Georgian House Tbilisi

... e putování nadstandart, čtyři lůžka na kupé (naší společnicí měla být důchodkyně, kterou ale její maminka domluvila výměnu kupé - to asi ten Ruskij Standart v našich rukou), televize na pokoji (dávali Terminál v ruském rychlodabingu) a dokonce i funkční malé lampičky u postelí na čtění. Zahráli jsme si pár her s kostkami a ulehli na docela malé postele.

... placing their monasteries and churches. From nothern Armenia, we headed southwest to Yerevan, the capital. From what we'd read in our Lonely Planet guidebook, we were sure that we'd like Tbilisi the best, but our experience has been just the opposite. We're glad to have spent a day plus in Tbilisi, but neither of us has any desire to spend any more time there. Yerevan, on the other hand, we really like. There aren't a lot of ...

... before taking the last 4pm marshrutka to Vardzia (5gel). It takes two hours to get there and it is a really harsh purgatory - the road is under a (fast) construction and the bus shakes and vibrates like a huge mixer even when it doesn't move. It's even hard to take any photos, although the landscape really demands it: there's vegetation just round the river and the canyon around keeps on going deeper and deeper. At 6pm we are finally in Vardzia. The hotel is simple but OK and since ...

... photos of old houses, derelict church full of burnt books, photo in hot, humid bakery cellar of the classic oven while buying bread. Chew on hot bread all the way up to the funicular entrance. Find it a work site, with the heavy Soviet concrete being covered by a metal flower form. The funicular should be operational, but behind schedule. We are now a fair way up the hill, so continue up the zigzag road to the Mamadaviti church ...

... marshrutkas and a taxi or two. We stopped for a few minutes before going to the main attractions in order to take my lonely-planet guide out of my bag, and most of the passengers who came with us just disappeared. The city looked nice, but empty. We walked a few minutes (the distances in this small town doesn't demand any vehicle), and arrived to the peak of holliness in Georgia and probably in the whole caucasus area - Sveti Tskhoveli cathedral. Two old women sat in the ...

... familiar to my soul yet previously unheard: a different tuning system, many parts, with men and women singing ın their ancient polyphonic style. Georgia was perhaps and arguable the birthplace of choral harmony. It wasn't Sunday and this wasn't choir practice. These were people who loved to sing. Outside the church, two young men practiced their harmonies together as they walked. Also on the icy streets were a few families huddled together near a ...

... 15 min. premeeriti vastava arvu ühikutega, õnneks laternat ei saanud, sest polnud kuulutatud laternaaega... Kui juhatusest oli mõnel vennal koos paari muu tropiga hilinemise pärast suu kriipsus, siis ülejäänud ei stressanud, sest meil oli 2 kast - 4pudelit(taksoteenus) külma õlut, mida kõigiga lahkesti jagasime :) Pidu bussis sai taas hoo sisse... Edasi läks me sõit läbi ühe kohaliku perefirma, kus valmistati maiustusi ning lavassi. Maius oli tõsine magusa purakas. Mingid pähklid aeti ...

... experiencing as much as I possibly could before I turned 40, the theme from hell, I visited my first mosques in Istanbul. It was amazing - the Blue Mosque which is still being used and the Hagia Sofia which is a museum. Just to show you how confused human beings are the Hagia Sofia used to be a Christian church until some Muslim Sheik took it over and so now it is a confused museum in the ...