The drive up to Ushguli was surprising and eventful. It should have taken 4 hours. The first 3h15 minutes was smooth sailing. At that point the road was far more paved than I thought despite the fact that there was an enormous long-term project to construct a brand new road. I was slightly wondering if getting a driver was necessary. But it was indeed.

About 45 minutes from Ushguli, the road was closed. Or should I say collapsed. A big gaping hole was in front us where the road used to be, and a crew was trying to fill it. Without a guide, I would have assessed the situation as hopeless. We would be running out of daylight. But we stuck it out. For 3h15 minutes we watched in these very beautiful mountains as a digger pulled up boulders, put them in a dump truck, and the dump trucked backed slowly into the hole where a bulldozer was waiting to flatten the mess. Fill and repeat, fill and repeat. It looked bleak, but our guide reassured us. At the point where there was still a pretty large difference between the level of the hole and that of the road, the digger then destroyed the rest of the road to come closer to the level of the hole. It was time to go through.

Three cars were waiting to go down and three to go up. The cars going down went first as they had a longer drive ahead.

The first car made it, no problem. We watched as the car disappeared into the hole and reemerged a moment later.

The next car down disappeared into the hole and didn't pop out. It was stuck in the hole.

It was time for the bulldozer to tow the car out of the hole.

The next car got through, and then it was our turn. Our car dipped way down into the hole until the surface of the road was well above the surface of the car. And then we powered up and out of the hole.

The rest of the road was rugged, too much for my ability that's for sure, and as we rounded every bend traveling West to Ushguli we were chasing the sunset. After every bend, more daylight opened up.

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Wow!

Looking forward to the mountain pics.

The Svaneti region and particularly Ushguli was worth it. A truly unique culture in a remote part of the world. Ushguli is magic. The Svan towers are certainly notable, but also we learned about the accompanying machubi, a kind of one room community center, sleeping quarters, and barn. The animals slept on the ground, the humans on a loft level just a few feet off the ground, There was a place for storage, a fireplace, a place for a fire in the middle of the room and above that a shelf for stones so that wayward sparks would be stopped. There was a patriarchal throne to sit on as well as benches for community members when they met. Many Svaneti villages were wholly populated by a particular family, so the village church, sometimes was a tiny one-room church that was also the family church with family relics.

Our first morning we went on a horseback ride, and my wife got dumped. Ouch. But she got back on the horse. We then went on a fairly thorough walk through all four villages that make up Ushguli. Simply breathtaking. After dinner went for an evening walk. The next morning another walk to take in the beauty again. You can't spend too much time here. The food at Gamarjoba Guesthouse was the second meal of the trip for which I can easily say One of the Best of my Life. The house also acts as an art gallery for the phantasmagorical paintings of Fridon Nizharadze, their uncle who passed away recently. There are some decidedly untraditional places to stay in Ushguli, perhaps providing for more creature comforts, but I wanted to stay in a traditional home and I'm so glad we did.

The road to Mestia starts off with a tight squeeze between the mountain and a dropoff, but after that it was fairly easy. There is also heavy construction going on here to widen the road, so any trip in and out of Ushguli is a crap shoot. Looks like a long term project. At any time the road could be closed for hours because of construction or rock slides. In a downpour, that makes it even more dicey. We got through with only 5 minute delay, but people after us said they experienced a 2 hour delay because of a rock slide.

We stopped at a couple of churches along the way and I climbed the roadside Svan Tower, nicknamed the Tower of Love. After lunch we saw the nearby house museum in Mestia (with tower and machubi), and drove up to the top of Mt Zaruldi to see the views of Mt Ushba. Eye-popping beauty. On to the Guesthouse of Shalva and Narziga, in the village of Lenjeri about a two minute drive from the center of Mestia. The guesthouse was beautiful, traditional, but with modern amenities as well. Shalva is an artist who created his own machubi room in which we had our meals. For the third time on our trip, One of the Best Meals of My Life. A parade of fresh, delicious vegetable concoctions, spicy stews, fried fish, and quantities of lemonade, yogurt, cheeses, and bread.

