Georgia and Armenia

Breakfast was served on the bonnet by our driver

Cheese, bread, meats, tomatoes and the best eggs ever

Simon is here just having a tot of brandy with his eggs !  

Just back from a very good trip to Georgia and Armenia. As you can see from the pics, we stopped at many monasteries and it was good to be able to go in them, such peace and tranquility. We were treated by our hosts to a few cracking nights out with excellent food, Georgian singers and dancers, dancing water and plenty of beer!  

A fabulous lunch in a cave !

This lady cooked some delicious food in this cave .....mouthwatering !

and cheese was fermenting nicely

All cooked in a massive pit in the floor

We had masses of bbq veg, herbs, pork and chicken all swilled down with a cold beer. Delicious!

Radde's Accentor, Armenia

This was one of the 'must see' birds on our list and was a first for us all

Moustached Warbler, Armenia

Twigs and reeds galore !

Menetries' Warbler, Armenia

A fabulous bird that we were lucky to get pics of considering it was blowing an absolute gale

The Silk Road Hotel, Yerevan, Armenia

A fabulous, quirky hotel where we stayed for 3 nights. Loved it. 

Handmade carpets and textiles to die for. My kind of nik-nak heaven !

Mount Ararat, Turkey

Mount Aratat in Turkey, viewed from Armenia. The schenery was absolutely mindblowingly good on this trip and we were not disappointed with our excellent views of Mount Ararat, just inside the Turkey border. Mount Ararat is made up of two dormant volcano cones, Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. The highest point being at over 16,000 feet. It is said to be the resting place of Noah's Ark after the great Genesis flood. 

Upcher's Warbler, Armenia

Another must see bird and these were numerous in the hot, desert valley we birded. Almost impossible to photograph as they flitted through the bushes, constantly on the move and always in the thick of the scrub.  Also at the site was a grey-necked bunting and a couple of desert finches.