odohertyelaine

This morning we are taking a very long bus tour to see some of South Armenia. As we leave Yerevan the sun is coming up over Mount Ararat and although there’s some cloud, we still get a beautiful view of it.

The Armenians are very possessive about Mount Ararat even though it is now officially in Turkey. The border is closed and the undisputed territory is still causing problems between the two nations.

We stop for a traditional Armenian breakfast. I love the lavash (bread) which has greens inside. The sausage and green beans with egg are pretty good too!

Along the way the guide gives us some history of the area, in particular as we drive through disputed territory. We arrive at our first stop – Shaki waterfall. It’s wide and fast flowing and very nice to see up close.

The next stop is a cave city called Khndzoresk. We’ve seen a few cliff dwellings / cave cities on this trip and this one has a swinging bridge to access it.

It’s impressive to look across at the caves where people lived and to explore them but it’s hard to capture it in a photo. This reminds me somewhat of Matera as the government forced everyone out in the 1950’s.

Next we are heading to the Tatev monastery and to get there we are taking a 12 minute cable car ride. It’s not just any cable car, called the Wings of Tatev and it’s in the Guinness Book of Records as the Longest non-stop double track cable car. The journey is impressive as we fly over this very scenic valley.

We are only taking it one way so we pass over the road that we will drive later. I’m glad we’re doing all those switchbacks only once!

Another monastery perched on a mountain with an impressive view! Tatev is an important one for the Armenians (aren’t they all!!!) and is from the 8th century.

While we are in the main church I manage to get a blessing from the priest (maybe he’s a monk I’m not sure) and it’s genuinely lovely.

Timer shot! The only one of the trip so it had to go in!

It’s time for lunch, although this is now officially our dinner, as it’s nearly 5pm. We stop in a small village and eat at a family restaurant where the owner invites us to see his garden where he grows vegetables, bbq’s meat, and makes vodka!!! We get to taste it all!!

As we leave, there’s a dance class taking place next door and we watch the young girls do some traditional dancing with their teacher. A few of the ladies from our tour also join in!

The last stop is to visit a winery in Areni, the famous area for wine making in Armenia. We arrive just before it’s about to close so it’s very rushed… I do manage to try most of the wines though and we buy a bottle of white. White wines are not really their thing mind you, red is way more widespread so when I tasted this nice white we decided to buy it… and a little apricot brandy! We get a very quick tour of the wine cellar where they age the wine in Karas pots (like the qveri in Georgia).

It’s 10:30pm when we get back home – what a long day, we’re knackered!

Next morning we start with breakfast at Lavash restaurant where we have traditional eggs with greens, and eggs with batsuma (cured beef), and of course the lavash bread.

We set off for the day to explore more of Yerevan. We take the metro to a market and also see the main train station.

Then we visit the famous Yerevan Market, also known as “GUM”. It’s so colourful with rows of dried fruits, sweets and spices. It’s a pity we are leaving after another day so we can’t really buy anything.

From the market we take a Yandex GO (like an Uber) to Etchmiadzin, which is known as the Armenian Vatican. It is the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and as Armenia was the first Christian country, it is said to be the oldest Christian church in the world.

There’s been a couple of rain showers so we wander around in a raincoat (me) and with a brolly (Shane). The real highlight of coming here is to visit the Treasury. Now you know I love a good relic and this has so many. Some might be hard to believe but here goes…. This is the spear that pierced Jesus when he was on the cross.

Top left below is a piece of wood from Noah’s Ark (which was said to have landed on Mount Ararat, that beautiful mountain we saw yesterday)

Bottom left: multiple pieces of the True Cross, i.e. the cross Jesus was crucified on

Top right: a relic of John the Baptist (What!! I hear you say, I know… mental!!)

Bottom right: the tooth of St Andrew

There’s the right hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator in there! It’s just mad there are so many things in this tiny little treasury at the back of the Cathedral… right up my street!

From Etchmiadzin we take another Yandex GO to the Genocide Memorial and Museum. This is a must if you’re visiting Yerevan and want to understand the history of Armenia. Officially 1.5 million Armenians were killed and unofficially it could be more like 2 million. We visit the exhibit which is extremely informative, harrowing but excellent. I learn a lot of things I wasn’t aware of but understand now. After an hour reading a lot of material we walk outside (it’s raining again) to the memorial.

There are 12 tilted basalt slabs in a circle around the eternal flame. These represent the 12 lost provinces in Western Armenia (now eastern Turkey).

The rain has eased so we decide to walk back to the city. There’s a great looking monument we pass, at the entrance to a lovely park. I check later (I’m loving the Google image search!) and find out it’s Alexander Myasnikyan who was a prominent Armenian Bolshevik statesman and revolutionary!

We have dinner at Sherep restaurant which is highly recommended. I order their special, the Erzrum Ghapama which is a whole pumpkin hollowed out, stuffed with beef, beans, carrots, and eggplant. It’s very tasty. We order a really nice bottle of Areni red wine and although it’s a bit pricey for here, it’s a lot cheaper than at home!

