Travel photography
When we traveled from Kakheti back to Tbilisi, we arranged for a sidetrip to Davit-Gareja. Davit-Gareja is a monastery on the Georgia-Azerbajan border. The landscape here looks somewhat like parts of Utah or New Mexico, and as such it is quite different than the areas visited before. Around Telavi and Tbilisi are wooded hills and agricultural lands with vineyards, but here there are extensive grasslands and exposures of reddish sandstone.
We stayed at Neli and Zaal guesthouse. It was an absolutely wonderful place. Before traveling to Georgia we had heard about Georgians’ exceptional hospitality, and here is where we found it. We have traveled extensively over the years, and I can tell you that hospitality like this is rare. We had planned to stay for two nights, and ended up staying three. We’ll always remember our stay with Zaal and Neli.
From Tbilisi we traveled to Kazbegi in the Caucasus Mountains. The route goes up the Georgian Military Highway, which is the main route north to Russia (Chechnya). It’s several hours of driving, and we hired a driver to take us there. There were some fruit stands along the highway, and we asked our driver Gaila to stop. We first stopped at a watermelon stand on the outskirts of Tbilisi.
We spent a day hiking to Gergeti Trinity Church and the alpine meadows above it. Most tourists have themselves driven up in Lada 4x4s on a rutted, rocky road. We almost got carsick just looking at the cars bouncing in the track, and decided to hike up instead.
From our guesthouse we walked down into town, crossed the river on the bridge, and then hiked through a meadow to meet up with the dirt track. The road switchbacks up a hillside with ever-expanding views.
In the Republic of Georgia, on a steep hillside above the river Mtkvari, is Tbilisi’s a characterful old town. In a warren of dead-end streets are grand and graceful houses built in the Art-Nouveau style. These buildings are in a poor state of repair. These forlorn and neglected exteriors hint at the grandeur of a time gone by.
One of the reasons why we traveled to the Republic of Georgia was to sample the food and drink here. We had heard about Georgia’s unique cuisine that fuses Persian, Central Asian, Turkish, and other influences. When we arrived in
Santorini, Greece, is a very well-known and popular travel destination. This is for a good reason: it is very beautiful. The hiking trail that leads from Fira to Oia takes in some of the key sights of the island. It’s a truly spectacular dayhike.
When I was in Santorini I had one day with crystal clear skies. I put a polarizer on the front of my lens and shot the buildings and churches in the harsh midday light, which results in almost a posterized look. I know this is not an original approach and it’s been done a thousand times before. But I enjoyed seeing and capturing the beauty of Santorini this way. So here is my kick at the can.
Madeira is a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a very rugged island with coastal cliffs all around. Madeira is known for its irrigation channels called levadas. The levadas contour around steep mountainsides, taking water from streams in the rainy interior and delivering it to drier areas. Alongside the levadas are pathways for maintenance, and these pathways are great for hiking.
Britain is one of the premier destinations in the world for long-distance hiking. Surprisingly, very few North Americans know about this. Many people are aware of the Appalachian trail in the eastern U.S. and the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, but ask someone about Offa’s Dyke or the Pennine Way and you’re bound to get puzzled looks. In short, these trails are a well-kept secret.