Day 8 April 20, 2026 Dilijan Armenia to Tbilisi Georgia
We drove on into the town of Dilijan for a short walking tour of the town center. We saw a woodworking shop and a ceramic studio. The town is on hills so virtually everything is up or down. Nice place.
Our final Armenian site was the medieval Haghpat Monastery complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that doubled as a major center of learning in the Middle Ages. They had a library, outside work area, storage for food and wine. The monastery was constructed between the tenth and thirteenth centuries. The storage area was underground because the sides and top were covered with dirt and grass. Odd though because you entered without going down.
A short drive later we were at our lunch stop. This would be the farewell lunch as we will soon cross the border into Georgia. Sorry to leave our guide and driver behind. They were both so good.
Some thoughts about Armenia: lots of buildings still reflect the Soviet Era but they are working to remove it. Their election in June will greatly influence their next direction. One of the main candidates is pro Russian. The country has been controlled by so many different empires. Hard to believe these people have stayed so loyal to their heritage. Wages are low and people are moving from the country to the city. The government is working to develop ways to keep people employed in the villages. There is a wood shortage because the countryside still heats with wood. Natural gas is available everywhere but is expensive for farmers and such. The natural gas pipelines are all above ground and only a few feet from the road. They get the gas from Russia and Iran. The country has an incredible history that we knew nothing about. The landscape is varied and incredible. The temperatures were cooler than we expected.
The border is not much further. We get off the bus just outside the passport control. We go through there and meet the bus again on the other side. We drive to the Georgia border where we collect our bags, say goodbye and walk into passport control.
Well that part was easy. Then they scanned our bags and for some reason didn’t like our pill bottles. We carry our vitamins and prescriptions in bottles but not necessarily their bottles. They took out every container, read the labels and looked on some kind of list. Finally they just said go. Really don’t know what they were thinking.The pills were in Connie’s day pack and she looks so much like a drug runner.
We met our Georgian guide Nik and set off for the capital Tbilisi. We are already missing Armenia.
The terrain for the roughly 1.5 hour drive is relatively flat. Mountains are in the distance but they aren’t as impressive looking. Well Tbilisi looks much more modern than Yerevan. The traffic is even worse. The drivers are crazy. A pedestrian takes their life in their hands just walking down the street. Hopefully you don’t need to cross. We drove along the Mtkvari River which starts in Turkey and ends in the Caspian Sea. Our hotel is close to this river.
Later in the evening we had our welcome dinner. As expected some of the foods are similar and some are different. A couple of folks are already saying they don’t want another tomato and cucumber salad. The sad thing is there are so many salads that you are full before the main course ever arrives.
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