Next day we have our last tour and start with a trip to Khor Virap, which you’ve guessed it, is a monastery on a mountain. The backdrop of Mount Ararat is stunning… again some cloud there but still beautiful.

This place is significant for the Armenians as it’s the place where St Gregory the Illuminator, was imprisoned for thirteen years. He was sent for when the king was sick and after curing him, was released, and the King declared Christianity its official state religion. He’s the guy whose arm (relic) we saw yesterday at the Cathedral!!

Back in the bus, we enjoy the beautiful scenery as we drive and hear more of the history of this very interesting country from our very enthusiastic guide!

Next stop is Gheghard monastery. This is another one on a hill but it’s hard to see until you’re on top of it. It was founded in the 4th century by our mate St Gregory and is half built with brick, half side of the cliff! It has some very cool crosses and a dome where our guide actually sang an old religious song. Delightful.

Again some lovely scenery from here but it’s been a dull day so we are missing a blue sky!

Next is lunch and we arrive at a restaurant with a huge garden and get to see some ladies make lavash. It’s very impressive as one rolls it out and the other, after a few twirls, pops it on the giant cushion, and then in one swift motion, flings it onto the side of the oven in the ground.

It cooks within a minute and we all get to taste it hot from the oven. It’s fantastic.

Our next stop after lunch is the Symphony of Stones which is a rock formation, essentially the Armenian Giants Causeway.

The symphony of stones sits just below the Garni temple which is the next stop. It is the only Greco Roman temple in Armenia and is lovely (even in the rain) but we are absolutely demented by the level of posing and ridiculous amount of photo shoots going on around us!

The last stop in the tour is at the Arch of Charents which was built as the perfect viewpoint for Mount Ararat. Unfortunately it’s just too cloudy to get that iconic picture but it’s a nice spot all the same (once I convince everyone to step back out of the way)!!

We return to the city well over an hour later than expected and we’re not able to get a table at Tavern Yerevan where we had intended to eat. Friday night is mental in Yerevan so as it’s getting late, we decide to go back to Dari Pandok, where we ate the first night, and enjoy a fantastic final meal there.

Well that’s a wrap on Armenia. The alarm is set for 1:30am as our flight leaves at 4:30am 😱. It’s been a great trip!

It’s time to hit the third country on our adventure – Armenia. We have booked a private transfer from Tbilisi which will stop along the way so we can see some of this new country. We cross the border at Sadakhlo (about an hour and a half from Tbilisi) and it’s as we imagined. We get out of the car, get stamped out on the Georgian side, then back in the car for 2 mins and out again (this time with our bags), to get stamped in on the Armenia side. Easy!

About 40 minutes later we arrive at Akhtala, and visit the old church and Akhtala Monastery and fortress. It’s from the 10th century.

The church has a really old feel to it and the faded frescoes from 1205 are considered Armenias best.

I really like this icon and later I google the image and find out it’s Saint Shushanik, an early Christian martyr who is deeply venerated in both the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church.

I also notice a number of Virgin and child paintings where they have a very local feel. Now that I’ve figured out how to search an image on Google, I find out these are paintings by Vardges Surenyants, a famous Armenian master.

We are driving through the Debed Canyon and the scenery is spectacular. We are just missing a blue sky!

Next stop is Haghpat, founded in 976 by Queen Khosrovanush. It is a set of churches built of black stone atop the canyon walls. It’s very impressive.

Inside, the dark stone makes it very atmospheric and there are a couple of people singing which provides an amazing sound.

We stay here to have lunch and are not disappointed with our first Armenian food. We both have a stew – mine is with beef and Shane’s is with herbs and we also try some grape leaf dolma. There is homemade wine in the menu (and it’s about €2.50 a glass) so we have to try that. Altogether very nice.

We continue the drive to Dilijan which is essentially driving through the National Park and ultimately arrive at Lake Sevan.

Our final sightseeing stop on this transfer is Sevanavank Monastery, a tiny church next to Lake Sevan. There’s a great view across the lake and the monastery looks beautiful with the backdrop.

We reach Yerevan and easily find our Airbnb apartment which is in a very central location and is a great spacious apartment. We get settled and then head out for dinner at Dari Pandok which is just around the corner. The bbq meat is fantastic and after a dodgy glass of white, we have some delicious homemade red wine.

Next morning we are up and out to explore the city. We walk the central pedestrian street and pass the National Opera and Ballet Theatre.

We are making our way to the Cascades, which is the main attraction in Yerevan. In the park at the foot of the Cascades is this giant statue of Alexander Tamanian. He is the architect who designed Armenia’s capital.

We continue onwards and climb the Cascades, which is essentially a giant limestone stairway in the middle of town. Along the way there are statues, gardens and fountains. It’s very impressive and like nowhere I’ve seen in another capital city.

As we climb we also see the giant Mother Armenia statue on a hill. There used to be a giant Stalin here but now it’s this one! I don’t think she’s as big as Mother Georgia!

At the top we look back towards downtown but unfortunately it’s a bit cloudy and grey on that side.

We climb up and admire the sites and then descend down and it’s lunchtime. I head to a popular spot called Tun Lahmajo and have the lahmajo (obviously) and some beef dish that doesn’t look great but is actually very tasty.