The next day we visited several villages south of Mestia, saw a Sunday service (beautiful chanting), and went to the Ethnographic Museum. Our 4 nights in the Svaneti were soon to be over, but it's something that will stay with us forever.


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We flew from Mestia to the airport at Natakhtari near Tbilisi. The flight operated by Vanilla Sky is very smooth on a prop plane that seats approximately 30. Takes 50 minutes. Included in the price of the ticket is a van ride into the center of Tbilisi. The cost for the flight is about $30 per person. I still do not understand how the cost can be so low.


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We spent three nights in Tbilisi. Even in a pandemic, it is a much busier and noisier city than Yerevan. So many great and exciting features. We also took the opportunity to visit with the director of the Movement Theatre (friend of a friend) and visit with his staff and stage as they prepared for an upcoming show. Unfortunately they were not performing while we were there.

We stayed in the old town and there's so much to see just on foot. The Orbellian Baths provide a unique streetscape thoroughly unlike what you'd see in Europe, even in cities with bath houses... Walk around very early (7:30am) and nobody is there. Later in the day, it can be packed. So extra points for staying nearby. The bath houses take on a different character as the light changes. As a whole we found Tbilisi to be a surprisingly late-sleeping city. Some bakeries don't open until 10am and stay open through the evening. So we shopped for breakfast at night.

Some things to note: Holy Trinity Cathedral (aka Sameba) is massive, built in 2004, planned after the 1991 independence from Russia. Awe inspiring site with seminary and monastery, extensive grounds with a monumental bell tower and entrance gate.

Although the hilltop monument Chronicle of Georgia is open at night, go during the day only (unlike our mistake).

Fabrika is a former Soviet sewing factory turned into a huge hostel with courtyard and many places to eat. The pandemic and an 11pm curfew didn't stop loads and loads of 20-something from pouring into this place long after last call. The most serious social scene of young people I have ever scene. Young people, go to Tbilisi! (not that you need my encouragement).

We did a self-guided walking tour of the Betlemi neighhborhood. Old, old Tbilisi, up a hill, quiet with views.

I am not sure the food in Tbilisi was nearly as good as in our guesthouses. We ate at a couple of very old traditional places (both too salty) and three places that were somewhat modern and highly recommended. Of all that, only the chicken in blackberry sauce at Shavi Lomi was a serious thrill. Not on the menu, but it was offered to us.


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Thus ends our three week experience. Below is a link to my favorite photos in a flickr album. Some of the photos in this thread are not in the album, and many unique photos are. Thanks for tagging along.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmW9JYxa

If you want more travel info about food, places to stay, etc, then I will leave my email address:
[email protected]

Sounds like a wonderful trip! Thanks so much for the TR. I really should go back...

There are so many places to visit in the world, some I've gone back to and some I've wanted to return to, but haven't (yet.) How wonderful it is to visit a place and think immediately about returning..... for me it's probably the norm, with the biggest exception being Cancun. I couldn't wait to leave that place.

So if I got it right, you spent 2 full weeks in Armenia? I was thinking 10 days myself to see it "all" but wanted to get an approx idea. Thanks!

It's interesting what you said on the food not being as good in Tbilisi. I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed the food I had there more than any other part of Georgia, with amazing veg options. But that said haven't been to Armenia yet!

Overall though agree with you on what a cool city Tbilisi is. Can't wait to return, even for a long weekend (easy from London!)

We had 13 nights in Armenia and then 8 nights in Georgia. I had no idea if that was a good amount of time. Part of that was based on when I could get a flight from Yerevan to Tbilisi. For us, it worked out better than I could have imagined.

We didn't go to northern Armenia which is more forested plus has Gyumri which I am told has some unique architecture, culture, and food. We also didn't go further south than Tatev.

