If I have to pick one highlight of Georgia, Ushguli would be it. Pig manure or not. It was everything I imagined Georgia to be: remote, wild, and utterly gorgeous.
To me, Georgian monasteries is as iconic as the mighty Caucasus. After seeing so many monasteries (too many) in Georgia I’ve come to the conclusion that Georgians sure know the real values ofreal estate: location, location, location.
Kakheti is the oldest wine producing region of the world. Wine has been made here for so long that it becomes part of a big part of the country’s identity. The whole region seems to be overflowing with wine and vodka.
Georgian Military Highway connects Tbilisi and Russia through the spectacular valleys and passes in the Caucasus. It was one of the highlights of my visit to Georgia. It was such a gorgeous drive that I did it not once, or twice, but THREE times.
Tbilisi wormed its way into my heart despite our mutual initial indifference. It wasn’t an easy city to love, but at the end of my time in Georgia, it started to feel a little bit like home.
Vardzia is a cave city complex near Akhaltsikhe. Many have likened Vardzia to the dwarf’s kingdom Moria in Lord of the Rings.
Georgians do incredible stuff with walnut, eggplant, mushroom and cheese. The latter 3 items being my all around favorite things in the world to eat so it’s no surprise I found Georgian food very much agreeable.
Weird people and weird places, that was my welcome to Georgia. I took it as a sign that Georgia was going to be anything but boring.
Creepy hotels notwithstanding, the ruins of Ani turned out to be one of the my highlights of Turkey.
It’s my theory that there are 2 types of places to travel: a place to see things and a place to just be. Pamukkale and Cappadocia were places to see things. A lot of small cities fit in the latter category. Guidebooks often refer to these places are ‘atmospheric’ or ‘charming’.
Safranbolu is definitely a town of the latter category.
Stepping foot inside Rustom Pasha mosque, a small mosque in a busy market near Eminonou, felt like stepping into an aquarium. The tile works was incredible.
There are 2 advices from my parents that I grew up with: “You can be whatever you want to be as long as it’s not a politician,” and “Don’t get in a car with people you don’t know.” The first one is easy to follow. The latter… well, let’s just say that however wise the advice is, it’s been proven to be really hard to follow in my life.