Yerevan is famous for its drinking water fountains which are all over the city … so cool and the water is cold and lovely.

In the afternoon we visit the very impressive Republic Square which is the central plaza in Yerevan and is choc-a-block with beautiful pink and yellow “tuff” (that’s the name of the stone) buildings.

We visit the National History Museum.

We see some interesting exhibits including the oldest pair of shoes in the world (leather footwear from 3600-3500 BC) and some sculptures of men from the 11th -9th century BC, which I particularly like!

We take a walk to see the very pretty and only mosque in the city. Armenia is 97% Christian by the way!

A quick spin on the metro just to check it out (it’s not very exciting to be honest) and it’s time for a refreshment!! Pulpulak is a groovy basement jazz bar and I’m glad to report there was a delicious local rosé for me here!

We’re both a bit tired and not up for a big meal tonight so we grab a small (ish!) kebab in a casual eatery and head home for the night.

Tomorrow we will take a trip to the South to see more of Armenia – check that out in the next instalment.

We have a very early start (6:30am leaving our house) from Tbilisi this morning, as we head south to Borjomi and Vardzia. We’re driving a long way out and back to see just three places but the journey is an important part of the trip as we get to see the beautiful countryside of Georgia.

As we leave Tbilisi we see one of the famous Soviet era buildings which is now the National Bank of Georgia. It’s listed as one of the world’s ugliest / most beautiful brutalist buildings depending who you ask.

A few hours later, our first official stop is Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. The entrance to the park is at the end of the very cute Borjomi town (I’d probably call it a village). It has an eye catching building which was built in 1892 as the summer house for Mirza Riza Khan, the Persian Consul General to the Russian Empire.

Inside the park we take an electric open air trolley to climb to the top (we wouldn’t have time to walk it) and visit Saint Father Seraphim church and the surrounding wooded area, dedicated to him. It’s a beautiful forest area and you know I lovely a picture of a holy person out in nature!

On the way back down we stop at the Plateau to see the view into the valley. Very nice if not a little underwhelming. I reckon the way to see Borjomi is to spend a couple of days so you can hike this beautiful landscape. Unfortunately we don’t have that luxury so we are just getting a taster of the place.

Back down at the park entrance, we go inside to taste the famous mineral water. Now when I heard that Borjomi had famous mineral water I was very excited to try it but that was before the guide explained it has sulphur in it… also it’s warm (almost hot!) coming out of the tap… hmmm no thank you!! I did taste it but I certainly wasn’t filling a bottle. Himself had a good sup of course!!!

After another couple of hours in the bus, we arrive at Vardzia. Now this is definitely the highlight of the day. It’s a 12th century cave city in a cliff! It was built by King Giorgi III and his daughter Queen Tamar during Georgia’s golden age.

It’s not natural caves. They carved an entire city into the side of Mt. Erusheti, above the Mtkvari river, very close to the Turkish border.

There are multiple levels to explore and the views out from the caves is spectacular.

It’s 3pm as we sit down for lunch looking across at Vardzia. We have a very nice pork and potato dish with a side of the layered Khachapuri and enjoy chatting to a couple of lads from Belfast – William and Patrick – love it!

Back on board, it’s a short drive to our third and final stop, the fortress complex of Rabati in the town of Akhaltsikhe. This place is huge and it’s hard to capture in one photo.

There are multiple buildings and multiple layers to walk through within the castle walls. The original castle is from the 9th century with various other parts added over time by the Ottomans and the Russians.

There is no time to go inside the buildings to view the interior so we climb part of the walls and go inside the towers for various views.

It’s a very long drive back and what was scheduled as a 14 hour day trip (7am to 9pm) turns into a 15.5 hour trip, getting us home at 10:30pm. There’s not much to do but have a cup of tea and get to bed early!

Next morning we are off to the bathhouse. I love a hamam and have been looking forward to a scrub! There are lots of them to choose from and we go with No.5, which is the famous public bathhouse, and has a soviet feel to it.

We actually opt for a private room otherwise we have to split up as men and women are separated (due to the nudity one assumes)! We have a huge “living room” and then the spa area has a large hot pool, a cold plunge, sauna and toilet. Oh and of course the plinth where we will have our scrub.

After some soaking time, there’s a loud knock on the door and a “mama” comes in and tells me to take my swimsuit off and get on the plinth. I do exactly as I’m told and get scrubbed to within an inch of my life!!! I love the part where she suds me up and then massages me and then of course she throws a few buckets of water over me – fantastic!!! When she’s all done, she tells me to put my swimsuit back on, spend one minute in the sauna, then the cold plunge and then the hot pool. A few minutes after she’s gone a man arrives to scrub Shane, and I’m fairly sure he’s not gonna like it!!

We are brand new as we leave the baths, hydrating with water and glowing (well I think so!!).

As it’s our last day in Tbilisi. We have a wander around the old town and revisit some of the sites. The church on the hill with King Gorgasali, the founder of Tbilisi is nicely lit by the sun.

We walk along the river and admire Georgian balconies and houses built into the cliff edge.

