Georgia and Armenia

Full Disclosure: I didn't write as much as I normally do on this trip, because when I travel with people I lose most of my usual alone time in restaurants and on buses. And, I was lucky and got to travel with a very special someone.

So before I get started on the journaling let me tell you a little about the trip from a cultural perspective:

Georgia: So much wine! Georgians were the first to make wine and they make it in a strange, but all natural way, which makes it incredibly delicious. There were so many times where we meant to get a bottle of wine and cork it for the next day, but ended up drinking the whole thing. We did several wine tours and as it turns out we liked Stalin's 2 favorite wines the most of them all. Whoops!

traditionally made Georgian wine

The food is heavy and filling, and if you are not careful you can way overeat. Luckily sharing dishes came in very useful. Lots of grilled meat and veggies stuffed or blended with nuts, as well as dumplings  stuffed with meat or mushrooms, known as khinkali . They are famous for their dish called khachapuri  which is fresh baked bread in the shape of a boat filled with very strong cheese and a raw egg. They also make something called churckhela, which is basically a string of nuts dipped repeatedly in the the leftover grape mixture from making wine. Super good for hiking and non alcoholic. 

khachapuri

The people in Georgia are so hospitable, especially if you get outside of the main cities. We were in so many cute guest houses and met many amazing people. On my last night there a random stranger offered me a ride to the airport because I took the wrong bus. 

Our designated driver for the day in Kakheti

Georgia has a very interesting culture and history. For us the most interesting bit was in Gori, the city Joseph Stalin was born in. They still glorify him here. There is a museum about him, and  in front, there once stood a large statue of him. However they were forced to take it down and replace it with a smaller version, as it was deemed a monument to communism. We were told that they placed it in an airfield not far from Gori and went in search of and found it, thanks to the owner of our guesthouse, and many random strangers we met along the way. 

Georgia is also known for it's gorgeous landscapes. Unfortunately, we went in the spring, which meant the trails were either insanely muddy, or coated in extremely heavy snow.  We did manage to see a lot of beautiful monasteries. 

RELAX! It was an April fools joke.

Armenia: Food wise they are very similar to Georgia, except they make a special kind of very thin bread called lavash. They also claim to have made the first wine and specialize in pomegranate wine. They also have a very famous brandy called Ararat. We took a tour while we were there, which was very interesting.

Historically Armenia has a very sad history, which involves a lot of death, and loss of land. Originally Mount Ararat (apparently where Noah landed after the flood) was part of their country, but it was annexed to Turkey in a deal to keep a port city within Georgia during the former times of the Soviet Union. The mountain is still a national symbol and can be easily seen from the city.  There are still many disputed territories. 

Armenian Flag

Mount Ararat

Overall we preferred Georgia to Armenia. The people were much kinder (obvious why) and the roads were nicer. I preferred Tblisi to Yerevan, but Lewis really liked Yerevan. 

And now on to the feelings:

March 16th 2018

I feel ridiculously calm considering everything that may or may not happen. Either way, this is going to be a life changing trip. 

March 17th 2018

It feels strange to know so much about you and yet know so little. Part of me feels like we are doing this backwards. 

March 18th 2018

If we keep talking about our future this way, I may start to believe that it will actually happen.

March 19th 2018

We are  6 days in and it is incredible to me how equally relieving and frighting that is. 

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It's strange because usually whenever I arrive at a destination the first thing I do is check for messages from you and send you a "heeeeeey" but now you are with me when I reach my destination. And I really like that. 

March 20th, 2018

I am in way over my head. But for 2 years I have thought that I was meant to be with you. You push me to be the absolute best version of me. You make me laugh in the best possible way, you challenge me to be the best version of myself, but accept me for who I am. I don't think I will ever find anyone like you, but I'm also not sure I deserve someone as good as you. The last 7 days have confirmed what I have already known. I am meant to spend my life with you. 

March 21st 2018

I don't know if it is because we are driving an Armenian car in Georgia, constantly singing out loud, or that we just look different, but people will not stop staring at us. 

March 24th 2018

Sometimes I get mad at how easy people make traveling look. So here is post to show you what it can really be like: Today was shit. We found a cool statue after searching  for an hour in random fields (highlight of the day.) We had a really weird boarder crossing  experience where we got separated, and then continued to drive on a major highway filled with potholes in a new country unable to find a place to exchange money or eat. We were looking forward to  finally arriving at our "lake house" with 3 nice beds, a kitchen, and a washing machine, after a 6 hour drive.  Only, after an hour of searching in the bustling wind, we eventually stopped for a beer at a brewery and managed to contact the owner, who booked us into a shitty hotel next to some abandoned buildings. So, the day has ended in an hour of sink laundry, ordering food/ alcoholic beverages in my very best Russian at the only restaurant we could find in the pouring rain, and joking about how likely we are to get mugged or killed. But the thing is, when you are doing these "shitty" things with one of your best friends they don't seem so shitty anymore.

March 26th 2018

Today as we were finally with some other people I started to wonder what they thought about us. I can't keep my hands off of you, and I wonder if they were judging us for that. But if they knew our story....knew us, maybe it'd be different. Also, I have 2 years to make up for, so I don't really care. 

March 29th 2018

My hand misses your hand. My lips miss your lips. My ears miss your voice. My head misses your shoulder.  I do not understand how we did this for 2.5 years without going crazy. And I don't know why we are agreeing to continue the torture.

March 30th 2018

So I'm stuck waiting for this stupid delayed flight, ready to be home (mostly because I'm used to being at home alone) and there is this super cute family. The dad is American and the mom is British and the kids talk with the cutest accent. We are working together to translate all the Russian announcements about our flight, and I feel myself attaching to them and wanting to learn from them because they are perfect. They work so well with one another. One goes to get coffee as the other contacts possible hotels, one takes a kids to the toilet while the other takes a kid to information desk to ask questions. One grabs the bags while the other gets in line. I has made me miss traveling with you, but mostly it has made me think about how amazing our future will be.