We did go to some places west of Yerevan that most people don't go to: Sardarapat Memorial, the Yazidi Temple, and the memorial to Musa Dagh, and we spent a lot more time in Etchmiadzin. I wanted to make sure that the trip was not just a succession of monasteries which I thought might lead to monastery-fatigue. I also wanted to get at the heart of what's there and not just see "Armenia's Top Ten." See if there are any cultural festivals going on and plan to see one. We just missed the herb festival in Yenokavan in late June. Turned out that June is a great time to go as the weather hadn't turned so hot.

My biggest recommendation would be to contact the Arakelyan Gastroyard near Khor Virap. If you stay there you can see Khor Virap with Ararat in the background early in the a.m, before the clouds roll in. If you don't go there, then there are other Gastroyards in Armenia you can visit. They are dedicated to providing seriously great food. In fact, I could see planning a trip just through visiting these places. My second recommendation is to stay at Machanents Tourism and Art and take advantage of their educational programs. I like this video about Machanents:


My biggest regret is that I did not make arrangements to see Smbataberd with a 4x4. We missed out on Levon's Divine Underground in Arinj and the Sergei Parajanov Museum in Yerevan. We were so close to Hohvanavank and its gorge, but didn't go. If we were in Armenia for the late June herb festival, I would have gone to Ijevan and there is a trip to a forested area with a cave and some carvings that is supposed to be wonderful. Never enough time, right?

I am not saying that all the food in Tbilisi is disappointing or salty, but I do have to say that the food at our guesthouses, including the Svaneti, was sensational. I chose them specifically because I had clues that they were serious about their food. The places I went in Yerevan also were chosen because of their seriousness with art and tradition. That's usually a clue that the food is going to be good.

Thank you for sharing such an interesting report. Endlessly fascinating how different our lives are.

There are guesthouses in Armenia that feature the opportunity to learn some sort of craft, wine making, cuisine..... it seems to be a popular feature. Even if you don't do a class, I am thinking that these places are quite special and are worth seeking out.

Thank you for the tantalizing report. It’s a great read and fantastic info.

Beautiful pictures and write-up. Reminds me of my trip to Svaneti. And Armenia looks amazing too.

Thanks kleeblatt and ashwinb for your kind words. I am adding a photo of the interior of the Selim Caravanserai, a view I don't see posted elsewhere. Some of these places are just so old!

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Got to say, glad I didn't listen to the comments here on Matenadaran and decided to go. It was AWESOME. I had an English guided tour and my guide was fantastic. Overall I was there for 2.5 hours and found the displays marvelous!

Whilst I enjoyed Armenian food, I think Georgian food is far better. Definitely lots more veg options in very unique combos.

Glad you enjoyed Matenadaran. As you experienced, a guide can make all the difference. If you get to Noravank, maybe the exhibit of books from Matenadaran will still be there.

Like anywhere else, what you have to eat depends on where you go. I encourage you to seek out aveluk, which is a kind of sorrel that is made into soups or salads and is an important ingredient in jingyalov hats which is a blend of many leafy greens stuffed into a lavash dough and cooked.

I just finished reading Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel. It was his first novel and made him famous. He did extensive research, yet the fiction format allows readers to put themselves in the shoes of the Resistance. It is filled with Werfel's ideas about society, leadership, humanity. Many lessons from the novel could easily be applied to today, and there are echoes of our modern politics that resonate with strength. I feel 'shaken from the magnolias.' It took me a while to read it's 800 pages; I am admittedly a slow reader.

It is all too easy to scapegoat an entire culture if you don't like the actions of an individual. One accusation can send an angry mob on a killing spree. Crowd manipulation becomes second nature, not something one has to learn. Genocide is just one more step to take.

Although it was eventually made into a movie, politics kept it from being made for many years. It probably should be remade, as I am told the movie is badly done. Unfortunately, the politics hasn't really changed much, so I am not sure it will happen.

