Stepantsminda’s mysterious mountain church is an essential sight on any visit to Georgia. Georgia has more than its share of remote villages, impressive mountains, and beautiful churches, but when all three are combined in one place it’s still something special: Stepantsminda is just that. Found in the North of Georgia, on […]
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The Armenian Alphabet Monument
Ever gazed at an Armenian-language road sign and gave three silent cheers for GPS? Or wondered how something so utterly either un-ciryllic or non-latin-like could have materialized in this nook of the world, as if by magic? If so, wonder no more, but fold yourself into your favourite shape and absorb the story of the […]
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Sighnaghi: Georgia’s City of Love
Sighnaghi, in the eastern province of Kakheti, has a reputation as Georgia’s city of love (and wine…) Sighnaghi, only 100km’s drive east of the capital Tbilisi, is known as Georgia’s city of love, and for good reason. Locals often compare the hilltop town to Verona, city of Romeo and Juliet, and it has everything you might need to […]
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Essential Georgian Phrases
Georgia is a wonderful country to visit, and don’t be put off by the complicated language and mysterious alphabet. With these essential Georgian phrases you’ll have no trouble getting by! Wherever you go it’s worth learning a little bit of the language, but that’s especially true in Georgia. Though younger people often speak English, older […]
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Garni Gorge, Armenia: A Geological Wonder, Topped with a Temple
Just to the southeast of Yerevan lies a piece of geological oddity, a place at once puzzling and awe-inspiring, like some giant celestial sculptor’s discarded toy that he made for his own entertainment.
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The Controversial Joseph Stalin Museum in Gori
The Joseph Stalin Museum is found in his hometown of Gori, where it’s famous for having a controversially uncritical view about the former Soviet leader. You might assume the citizens of Gori, the small Georgian city where Joseph Stalin was born, would be ashamed of their most famous son. However, the locals have a […]
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Top 10 Things to Do in Batumi
The Top 10 things to do in Batumi, Georgia’s premier seaside resort. Batumi is where Georgians go to relax: there’s sea, sun, and in summer there’s no better place to party. Its bright lights, eye-catching modern architecture and its many casinos have earned Batumi a reputation as the “Las Vegas of the Black […]
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Svaneti – Where Time Stands Still in the Caucasus Mountains
In the high Caucasus Mountains of northwestern Georgia there is hidden a place of legends, forgotten by time, isolated from our modern world by more than 4000m high mountain peaks. Locals using sheep skins to sift the rivers for gold in ancient times might have sparked the legend of the Golden Fleece, which Jason and his […]
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The Black Sea Region of Turkey- Between Clouds and the Ocean
The Black Sea to the north, high mountain ranges to the south – the Black Sea Region of Turkey is many things, but definitely not easily accessible. It is a place of ancient legends – Jason and the Argonauts passed by on their search for the Golden Fleece and it is the home of the […]
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Know Your Money in the Caucasus Region
Heading out to explore the Caucasus region with an adventure rally is great. But what can you expect, you know, financially? To reassure everyone: Your Caucasian Challenge adventure will not drain your resources. The Caucasus region is not a particularly expensive area. However, if you don’t come prepared, money in the Caucasus can still give you […]
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