We see the Peace Bridge in its entirety, full of people.

Then we reckon it’s time for lunch. I’m keen to have a final Adjaruli Khachapuri and Shane finds a veal stew he hasn’t tried yet. It’s a delicious final lunch and a relaxing meal in the old town.

Next we visit Chateau Mukhrani for a glass of wine as this is one of the more famous wineries. A tasty, refreshing glass of local white wine for 9 GEL – that’s just €3! I’m going to miss this.

A quick note on the metro over here… I mentioned in the last blog post that it goes really deep… well, we timed it and the escalator journey lasted 2 minutes and 7 seconds!

I’ve noticed lots of Dunkin Donuts around and apparently there are more per capita here in Tbilisi than there are in Boston! The most famous is in a Soviet Building near our house so we have to take a look!

Walking by Freedom Square (formerly Lenin square) for the last time on our walk home.

We really have enjoyed Tbilisi.

Later in the day we relax and have some final kinkhalis as a light dinner (we’re still fullish from lunch!). This time we get to try the smaller fried kinkhali which are very nice.

Next morning we are heading to Armenia. I get one last look at Mother of Georgia (or Mama G as we like to call her) and say goodbye to Tbilisi.

We are still in Tbilisi and today we’re taking a journey further north to Stepantsminda, more commonly known as Kazbegi. It’s just 11kms away from the Russian border! We drive the Georgian Military highway which is also the route of the old Silk Road. Our first stop is a viewpoint over the Zhinvali Water Reservoir which is absolutely beautiful.

Next is the Ananuri Fortress from the 13th century, one of Georgia’s iconic sights. Looking back from the bridge, seeing it perched on the hillside with the dam in view, it really is spectacular.

Inside the church there is a very nice alter with all the usual icons. The one below I particularly like.

We continue to a viewpoint where we see the convergence of two rivers – the white Aragvi and the black Aragvi. You can just about see the difference in colour in the photo below.

From here we head for lunch where we see ladies making kinkhali. I have to say the lady on the right of this photo was hilarious and is definitely my favourite Georgian I’ve met to date!! She was waving and giggling and even threw kinkhalis at the window at us. She must be demented working with sour puss beside her!! She gave me a huge smile as I blew her a kiss goodbye.

Now for the highlight of the trip, we drive a little further and change from the bus to a jeep to take us up higher to Gergeti Trinity Church. The views on the way up are stunning and when we get there it’s just amazing. This church is on a hill, essentially in the middle of nowhere. It’s just stunning!

The views from up here are stunning every which way you looks and there’s a cool low cloud half way up the mountain.

We go into the church for a look but honestly it’s all about the scenery up here. The 14th-century church sits at 2,170 meters and it has been quite a hike to get here so we are relishing every minute.

After driving through the beautiful countryside again and enjoying taking it all in, our next stop is the Russia Georgia Friendship Monument at Gudauri View Point. This was built in conjunction with the Russians in 1983 but since the 2008 war (Russia invaded and still occupies 20% of Georgia) Georgians hate what it stands for. Locals call it “the Soviet lie monument” and there’s constant debate on whether to tear it down.

It’s a cool looking structure to see as you approach it though, as it’s huge and again in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mountains and valleys.

On the inside of the giant concrete arc is a 50 metre mosaic mural. The left side depictions of Georgia, the right side Russia and in the middle the treaty between both.

A final short stop to taste some local honey and chacha (the local firewater) and then it’s time to head back to Tbilisi. It takes over 2 hours to get back to the city and it’s 9:15pm before we are off the bus, everyone tired and hungry. We find a restaurant nearby that appears very basic but turns out to be an absolute gem and we have the most delicious chicken Chkmeruli (chicken in garlic cream sauce). So delicious!

Next day we start with a lazy morning. We’ve planned a Tbilisi day in between our touring days so we don’t have to be on the go every day! We spend a lovely morning in our very nice apartment chilling (well writing this!) and organising ourselves. Around noon we head to the Dezerter market and have a wander around.

There’s all sorts here and we try some kvas which is a fermented bread drink (non alcoholic).

We buy some spices to take home and a kilo of plums for 1 gel – that’s about 33 cents!

A handy kebab for lunch and in the afternoon I enjoy a massage before we hit the bar for a beverage. We bump into the lovely Chinese lady who we met on our trip yesterday and end up chatting with her for about two hours! Back home we have takeaway kinkhali from our neighbours and a glass of red.

Tomorrow we head South…. That’s in the next instalment!

A couple of hours west of Sighnagi is Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Today we are taking a marshrutka (a shared mini bus) from Sighnaghi to the capital. We make good time, as no surprise, the driver drives like a lunatic in the usual way we’ve come to expect!! At first look, Tbilisi is a big, busy city… traffic is terrible! We eventually get to our Airbnb where we’ll stay for a week and do day tours to see as many highlights of the country as we can!

The first port of call is lunch and my first kebab! Oh yeah…

We walk around and suss out our local surroundings and later have booked an evening walking tour with some wine tasting to get us oriented. We take the metro one stop as it’s a bit of a hike. The escalator goes so fast you kind of have to jump (mama, if you’re reading this you’d be terrified to get on!!)… cause it goes so deep down.

