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Armenia & Georgia 2014

Yerevans Republic Square
The Northern Boulevard is remodeled to serve the upper 5000...
Yerevan Opera House
The famed Yerevan Cascade
...and the sculpture park in front of it
View from the Cascade
The Cascade houses a museum and a nightclub...
No visit to Yerevan is complete without
...a visit and a tasting at Yerevan Brandy Company
Khor Virap monastery, against the backdrop of Mount Ararat in Turkey
Khor Virap
View of the monastery, note the Armenian-Turkish border in the background
The Matenadaran, museum of Armenian manuscripts
Trees donated by supporters and visitors in memory of the Armenian Genocide
The Genocide Memorial and Museum Complex
A tranquil, honoring place for remembrance
The eternal flame, commemorating the victims of the 1915 genocide
Lake Sevan
Sevanavank monastery on the Sevan Peninsula
View of a residence for writers on the peninsula
Khatchkars at Sevanavank
The peninsula and the monastery seen from our cottage complex
Boarding the night train to Batumi in Yerevan
First class travel...
Shortly before the Georgian border, you will see this from the train
Abandoned industrial sites flashing by for several minutes...
Batumi downtown
Eclecticism everywhere...
Old or new?
Sim City (view from our hotel room)
Batumi backyard (view from our hotel room II)
Former lighthouse...
...former ferry....
Medea and the Golden Fleece - Batumi is where Jason and the Argonauts allegedly landed...
Nuri lake recreational area, not far from busy downtown Batumi
Shota Rustaveli State University, seen from the seaside walk
Batumi seaside esplanade at sunset
...seen from the ferris wheel
Ali and Nino on the shore of the Black Sea
I recommend reading Kurban Said's "Ali and Nino" for a better understanding of this beautiful landmark
Kutaisi: Baghrati Cathedral, recently renovated and therefore now in danger of losing its UNESCO World Heritage status...
Georgian Parliament in Kutaisi: it's literally situated in the fields...
Kutaisi downtown: the Kolchis Fountain
Near Kutaisi: Gelati Monastery and Academy - definitely worth a visit
St. Nicolas Church
Gelati Academy, founded by David the Builder in Georgia's Golden Age
Murals in the Chruch of the Assumption of the Virgin
A monastery and an academy, Gelati was often called the "new Jerusalem" or "new Athens"
The tomb of David the Builder in the former entrance to the complex
Tbilissi: View of Narikala Fortress
Peace Bridge
The enormous Tsminda Sameba Cathedral, completed in 2004...
The former French embassy, now a school
Narikala Fortress at sunset
The new opera house
Enjoying Georgian wine on our hotel's rooftop terrace
View of Tsminda Sameba Cathedral and the Presidential Palace from the rooftop terrace at night
Djvari monastery, near the ancient Georgian capital of Mzcheta
View of Mzcheta at the confluence of the two most important Georgian rivers: Aragvi and Mtkvari
Entrance to the Sveti Dzchoveli Church complex
Rather strict rules...
Sveti Dzchoveli Church
...and the surrounding fortress
The Chapel of Holy Nino, who christianised the country, Queen and King first
Tbilissi's Freedom Square, seen from Rustaveli Boulevard
Under construction: the western bank of the Mtkvari
Monument to Mother Georgia
A change of pace: the countryside near Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)
The path we took...
...climbing up to see...
...the Church of the Holy Trinity, perched on a mountaintop
View of the Church of the Holy Trinity against the backdrop of Mount Kazbek, covered in clouds
Majestic: Holy Trinity Church as seen from the village
A trip along the ancient Georgian Military Highway:
Soviet remnants...
...cattle...
...sheep...
...tourist attractions...
...Georgia's biggest freshwater reserve...