You may remember my seemingly endless blogs and photos [though I believe due to my mental health issues last year I may have not covered it all] my most wonderful time in Georgia with tour leaders John, Luarsab and Maka, and a most wonderful group of people. Well, the 2010 tour, the fifth such [...]
It’s been almost a month since the last post on Georgia, but I am dragging this blog back there for there is a great deal more to say about my travels there. While I had the most wondrous group I travelled with, and each and everyone inspired me in some way as I linked [...]
While I may be lynched for saying this [there is intercity rivalry], Melbourne is truly a most wonderful city: its CBD has a feel, a ‘vibe’ even, that I feel Sydney lacks. Yes — Sydney has a rather pleasant harbour, but step away and I feel the CBD is rather dull — and does [...]
Heading down to Melbourne tonight until Sunday morning.
[I received a free flight when I bought a shaver late last year: given it is "free" I am leaving rather late tonight and coming home Sunday morning: but I am not complaining -- free is free!]
Seeing Wicked tomorrow [Friday] night; meeting a friend at the The Holy [...]
Back to the Georgian holiday: and, again, wonderful memories come flooding back. Add to the joy of happy memories that I also get to see “the bigger picture” of life, and it is all somewhat of a help as life enters another bumpy stage.
New Shuamta Convent was our stop after Alaverdi Cathedral [which I [...]
While Davit Gareji was the most challenging and inspirational monastery visited for me, that is not to suggest the others had no impact on me: for they did. I will split the other monasteries visited into several posts and try and be brief for the sake of the sanity of any readers. If [...]
Founded by St Davit [one of the thirteen Assyrian Fathers who travelled to Georgia in the 6th century], with his disciples Ss Dodo and Lukiane, the Davit Gareji monastery complex [click here for a map of all the monasteries: we visited Lavra and Udabno] was, for me, one of the most moving parts of the [...]
Apart from the capital, Tbilisi, we stayed in 2 towns and one other city [loose definitions from me given size]: Sighnaghi, Telavi and Stepantsminda [Kazbegi]. The joy of discovering and staying in these places was enhanced by the fact we stayed at homestays in each of these places. It was truly a great [...]
Waxing lyrical about Tbilisi’s beauty, I forgot to mention the political activism: which was amazing to see from me, who is very, very apathetic: and I tend to think Australia is generally apathetic in terms of politics: we may be informed, we may whinge and whine…but when it comes to action there are few and [...]
Whereas Istanbul [which I have updated with more links to photos] had a mosque [seemingly] on every corner, Tbilisi had a church — or perhaps 3. It was quite amazing to walk around and see so many churches so close together. Getting ahead of first impressions, but on Sunday, when we did a [...]