Unfortunately it seems like the whole town is covered in roadworks – some of the streets look like a war zone!

But not to worry, we make it to our meeting point, which is at this giant bicycle on Rose Revolution square.

Our guide Mariam, is an enthusiastic twenty year old with lots of knowledge of the town. We avoid the roadworks and walk along some back streets and through the old town. We see buildings with the beautiful old Tbilisi balconies, European style buildings, modern buildings and Soviet era buildings.

Entering into the old town there are lots of these statues… each one has a story attached and Mariam loves telling us the stories!

We walk over the Bridge of Peace, a steel and glass bow shaped bridge, built in 2010.

We see a great night view of Metekhi Church which I’m guessing we’ll come back to for a daytime view at some stage.

Walking around Rike park, on the left bank of the river, we find wine ice cream and have to try it. There was lots of this in Sighnaghi but we didn’t get round to it. It’s nice.. not sure how much wine is actually in it!!

Next we check out Meidan bazaar which has so much stuff packed into it. I do think we’ll have to bring home some spices.

From here we walk through the area with the sulphur bathhouses. It’s called Abanotubani and we will definitely be back… we continue on a path along a river that leads to a waterfall.

It’s such an unexpected thing to see in the middle of a busy city. It’s really impressive.

Next morning we are heading northwest of Tbilisi to Mtskheta. As we retrace our steps from last night’s tour through the old town, we see the clock and have an opportunity for a photo with nobody around.

Our first stop on the tour is Jvari Monastery which sits on a hill and is really impressive as you approach it. This is considered the exact spot where St Nino brought Christianity to Georgia in approx 367. The monastery was built in the 6th century.

There are some great views from up here too. You can see the expanse of Mtskheta and the confluence of two rivers.

Back on the bus, we continue to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which dates to 1020. The grounds are beautiful so we walk around for the best shot of the church.

Inside, the enormous fresco of Christ, is very impressive. There is allegedly a piece of Jesus’s robe here, but it’s under a pillar and there is also a relic (an ankle!) of St Andrew but again, you can’t actually see it … hmmmm!

Outside there are some stalls and we taste this snack which is all over Tbilisi, called Churchkhela. Walnuts or hazelnuts are threaded onto a long piece of string using a needle and grape juice poured over them. It looks like it’s going to be sweet but it’s not at all.

Next stop is the highlight of the day – the ancient rock-hewn city of Uplistsikhe. 

It’s hard to capture this remarkable cave city which dates as far back as 1,000 BC. There’s a fair amount of tourists around but we climb to the top and explore the different levels of what was a fairly advanced people’s city from so long ago!

We have a small lunch here (because half of our order never arrived!) and then we drive to Gori. The town has a fortress that you can see from the road but that’s not why we are here. We are here to visit a museum dedicated to Gori’s most famous son – Joseph Stalin. Now I have mixed feelings about going to a museum about someone who committed terrible atrocities but I must admit, I’m pleasantly surprised. It’s all down to our guide who really does tell it as it is albeit in an implied kind of way without spelling out how awful he was. The museum doesn’t actually cover the time when he was in power.

I didn’t take a lot of photos although there were a lot of interesting exhibits. One in particular was a letter from Lenin to the party stating that Stalin should be removed and should not be leader (I’m paraphrasing). There was also a whole side of a wall of propaganda which the guide veered us away from, calling it exactly that. His early life and personal life was the focus of what we saw and it was very interesting.

Below is Stalins famous armour-plated private railway car which he used to travel to some historic WWII summits.

About an hour later, we are back in Tbilisi and have dinner at Pasanouri restaurant which was recommended by Mariam on our walking tour. The food is fantastic in particular the lamb and the Kisi wine is divine. We get chatting to a lovely Ukrainian woman sitting beside us, who after spending a wonderful week in Georgia, at her friends wedding, now has to return to Kiev 😢.

Next morning we take a walk to the Sioni cathedral. This is where the original cross of St Nino is kept. It takes me 2 visits inside to find it and then I can’t take a photo, although it’s hidden inside another wooden cross anyway!! The frescoes in this 13th century church are beautiful though.

Next we visit the oldest church in Tbilisi, dating to the 6th century- Anchiskhati Basilica. It’s small and beautiful with some very old icons.

It’s not all about the churches you know!!! We do also see dancing fountains….

….. and cool buildings…..

….. and then it’s time for another church!! The Kashueti St. George church in the “9th April” park with its beautiful dome and frescoes.

We walk along Rustaveli Avenue, the main thoroughfare that is under construction! Through the rubble we see the beautiful buildings – the Soviet era parliament.

Opposite is the stylish looking Museum of Fine Arts.

It’s lunchtime and Shane has found a Kinkhali restaurant as we climb our way up toward the funicular. The kinkhalis are delicious and we have the tomato and cucumber salad that is covered with mashed-up walnuts – he loves it, I don’t! It’s a low key place in the basement and later when we check out the episode of “Somebody Feed Phil” (my favourite food travel show), we realise he also went here… score!!

