Georgia 🇬🇪 2 X Play offs day. 12 July 2016

We walked down to the station and cought the metro. Wow it is deep.

Escalator going down, a journey in itself.

At the station

Going back up again.

We got off at Sarajishvili station, the oldest and largest producer of brandy in the region founded in 1884.

Walked to and past the stadium where I got a beer and Michael an apple juice as I thought the match only started at 18:30. I was wrong it started at 18:00. Great hot dog rolls with Jalapeño and cheese and I had another beer while Michael had another apple juice.

Scotland 44 and Argentina 26

Wales and Australia 

Georgia 🇬🇪 Sunday. recovery day for Michael. 12 July 2016

We walked to Rubi Cafe for breakfast, only to find a queue outside the place. As we had walked past a few Cafes, we walked back and stopped at one. We ordered an omelet with bacon and cheese for Michael and another with veggies for me. An americano for me and a hot chocolate for Michael, all together with an added 10% tip cost around R420.

Walking back we walked past museums one is a museum of digital art, would be interesting to see.

Municipal buildings with the EU flag

Walking back to our hotel, we watch the buildings change to older amd less well looked after facades.

Hotel Garnet is perfect, affordable and everything one would need. Huge king size bed and enough space to do the DailyJ with water bottles as weights. A bit worried about people in the room below  as the floor seems wooden so running on the spot.... may be noisy. I will ask at reception. Michael is watching rugby silently on TV as it only has Georgian commentary but they have a rugby channel which is a winner!!

We going to try the metro today R6 for 90 minutes for any public transport. It went up from R3 and the Georgian people complained

Georgia 🇬🇪 Watching the rugby at the Biltong bar, 11 July 2026

We walked approximately 1.5km from our hotel to the Biltong bar. Met some lovely people. Tian, the owner, originally from Riversdale in SA, sold his catering business and moved to Georgia. Nomads from South Africa that travel and the only form of property owned is a camper van somewhere in the US, not liking the political situation in US and originally from SA, they travel to interesting places following SA rugby, instead of staying in the US.

Lindsay and her mom Filicita from Saudi, also originally from SA are in Georgia as their surrogate mum is coming to term. This is their second surrogacy a little girl, the previous was a boy who is now already 1.5 years old.

South Africa beat Scotland so shooters for everyone!!

Many South Africans come to Georgia as it is one of a few countries in Europe in which South Africans do not need  a visa. Such a beautiful country with so much to see.

We finally got back to the Hotel at 1:30am. I dont know when last I have been out that late, needless to say we slept late past 9:30am.

Armenia 🇦🇲 Day 4 of 4 day trip. Yerevan to Tbilisi, 11 July 2026

Monument made up of small crosses celebrating 1700 of Christianity, is the Holy Cross Monument, located at the Armenian Alphabet Memorial Park in Artashavan. Standing 33 meters tall, the giant metallic structure is composed of exactly 1,711 smaller crosses, with a new one added every year to commemorate the time since Armenia adopted Christianity.

Visible from Turkey, it is a thorn in their side.

We stopped at the food court, on our way to the Georgian border. This stopbstarted as clean toilets and then a small shop, now its a huge food court with a speciality bread that is baked in these vats.

Yazidis worship one supreme God known as Xwedê, who created the world and entrusted its care to a heptad of seven divine beings or angels. Preeminent among these is Tawûsî Melek (the Peacock Angel), who serves as the chief intermediary between God and humanity. 

Because Tawûsî Melek's mythology involves refusing to bow to Adam, outsiders have historically and incorrectly associated him with the Judeo-Christian figure of Satan, leading to the false, harmful label of "devil worshippers". In the Yazidi tradition, Tawûsî Melek is an inherently good force and a primary manifestation of the divine. Their faith also highly reveres holy figures like Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a 12th-century mystic whose tomb in the Lalish valley in northern Iraq serves as the religion's holiest site. 

We passed a la Verde the place where Marine' our guide comes from, we passed this copper mine where her parents worked their whole life until it closed 

We saw a monument of the MiG-15.

The story goes that, during the Korean War, the United States Air Force launched Operation Moolah, a psychological warfare gamble that offered a $100,000 reward (equivalent to over $1.1 million today) and political asylum to any Communist pilot who defected with a flyable MiG-15. 

The goal was to secure an intact Soviet jet for Western engineers and test pilots to evaluate.The daring gamble succeeded on September 21, 1953, when North Korean Lieutenant No Kum-sok flew his MiG-15 across the DMZ and landed at Kimpo Air Base in South Korea.

No Kum-sok was completely unaware of the Operation Moolah reward, meaning his decision to defect was driven purely by a desire for freedom.

Because the entire radar system was down for maintenance when he crossed the DMZ at 600 mph, his escape was entirely undetected. After landing, he was greeted by base personnel, and his aircraft was quickly whisked away to be test-flown by American experts like Chuck Yeager.

