This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from October 6 to 12. We arrived in Yerevan, Armenia, early Sunday morning on the overnight train from Tbilisi, Georgia. We spent most of the week in Yerevan (including a day trip to UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Garni & Geghard) before heading to Baku. Because the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is closed, we took an overnight train back to Tbilisi on Thursday night, then spent the day in the city before taking another train to Baku on Friday night. We arrived in Baku early Saturday morning. (No, our fitness trackers are not very happy with our sleep this week! Haha.)
Favorite thing we ate: Jonathan was very excited to learn Armenian cuisine features barbecued meats, but he ended up falling in love with all the grilled vegetables [above left]. Megan really enjoyed the gata (traditional Armenian sweet bread) we purchased during our day trip to Geghard Monastery [above right]. There was a layer of sugar and butter baked into the middle of the bread.
Favorite thing we drank: On our final day in Yerevan, we toured the Noy Yerevan Brandy Factory. Jonathan also signed up for a tasting (one fortified wine and two types of brand, pictured above left), and he especially enjoyed the 10-year old brandy. Megan developed an affinity for a fizzy drink in Tbilisi called Lagidze water, also known as “Georgian lemonade.” Her favorite flavor is cream [above right picture is from last week, but we had it again on Thursday].
Favorite thing we did: Petting all the dogs! In Tbilisi, the government vaccinates, sterilizes and tags stray dogs so they can live safely on the streets. Yerevan recently started a similar program, so in both cities, we made plenty of furry friends, which was the highlight of Jonathan’s week [above left]. Megan loved getting to spend one more day in Tbilisi between overnight trains; she checked a bunch of remaining items off her tourist list, including the Museum of Books [above right].
Biggest splurge: You have to try to splurge in Tbilisi or Yerevan (by California standards). We treated ourselves to a lovely dinner at Lavash Restaurant in Yerevan (reservations required) with a salad, meat entree, two desserts, still water and an entire bottle of sparkling wine for $47 USD (including tip). Funny story: Earlier that day, we had walked by the restaurant and there was a mass of people standing outside holding their smartphones. We joked, “Is Kim Kardashian eating here or something?” (We knew she was in town because we almost didn’t get to visit the Garni Temple because she was coming and they were closing it off to other tourists.) I just looked it up and it wasn’t Kim–but it was Kourtney and Kim’s children. Ha!
Best deal: The public transportation in the Caucasus is so affordable. A 1.5-hour metro/bus ticket in Tbilisi only costs 0.50 GEL (about 17 cents), and a metro ride in Yerevan costs 100 AMD (about 21 cents). Plus, the metro trains come every 5-8 minutes, so you don’t have to worry about missing one!
What we’re reading: Jonathan is reading The Lost Man by Jane Harper. Megan read The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson and started Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for her book club.
Total walking distance: 55.55 miles (We did some testing, and Jonathan’s Garmin is definitely a little slap-happy when it comes to tracking mileage! So we’ll be sticking with the Fitbit mileage from now on.)
Up next: Azerbaijan & Turkey
Featured image: Overnight train from Tbilisi to Yerevan