When we arrive at the funicular, to take us up to Mtatsminda park, the lady at the ticket counter gives a very brusque “no” meaning it’s not running. There are people standing around and a couple of workers on walkie talkies shouting at each other but we can’t get any info in English. What we do know is we won’t be able to take the funicular right now, which is a bit of a bummer but we still want to go up to see the view, so we jump in a Bolt. The view is vast rather than pretty.

I read that at the top of the hill there is a place that sells “ponchik” which are essentially Soviet donuts!! Well they’re donuts that were popular during Soviet times. Of course I’m going to have to try one! By the way a quick sidebar here on the Georgians… the guidebook I’m reading mentions the “friendly Georgians” but honestly we have yet to meet them (well except the lovely Lia in Sighnaghi, and the odd person we have won over!). They’re not friendly at all.. I realise they’re not a nation of smilers but shop keepers and servers in restaurants have regularly snarled at us… I swear!! We do find it very funny, but there you go!!

Unless you’re visiting the funfair at Mtatsminda, once you’ve seen the view there’s not much else to do but climb back down.

We walk the steps back down through a very nice pathway.

The path runs alongside the funicular…

We reckon that’s enough sightseeing for today and head to a craft beer bar (you’ll never guess who found that!) and have a beer. Mine is the one that doesn’t look like tomato juice and it’s really nice. I only find out when I’m 3/4 ways through that it’s 8.5%!!

I have been dying to taste the lobiani, which is bean bread and as we walk past a bakery, close to our house, we see them for sale – we’ve got to try one. I absolutely love it!

We try a wine bar around the corner from us called Vino Underground and it’s a fantastic brick-lined basement cellar that is co-owned by some of Georgia’s top artisan winemakers, and was Tbilisi’s very first natural wine bar. They specialize in authentic, small-batch qvevri (amber/orange) wines which is exactly what we are looking for.

Diner tonight is going to be cheese and bread…. The bread is served with Kakhetian oil (cold pressed sunflower oil with Adjika). It is amazing!! No complaints here!!

More in the next instalment…

Today we will cross the border from Azerbaijan into Georgia. We have made our way to the Lagodekhi-Balakan border crossing and have our passports ready! It’s not busy and it’s an easy exit out of Azerbaijan and entry to Georgia.

On the other side we take a taxi of just under an hour to Sighnaghi. The taxi man is clearly a seasoned driver as he drives at breakneck speed, avoiding cows on the road and overtaking lorrys and cars on blind corners. To say my nerves are gone is an understatement and we don’t have seatbelts on 😱. Thankfully we get to our destination in one piece!! Oh did I mention he also stopped about 5 minutes into our journey to get a puncture repaired… car jacked up and sorted while we were still sitting in the back seat!!!

We are staying a couple of nights in Sighnaghi which is in the Kakheti wine region. 70% of all Georgian wines come from here so I know what we’ll be doing a fair bit of while we’re here!! We settle into our beautiful self contained apartment at Lia’s which is in a great location for town and head off to explore and get some lunch. We go to Nikala restaurant and order our first Khachapuri (cheese bread) and Khinkali – big soup dumplings. Delicious but an insane amount of cheese!

And of course our first taste of some Georgian wine…. Sure you’d have to!

The weather is a bit dull today and there’s some rain so we head back to get settled into our place. Once the rain showers are gone, the view from the terrace at Lia’s is gorgeous.

The sun has come out in the afternoon so we head out and check out the town.

Sighnaghi is known as the City of Love as you can easily get married here (I think it’s a bit of a Gretna Green situation!). It has a population of 1,500 so it really is tiny. It’s busy as we walk around as it gets a lot of tour buses coming through. We walk through the main square, up a hill (lots of hills!) and check out one of the watch towers along the walls.

There are a lot of nice spots to admire the walls, the watchtowers and churches.

This is definitely the town to do some wine tasting so on Lias recommendation we go to Kerovani winery and taste their wines which are presented to us by a 16 year old wannabe Sommelier! We try white, rose, red and the traditional amber that is famous to this region.

It’s a family run winery and as we’re leaving the owner (mammy) takes us into a locked room to show us where the wine is made.

Georgian wine is apparently 8,000 years old and along with the Armenians, Georgia claims to be the original producer of wine. Everything goes into the wine including pips, stalks and skins and its place in a Qvevri (a giant clay pot). She shows us some empty pots and one that is covered in sand and currently fermenting.

Next morning we take a walk to Bodbe monastery. There’s a great view back towards town as we walk along the narrow road.

The monastery is beautiful. It is still a working convent although there’s not a nun in sight. It is where St Nino (like Nina) who brought Christianity to Georgia is buried. Georgia was the 2nd country in the world to become Christian, after Armenia, because of her.

She is buried inside this church and we see her tomb in a small room off to the side but no photos are allowed.

There is a shop though so I buy an icon of this very important saint.

We walk around the gardens which are stunning and it’s such a beautiful sunny morning.

Back in town, we sit down for a rest and a light lunch as we are having a special meal tonight. We eat at Restaurant Avantaje and order Badrijani – fried eggplant rolls with walnut paste. The flavour is a bit strong for me but we also have some beans and bread which are delicious.