Had aveluk in the jingyalov hats and really liked it!

Also want to encourage everyone to go to Yerevan for Yerevan Wine Days in early June. It's awesome; a humongous street party essentially with hundreds of Armenian wine producers/DJs/food stalls. Tickets ran out so I just wandered around. I definitely plan to go next year.

Jingyalov hats is a uniquely Armenian dish, I haven't found anything quite like it from another culture. There's a good recipe in Lavash, the most prominent Armenian cookbook in English. It's actually pretty easy to make. I use pizza dough sold by the sac in the supermarket, 3 ounces rolled out to 8 inches wide for one person.

It's always a special experience to be in a place for a festival. The Armenian Wine Days sounds like a ton of fun, and they are very serious about their wine

Just found this report.

Just: "Wow!!!!

Fantastic!

And that food!!!

Wow!!! ekscrunchy, thanks for finding this! I skimmed through it but will read it more closely. This is amazing! Photos are gorgeous! Such a unique and mysterious part of the world.

Back in the days of Chowhound, I posted this list of food I ate in Armenia:

Lavash (ubiquitous, ultra thin flatbread)
Sea Buckthorn Juice
Apricots, Cherries, Green Apples, among other fruits
Preserved walnuts, raspberries, peaches, pears, cherries, mulberries
Doshab, Armenian 'Cough Syrup' made from mulberries or plums
Rejena (like milk-flavored butter, not sure how this is made or why it isn't everywhere on every table in the world)
Gavurma (meat preserved in butter)
Qalagosh (lavash topped with yogurt and lentils)
Red Bean Soup (with walnuts, onion, and parsley)
Many different cheeses including farmers cheese and smoked cheese
Jingyalov Hats (lavash stuffed with a variety of cooked greens)
Topik (potato galette stuffed with onion, walnuts and peas)
Agulisyan (dumplings stuffed with beef and prunes)
Bread Rusks (crisped lavash) with dips of tarragon, beet, and mushroom
Vana Mshosh (lentil puree with dried apricot)
Arishta (noodles, often with buckwheat but also could be rye flour or others added)
Lahmajo (flatbread topped with minced meat)
Tan (yogurt soup with butter, parlsey, and bulghur served hot)
Piti (lamb stew topped with a dough and baked in a clay pot)
Tomato stuffed with eggplant
Ghapama (stufffed baby pumpkin)
Fried Sickleweed
Ishli Kufta (meat wrappped in dough and fried, aka kibbe in other lands)
Fried potatoes
Cabbage Salad
Roast peppers, zucchini, eggplant
Omelette with sausage and peppers
Chicken Kiev
Pancake rolled with pork
Cucumbers in matsoun (strained yogurt, often with dill)
Summer Salad (tomato, cucumber, onions, parsley)
Lula kabobs (ground meat, wrapped in lavash)
Julien (mushrooms and cheese in cream sauce)
Uzbek Pilaf
Borscht
Homemade pickles (many varieties)
Khashlama (lamb stew)
Fried Chicken in Garlic Sauce
Beet Salad
Pasuch Tolma (cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, dried fruits, vegetarian)
Khashil (porridge with tan and butter)
Tolma (meat stuffed grape leaves)
Goris Hummus (made from Goris beans)
Carrot Salad
Adjeani Kachapuri
Red Bean Salad (served warm with walnuts and onions)
Boiled ishram (trout)
Basturma (dry cured meat)
Aveluk Salad (wild horse sorrel)
Aveluk Soup
Walnut Gata (like rugelach on steroids)
Gavar Bakhlava (far thicker and far less sweet)
Pork Khorovats (BBQ)
Sig (trout) Khorovats
Tan (soup served cold, same ingredients as the hot version)
Tjvjik (can be variety of offal, but commonly liver)
Harissa (chicken porridge)
Olive salad
Kololak (in this case, balls of bulghur and potato in tomato sauce)
Etchmiadzin Qyufta (like a foamy meatloaf)
Bulghur with onion
Soup of corn, beans, peas and bulghur

Just an update that FEEDING PHIL has a new episode about Georgia; mostly Tiflis and around....I.'d be fine as a solo female, right?? A week or so??