The examination revealed that the MiG-15 possessed an impressive climb rate and altitude ceiling, but also had a dangerous tendency to spin out of control.

Following his defection, No Kum-sok immigrated to the United States, changed his name to Kenneth Rowe, and was paid the $100,000 reward he had previously known nothing about. His original MiG-15 is still preserved and on display today at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

Why was the MiG-15 so powerful?

In 1946, the British Labour government, led by Prime Minister Clement Attlee and Trade Minister Sir Stafford Cripps, unexpectedly agreed to sell dozens of cutting-edge Rolls-Royce Nene jet engines to the Soviet Union.

The sale was made under the strict agreement that the technology would only be used for non-military, commercial purposes.

Joseph Stalin was reportedly astonished by the deal, famously asking, "What fool will sell us his secrets?

As soon as the British engines arrived in Moscow, Soviet engineer Vladimir Klimov dismantled them and meticulously reverse-engineered the entire design. The Soviets manufactured their own exact copies domestically, first as the Klimov RD-45 and later upgraded to the Klimov VK-1.

When the Korean War began, United States engineers were shocked to discover that the terrifyingly fast MiG-15 interceptors outclimbing their own aircraft were powered by clones of Britain's own top-tier technology.

Armenia 🇦🇲 Day 4 of 4 day trip. Echmiadzin – Yerevan – Georgian border – Tbilisi, 11 July 2026

We then go to Etchmiadzin, the Holy See of Armenia and the residence of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church – the Catholicos of All Armenians. 

Located just 20 km west of Yerevan in the city of Vagharshapat, Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Founded between 301 and 303 AD by St. Gregory the Illuminator and King Tiridates III, it is widely considered the oldest cathedral in continuous Christian use in the world. 

Etchmiadzin’s history is deeply intertwined with the identity of the Armenian people. Before the cathedral was built, the site housed a pre-Christian fire temple, with roots tracing back to the Urartian period. After Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD, the cathedral was erected on these ancient grounds. According to the fifth-century historian Agathangelos, St. Gregory the Illuminator experienced a vision of Christ descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer. This marked the exact spot for the altar, and the site was named Etchmiadzin, meaning "the place where the Only Begotten descended".

From its foundation until the late fifth century, Etchmiadzin served as the see (Jurisdiction) of the Catholicos, the supreme head of the Armenian Church. In religious terms, a "see" is the official seat, area of authority, or jurisdiction of a bishop or pope. 

483 AD: After Persian invasions severely damaged the original basilica, Vahan Mamikonian rebuilt the core of the cathedral.

1441 AD: After centuries of virtual neglect, the catholicosate was restored at Etchmiadzin and has remained the active headquarters of the church ever since.

1604 AD: The complex was heavily plundered during the campaigns of Shah Abbas I of Persia, who attempted to sever Armenians' ties to their holy sites.

During the 20th century, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin navigated Soviet religious suppression. It managed to remain a functioning spiritual and diplomatic center under the leadership of Catholicos Vazgen I. In 1945, the Soviet government renamed the city to Etchmiadzin; though officially reverted to its historical name of Vagharshapat in 1995, it remains popularly known as Ejmiatsin.

We returned to the Hotel as we had forgotten our passports in the safe. Not needing them in the 4 days we were in Yerevan, completely forgot to pick them up.

Armenia 🇦🇲 Day 4 of 4 day trip. Yerevan - Armenian Genocide Monument and Museum, 11 July 2026

In the morning, drive out of the city to Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex on Tsitsernakaberd Hill.

The Armenian Genocide Memorial, known as Tsitsernakaberd, is Armenia's official monument honoring the 1.5 million victims of the 1915 genocide. Located on a hill in Yerevan,  the complex features the Memorial  Column, a 44-meter spire symbolizing the rebirth of Armenians, twelve pylons representing lost provinces, and the Sanctuary of Eternity enclosing the eternal flame as well as a 100-meter Memorial Wall, and the underground Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

Many foreign dignitaries planted trees to acknowledge the existence of the Armenian Genocide.

Every year on April 24 (Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day), hundreds of thousands of people walk to the memorial to lay fresh flowers around the eternal flame.

Let not we forget.

Armenia 🇦🇲 Day 3 of 4 day trip. Night life in Yerevan, 10th July 2026

The first 2 restaurants we tried were full. So we comtinued walking until we remembered Nostalgia a restaurant by the Luna Park.

Our dinner consisted of a salad of peppers and a a kebab. Kebab is mince cut in cubes not like a sosatie which are separate meat cubes. The waitress did not understand our request for lemonade with gas so Michael ended up with a beer and a virgin Mojito.

First time we have ever been offered a menu of Hokkah smoking options.

Many live performances by singers and instrument players both men and women.

After dinner we went to see the fountain show in republic square.

So many people in the streets, families with young children all enjoying the evening. So much so that wanting an ice cream, we passed 4 ice cream shops all with people waiting in queues.