Turkey - Georgia
Going to discover Turkey, Georgia and their history
Turquie - Géorgie, les étapes
Last days in Tbilissi
With the bike packed in its box, all I have to do is wait for the moment to leave. The plane leaves very early in the morning, so it’s not worth getting a room. I plan to get to the airport just before midnight. I have the whole of Sunday to wait and I wander around the streets of old Tbilisi that I hadn’t seen before. The taxi arrived earlier than I’d expected, but although I’d paid more because I had a large parcel (the bike), the driver obviously hadn’t expected anything that big. The box (…)
From Mukhrovani to Tbilissi, and the End !
11 juillet 2024
Last stop before catching the plane home. Not many kilometres, mainly downhill, but a bit difficult with the traffic when we arrived in Tbilisi. I stayed in the same hotel as on my previous trip because it was not bad, very central and not too expensive. I arrived early and had to wait for the room to be ready. I take the opportunity to call the guy who has the boxes for the bikes and he gives me an appointment for 8pm. I think that’s a bit late, especially as it’s about ten kilometres away (…)
Telavi to Mukhrovani
10 juillet 2024
Tevali is a very pleasant, quiet little town. What strikes me in comparison with all the towns I’ve visited in Georgia is that there are no abandoned houses falling into ruin. It’s even the first time I’ve seen wooden first floors with wide terraces in good condition. The town has gone to great lengths to show off its houses, and on several of them there are plaques explaining that it’s a house from the first half of the 19th century, or from the second half... A small concert of traditional (…)
From Sighnaghi to Telavi
8 juillet 2024
I set off early this morning, having had little sleep because I followed the election evening for as long as possible before closing the PC : it was late, there’s a two-hour time difference here with France... But I’m riding with a more relaxed mind, and it’s a great relief that the Nazis didn’t get a majority.
A long descent from Sighnaghi, the weather is still stormy and the Caucasus mountains are not clearly visible.
Surprisingly, there is only a trickle of water in the rivers, whereas (…)
From Udabno (David Gareja) to Sighnaghi
6 juillet 2024
To the journey from Udabno to Sighnaghi I add the 28km AR to go to the David Gareja monastery the day before.
David Gareja monastery : I was expecting something bigger... but perhaps since Azerbaijan claimed half of it, some of the outbuildings are no longer visible. In any case, I tried to climb up to the top by the small paths and soon came across two Georgian soldiers who let me pass but didn’t seem too keen on laughing... and I didn’t try in the area marked on my map as "no further (…)
From Tbilissi to Udabno
4 juillet 2024
Two days in Tbilisi before heading east again. Udabno, very close to the David Garedja Monastery, which I’ll be visiting tomorrow.
Tbilisi : laundry, sightseeing and a fruitless search for a box to put my bike on the plane.
On Tuesday, the Place de la Liberté is packed to the rafters to welcome the football team, which has had a great run in the Eurofoot.
The road to Udabno is quiet until the section that runs along the Azerbaijani border, where it becomes gravel, not always rolling, for (…)
From Gori to Tbilissi
1er juillet 2024
The weather forecast predicted stronger winds than yesterday. Stronger towards Gori than towards Tbilisi. I set off early, determined to make up some distance before the winds strengthened. It works quite well. Between ten and eleven the winds are a bit unpleasant, but sheltered by a few small hills, they pass. Then I stopped paying attention to the wind, a sign that there shouldn’t be any !
On the way this time I stop under a mulberry tree and pick the blackberries available. Shortly (…)
From Surami to Gori
30 juin 2024
A very pretty road to Gori. It would have been perfect if it hadn’t been for the 50 km/h headwind, which is a bit tiring. I avenge myself by picking mirabelle plums and even a few apricots along the way.
Gori, the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, and a visit to the museum dedicated to him is a must. But frankly, it’s an ugly museum ! Many of the photos have no captions in English, so you can’t always guess what they’re about. And although I’d been warned that it was an apologist for the Little (…)
From Ubisa to Surami
29 juin 2024
Well, the attempt to use the motorway didn’t really work out. This morning I decided to take the route suggested by Komoot, but I didn’t fancy the prospect of doing fifteen kilometres backwards, so I took the route that involves the motorway... It’s not really cool... One tunnel is fine, but when they’re one after the other it ends up stressing you out. You also have to be careful with the grids that allow the bridges to expand : they’re not really made for bike wheels... And you really (…)
From Koutaïssi to Ubisa
28 juin 2024
A beautiful cycle path from Koutaissi, running alongside the university.
The route was a bit tricky to define : as soon as there’s a motorway komoot sends you far away, even if sometimes the old national road winds around the motorway. This morning I forced my way through a new motorway tunnel, still marked on the maps as "future construction" : it’s by far the most comfortable tunnel for bikes I’ve been through so far, with wide, well-lit lanes...
Having said that, the country road I took (…)