Love this report, Shelemm, and so many of your others..... and had just discovered it again after watching PHIL on Netflix. You are a big fave of mine...ek

That is so nice to hear. Thanks. I am always hungering to hear more about your exploits.

Georgia is safe. Hard to imagine any difficulty on that score.

Tbilisi is a fascinating city with many great features. It has a dramatic landscape and takes the phrase shabby chic to a whole 'nother level. One could spend a lot of time there. The book City Guide to Tbilisi Georgia by Stephen Stocks is filled with incisive walking tours.

I have to admit I did my best eating at guesthouses in the Svaneti region rather than restaurants, despite having tips from tips from trusted sources. Part of the problem may be that I just came off 2 weeks in Armenia where the eating floored me.

Obviously you had a sampling of each country and didn't visit entire areas. Of the places you went in each of the countries, which would you rate as the absolutely don't miss, the ones that still today absolutely stick in your brain as great?

Your trip was interesting in that on standard itineraries more time is usually devoted to Georgia than Armenia.

In General, Armenia really stunned me with its swirling emotional pull, the incredible food, dramatic landscapes, and the tremendous hospitality. It was truly a life changing experience as much as a vacation. At so many places I went, people would offer me fruit and/or coffee, From visiting a church to a clothing store, a museum, and a souvenir stand. I felt I learned more here than most any other place I've visited.

If I had to say one place in Armenia, it is really like choosing your favorite child.

Do I say Goris with its unusual French connection and access to cave cities, and the closest city to Tatev? Its sheltering of war refugees? This is the closest city to the tense border with Azerbaijan.

Or Perhaps Gavar, proximity to the Aveluk festival, Noratus Cemetery (and the neighboring lavash bakery), Hayravank, Berdkunk, and of course Lake Sevan.

But then Echmiadzin has a place to stay that is a tourist destination itself, at Machanents Tourism and Art. Not only is it like staying inside a work of art, but they provide employment for seniors and the handicapped. How many times have you been waited on by a deaf waitress? Plus you have easy access to the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral, and to the east the amazing battle memorials of Sardarapet and Musa Dagh. Each of which go a long way to explaining the history and character of the Armenians. My visit to this area prompted me to read Franz Werfel's 40 Days of Musa Dagh, a towering literary work and a profound experience that affects me to the marrow. I was so glad I was able to visit the heart of the Yazidi community who also were genocide victims. 100 years later.

At Geghard Monastery I was able to go off on my own up a trail that led to rock shrines that were like out if some kind of explorer movie. I was living out a fantasy with nobody else around.

And there were other highlights as well, but you get the idea.

In Georgia, we had only one aim, that was to see the Svaneti region. Ushguli is the kind of intensely rural remote community I dreamed of visiting. It did not disappoint. It was truly a dream come true. I was thrilled to learn about the machubi, as important a structure as the Svan Towers, and their role in the community. We stayed at two guesthouses that were both created by artists and featured their work throughout. We felt connected to the culture..

The reason why Georgia might get the lion's share of most vacationer's time is because it is prettier and lusher than Armenia. And let's face it, most tourists don't want to really learn all that much to begin with.

When you were unable to actually pick most memorable places, it helped me to understand how much you really enjoyed the area.

I will admit that "prettier and lusher" also call to me more than arid as you say Armenia is.

Er Armenia is REALLY green.

Some parts are arid and some are green. The north of Armenia, which I didn't go to, has more trees.

The question is, would you travel to Greece or Turkey?

Greece as boycotting Turkey