Rested and ready for more adventure, we set off to walk the Sighnaghi walls. There are 4.5km of 18th-century defensive walls with 23 towers and they are the second longest walls in Georgia after Tbilisi. We can’t walk all of it as some is damaged/closed off but we walk as much as we can.

The walls lead to a main gate where plenty of tourists have appeared.

Tonight we are tasting wine and eating at Pheasant’s Tears, which is one of the most famous wineries in the region.

We taste 4 wines, similar to last night – Rkatsiteli is the most popular grape around here and we taste it in a number of different wines. Our favourite is the Seperavi, a deep red known as Black wine so we order a bottle of that to enjoy with our dinner. For our meal we have seasonal greens (which are served mushed together which is quite unique), corn/cheesy bread and our mains are stewed pork and stewed beef dishes. The food is very tasty but the meat has the most fat I’ve ever been served!

Next morning we take a bus to Tbilisi – more of that in Part II.

We arrive by train from Bilbao to San Sebastián aka Donastia and have some lunch in a small bar which is very busy with locals. We have a Bocadillo (sambo) and a glass of red (sure you’d have to!) and as expected, it’s delicious! We do notice that people are constantly leaving wine in their glasses when they leave… madness I tell you!!!

There are a group of old ladies having a drink behind us (some on beer, some on wine), they have a big plate of what looks like Iberico ham on the table and they are barely picking at it. It looks delicious! As we get up to leave, one of them accosts Shane and insists he taste the ham. It’s so funny they’re all trying to talk to him but we’ve no idea what they’re saying!!! We check in to Koka Hostel where we have a private en-suite room and it’s absolutely lovely. Time to check out our surroundings so we take a short walk to one of the 3 local beaches – Zurriola beach. This has plenty of waves and is popular for surfing.

Across the river is the old town and the new town! They are separated by one street!

From here you arrive suddenly at another beach which is Concha beach – this is very famous and we will definitely be coming back here for a swim. It’s an amazing beach to have right in the city.

As you’d imagine there are plenty of churches around – all seem to be giant! We nip into St Vincent’s which happens to be the oldest building in San Sebastián, the earliest construction dating to 1507!

It’s time for a little rest and we’ve found a craft beer bar – Mala Gissona, so we enjoy a beer (a radler for me) and we can’t resist some sausage – delish!

Moving on, it’s time for a pinxto…. they all look so good and honestly we didn’t have any that we didn’t like! We particularly liked Bar Gure Txoko and Shane even had some tripe!

Next morning as we walk through the old town it’s a lot quieter and we can appreciate the buildings.

We take a trip up Mount Urgill to the castle and statue of Jesus (concrete Jesus as we call him) that overlooks Concha beach and the city of San Sebastián. The views from the climb are fantastic.

Approaching Concrete Jesus!

The sweeping view of La Concha is spectacular.

We walk back down and decide to walk the length of the beach. It’s roasting but part of the walk is sheltered and it’s just lovely.

At the end of La Concha beach there’s a tunnel that leads to the 3rd beach of San Sebastián – Ondarreta beach.

Tonight we have booked a food tour. Our guide is called Dariya and there are 8 of us in total – 2 Scots, 1 English, an American lady with her son and an Aussie called Natalie. All women plus Shane! We get off to a great start at Kutixik where we have some amazing ham, local sheep’s cheese with quince and some very nice cider.

I even get to pour the cider… and only spill a little!!!

We continue to the next stop for Bacalao (salted cod), served in the most beautiful sauce with Verdejo white wine. Then it’s off to La Mejillonera for mussels in a number of difference sauces. We eat them direct from the shell and discard the shell on the floor in a trough under the bar! With the mussels we have a glass of Tzekolina which I’m loving! Next we move onto some beef cheeks and a Rioja Crianza at Mendaur – so good!

Our last stop on the tour is for dessert and a digestif just across the street at Bardulia. We go upstairs and have a really delicious bread pudding type thing (I can’t remember what it was called) and a glass of Patxaran which was absolutely delicious. I think I’ll be looking for this at the airport to bring home and hope I still like it (unlike the Becherovka from Bratislava!!) when I get it home!

It’s been a very nice group on this tour but clearly the coolest person we met is Natalie, so we grab her and head to another bar for a drink!! We have a few Riojas and a great chat and then have a final one with a gilda before calling it a night at midnight!

Next morning we head to Concha beach which is packed with people (it seems to be always busy) but it is absolutely gorgeous. No photos as we don’t want to risk leaving our phones on the beach while we’re in the water. It’s the Atlantic so it’s cold initially … well actually it’s the Cantabrian Sea, on the Bay of Biscay which is in the Atlantic Ocean!! It doesn’t take long to get used to though, and we stay in for ages. There are no big waves so it’s perfect for me and I’m actually able to swim around. Love it!

In the afternoon we decide on a late lunch and in one of our local restaurants we have a chuleta – a giant steak …. Oh my goodness, it is fantastic! We have it with a plate of tomatoes and some bread… oh and some red wine of course… so delicious.

