easy to find a nice and natural place without the beach being littered with rubbish. Only after a good 60 kilometres, not far from the breakaway region of Abkhazia and thus already at the end of the accessible Georgian coastal strip, do we find the place to stay.
Finally, a beautiful quiet nature spot on the Black Sea!
We had already felt a change in the weather shortly after Diyarbakir in Turkey and had endured some heavy thunderstorms with hail on the way. Our first days in Georgia were just as rainy, only a little colder.
What could be more fitting than a hot natural spring? Our next destination! It is located in a green river bend. A feast for the eyes after the long time in the barren expanse and rocky landscape of Eastern Turkey. The spring water itself is too hot for bathing, but mixed with the cold water of the river, the pools on its banks provide the perfect bathing temperature.
So we head further and further into the interior of Georgia, through a plain in the Georgian heartland, which is bordered by the mountain ranges “Small Caucasus” in the south and “Great Caucasus” in the north.
The landscape is rural and unspoilt, with everyone growing vegetables in their gardens and keeping livestock. However, these are not kept in stables or fenced pastures, as one might expect, but are allowed to enjoy freedom of movement through and through. Thus, when driving through this area, one is accompanied on both sides of the roadway by the image of free-roaming pigs, calves, geese and cows.
We discover some beautiful corners in this landscape on shorter walks, despite the relatively wet weather. Click on the following gallery to follow us there:
The spa town of Zqaltubo, which was glorious in Soviet times, is our next destination. Countless sanatoriums and spas were built there and operated until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Huge buildings were built in the style of communism, which are still standing today. Some of them serve as accommodation for internally displaced persons or stand empty and have been exposed to weather and vandalism for three decades.
At one of the sanatoriums we climb through the holey construction fence. We walk through the spacious garden towards the building and enter it via a large entrance area. We explore the different floors, wings and balconies and are fascinated by the symphony of former splendour and progressive decay. You can find a few of our impressions in the following gallery:
A few sunny days await us and we would like to enjoy them in nature. Therefore, we head for one of the few lakes in Georgia. We reach it at dusk and find an easily accessible spot on the shore. Because of the darkness, we make ourselves comfortable in the vehicle and look forward to the next day with lots of peace and untouched nature.
It starts relatively early with engine noises and voices around the vehicle. We are surprised and a first glance behind the curtain to the outside does not bode well. Surrounded by countless fishermen, we also see a lakeshore that could compete with a rubbish dump.
The fishermen are armed with all kinds of fishing gear, two even climb into the muck with shotguns and it is not long before the first shot is fired into the water.
Sights of this kind can be seen again and again, here especially blatant.
Well, then… Cheers, meal! 🙁
Georgia is definitely the land of churches, monasteries and chapels. These are also among the main attractions of this small country with just under 4 million inhabitants. Particularly in the mountain regions, we come across Christian sites again and again, some of them in remarkably beautiful locations.
We have put together a small selection of the places we visited in the following gallery:
Apart from the churches, the cave town of Uplisziche is worth mentioning as a place of interest. People settled here more than 2000 years ago and dug the first caves into the rock. A long and eventful history is connected with the place and we think back with pleasure to our time in Cappadocia during the visit.
To get a first impression of the “Great Caucasus” we drive up the former Georgian army road. Surprisingly many trucks pile up at the roadside soon after the road begins and accompany us for almost the entire 120km until we turn around shortly before the Russian border. We also notice relatively quickly that many day tourists from Tbilisi take this route. So even in the side valleys it is difficult to find the peace and quiet of the high mountains that we had hoped for.
What is definitely on offer are magnificent views of the majestic mountains. Although you are already at an altitude of 2,000 metres, the mountains only really get higher. Peaks between 4,000 and 5,000 metres are not uncommon. The climate is correspondingly rough and changeable. We are all the more pleased to catch a two-day gap of good weather with bright sunshine in the otherwise cold and rainy weather. We discover the high mountain region partly on foot, partly by bike. Come with us into this high altitude world by clicking on the following gallery:
But let’s be honest about our overall impression of Georgia! Despite all the natural beauty, most of which can only be seen from a distance, we unfortunately cannot confirm attributes such as that of our travel guide, that it is “one of the most beautiful countries in the world”. Apart from the open disregard for nature, the permanently present rubbish lying around, the heavy pollution of the waters … this is largely due to the behaviour of the Georgians themselves. You can’t lump a society together, but we have never experienced such a lack of openness, joy and friendliness as we did during our four weeks here. Often we are not even greeted back. Even as customers, we often feel like a nuisance and we can rarely elicit a smile back from people. Coupled with the inconsiderate driving behaviour of most drivers in this country, the result is unfortunately not a very positive picture. Oh yes, we still have a suitable symbolic picture of the driving style 😉
Such and similarly blatant tracks are the result of the Georgian driving style and are a common sight on these roads!
Finally, we venture a short detour to the capital Tbilisi. With 1.2 million inhabitants, almost every third Georgian lives here. Accordingly, the traffic volume, well mixed with a way of driving you just can’t get used to, and impatient honking. We visit the old town on foot in one day.
The remains of the 3rd-century Nariqala fortress loom over Tbilisi’s old town.
Beautiful wooden verandas are often part of houses in the city and countryside.
The magnificent Sameba (Trinity) Cathedral built in 2004 shines above the city, visible from afar.
On the second day we try to do our laundry somehow and somewhere. Despite several hours of searching, luck is unfortunately not on our side. When we have to spend another 1.5 hours waiting at the Georgian post office to buy 5 stamps – with only 4 customers waiting in front of us – we have had enough of the city chaos. So we leave Tbilisi the same evening and head south.
Because there, only 80 kilometres away, the border to our next destination awaits us – Armenia!
We look forward to hearing from you and send our love back home!
Chris & Sophia