We while away a couple of hours enjoying it, digesting it and taking in our surroundings. A delightful Sunday afternoon.

Next day we take a trip to Hondarribia. It’s a town very close to the French border and it’s only 30 minutes away by bus. It is absolutely gorgeous with these brightly painted houses and buildings.

We walk along the seafront and are actually looking across to France!

After a quick pitstop for a coffee and an orange juice (freshly squeezed and so good!), we climb upwards to the old town.

Great views from up here and a lovely small town to wander around.

As we walk through, what used to be the main entrance into Hondarribia’s old town, the Santa Maria Gate, we get a “Welcome to France” message from our mobile provider!!! Yep, that’s how close we are!

It’s time for a bit of lunch so we find a bar and have…. you’ve guessed it, some pinxtos!! I honestly don’t think I’ve met a pinxto I don’t like!!

We take the short bus journey back and as it’s our last day in San Sebastián we have a short wander around the old town so we can tick a few things off our list! There’s a magnet to be purchased, ✅

A mushroom with egg pinxto to try along with a glass of MACERACIÓN CARBÓNICA at Bar Itxaropena! ✅ and ✅

We still haven’t had some Basque Cheesecske so we get one from a delightful bakery close to where we live and another from a very fancy bakery that almost looks like a Prada shop!! Both are good. The high end one is gooey and really cheesy… either way, that’s a ✅

All the items ticked off our list, we head back for a rest before our last evening in town. We decide to walk along the coastline and it’s a beautiful evening to enjoy it.

We make our way all the way round Concrete Jesus and see the famous “Constructcion Vacia” sculpture.

And on to the Harbour at Concha beach..

Back in the old town, I really want to end this trip how we began – wandering around streets filled with bars and pointing at Pinxtos we want to try… that’s exactly what we do to finish off this fantastic trip.

The sky is beautiful as we walk home truly satisfied we have experienced what San Sebastián has to offer.

We are heading to Northern Spain and finally getting to see San Sebastián which has certainly been on Shane’s list for a long time. We fly to Bilbao, considered the capital of Basque Country, and enjoy an intro to the world of Pinxtos!

We are staying in a guest room in an apartment that’s very central to all the action and once we’ve met our very chatty host Sonia, and get settled in our room, we head to a bar for a glass of Txakoli (kinda sounds like chocolate) and our first Pinxto!

This is the life! The ham is fantastic, the wine is fabulous and the price is cheap! They also have the European athletics on tv and I get to see the amazing Rhasidat Adeleke win a silver medal for Ireland. Woo hoo!!!

Next door is Bar Ledesma… now their array of Pintxos looks amazing…. Another glass of delicious white wine and this time we try the tortilla and some gilda (pickles, olive and an anchovy on bread) -Yum!

We go for a wander to the river and check out the sculpture in front of City Hall.

A couple more bars and a couple more pinxtos before we call it a night!!! We move onto the red here… ooh it’s so good and all of €2.40 a glass!

So many bars and so many pinxtos… we’ve done well for our first night!!

We have booked tickets for the Guggenheim which I’m excited to visit. About twenty years ago I visited the Guggenheim in New York City so I’m interested to compare. So next morning, we set off with umbrellas in the rain and admire the building from outside, as much as you can in the rain!!

We see the giant “Puppy” which is very cool.

There are lots of puddles as we walk around the very large Guggenheim but it has to be done…. I like the giant spider sculpture, named Maman (as a tribute to the artists mother), sitting alongside the river outside.

At the allocated time for our tickets, we head inside this gigantic building and explore three floors of art – modern art, so not always my cup of tea but we do see some interesting stuff.

We walk around “The Matter of Time”, a permanent installation by Richard Serra. The structures are made of eight gigantic pieces of weathering steel and are shaped into curves.

It’s still raining when we come outside so we take the tram to the famous Ribera market. It’s nearly 2pm so a lot of the market stalls are closing up but the meat and fish counters we see are very impressive. It’s the largest covered market in Europe. The Gastro plaza seems too busy and chaotic to queue for pinxtos that we can get more comfortably in a bar so we leave here and walk into the old town. We find a “Menu Del Dia” and have a delightful 3 course meal, with a bottle of wine plus bread (of course!) for €14 each! Happy days!

Casco Viejo, the medieval old quarter, is located alongside the Nervion river. We walk around the streets which are quiet due do the rain and it’s also siesta time. We see the cathedral which I would normally go into but we are a bit wet and tired and also it’s €10!!

Instead we visit Plaza Nuevo and enjoy the views of the city from the bridge, before heading back for a rest.

Later in the evening we go to Bar Iruna, which is a really old school bar where they pour cider from a height!

Surprise surprise they also have some amazing pinxtos!

Next up is Bar Atseden for more yumminess!!

Next morning it’s time to leave Bilbao and take the train to San Sebastián. It’s a fairly long train journey of just under 3 hours, on a train that is like a DART, that goes all the way to France!! It’s pleasant though and there’s a toilet on board and we’ve brought a banana and a nectarine so we survive!! The scenery along the way is beautiful.

See Part II for San Sebastián!