Jespers Blog

The north and west coast of Madeira, December 2011

2011-12-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

On the way down from Paul da Serra to Sao Vicente on the north coast of Madeira

Sao Vicente

Seixal

Porto Moniz

Porto Moniz at the north western corner of Madeira

Restaurant O Fio in Ponta do Pargo at the south western corner of Madeira

View from Restaurant O Fio

Espada with wine and garlic (espada de vinho e alhos) - Restaurant O Fio

4 villages, Madeira, December 2011.

2011-12-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

A steep trail is leading the 550 meters down from Hotel Jardim Atlantico to the village below: Paul do Mar.
Hotel Jardim Atlantico is situated in the outskirts of the small village Prazeres.
Calheta in the main city of the local municipality.
Jardim do Mar is a small village at the sea, close to Hotel Jardim Atlantico.

A steep trail is leading from Hotel Jardim Atlantico to the village below: Paul do Mar.

Paul do Mar.

The harbour of Paul do Mar.

Playing domino at the local cafeteria.

View from the local cafeteria.

The houses in Maderian villages can be divided into 5 categories:
1. Ruins
2. Badly maintained
3. Normal
4. Nicely maintained
5. Big newly build (“show off”)

Many of the houses of category 4 and 5 is probably owned of Maderians from the Diaspora (2/3 of all Maderians is living aboard) who has returned to Madeira. This is an example of a category 4.

Many houses presented their own nativity scenes (in Danish: Krybbespil) - here is an example.

View from Paul do Mar.

On our way back to the hotel from Paul do Mar.

View from the trail to Paul do Mar.

View from the trail. In the middle of the pictures abandoned terraces for agriculture.

View from the trail to Paul do Mar.

The church in Prazeres.

Prazeres

Houses in Prazeres

Alternative (pagan?) nativity scene.

View over Calheta. The promenade and the (artificial) beach is a new construction, while the old town is situated in the lower part of the picture.

A view of the old town

Sunset over Calheta

Jardim do Mar - a village just downhill from our hotel

The old sugarcane factory in Jardim do Mar. Agriculture in Madeira was heavily focussed on export crops, which led to famine when there were pest or export problems.

View from the sea promenade in Jardim do Mar to Paul do Mar.

View to Paul do Mar.

The bird of the day The Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) (in Danish: Tårnfalk)

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos (Mudderklire)?

Paúl da Serra, Madeira, December 2011

2011-12-22T05:06:00.000-08:00

Paúl da Serra is Madeiras central highland and often shrouded in mist. Paúl da Serra is the longest plateau, as well as the highest one in Madeira Island with 20 square kilometres of area. Due to the 3 thousand mm/year of rain, combined with the topography and permeability of soil and rocks this is like a big reservoir of water for the whole island.

Clouds rolling in over Paúl da Serra from the north coast

Paúl da Serra is used for grazing

There is a big windmill park on Paúl da Serra

Walking along Levadas, Madeira, December 2011

2011-12-22T02:52:00.001-08:00

Madeira is famous for it’s Levadas, water channels created all over the island to bring water from the highlands to the fertile lower regions.

"Levada" is a Portuguese word derived from the word "levar" - which means to carry and is roughly translated as "carriageway", but more correctly defined as mini-canal. The mini-canals are irrigation systems developed to distribute water from the rainfall heavy and wet regions on the north of Madeira island to the drier sun parched regions of the south. The water is channeled across a wide network of winding canals. These narrow water carriageways deliver precious water along far distances to banana plantations, vineyards, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, as well as to hydro-electric power stations dotted around the island. The levadas criss cross the mountains and cover a total distance of 2500 km, and date back to as far as the early 16th century.

Our two first levada walk was along the levada Calheta to Ponto do Pargo which is one of the longest levadas of Madeira, and it is passing Prazeres, the small village where our hotel was situated

Time for a brake and a coffee

Our hotel (very good service, nice people) drove us to the levada Calheta to Ponto do Pargo 5 hours walk back to the hotel

Close up View from the Levada to a village at the coast

Another levada walk along the levada Calheta to Ponto do Pargo

Leveda at Ecumeada pass

Hotel Jardim Atlantico, Madeira, Portugal, December 2011

2011-12-21T04:44:00.000-08:00

We chose a Hotel outside Funchal, on the south western coastline of the island: Hotel Jardim Atlantico.

Hotel Jardim Atlantico is situated in the outskirts of the small village Prazeres, on a cliff overlooking the sea.

Downhill from the hotel at the seas are situated two small villages: Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar. Here is a view of Jardim do Mar from the hotel.

Here is a view of the cliff below the hotel from Jardim do Mar. The Hotel can be seen in the upper right corner of the photo, and Paul do Mar in the lower left corner of the photo.

Close up photo of the hotel from Jardim do Mar.
Our room is situated to the right on the upper floor.

From Yerevan to Tbilisi, 31 October 2011

2011-11-03T01:11:00.000-07:00

On our way back with Grant and his Mercedes we visited to more monasteries, one at Lake Sevan and the last one: Haghartsin. All together a very intensive programme and I was rather exhausted when we were back in Tbilisi.

Stop at Lake Sevan.

Sevanavank is a monastic complex located on a peninsula at the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan.

Lake Sevan - we had beautiful weather on our way back

Haghartsin Monastery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haghartsin_Monastery) is nicely situated well hidden in the mountains

Grant, our driver, at Haghartsin Monastery

A castle ruin and 4 more monasteries, 30 October 2011

2011-11-03T00:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday we visited a castle ruin at 2300 meters height and 4 more monasteries

Oshakan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oshakan)
The Church of Saint Mesrop Mashtots is the burial place of Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet.
Saint Mesrop Mashtots (361 or 362 – February 17, 440) was an Armenian monk, theologian and linguist. He is best known for having invented the Armenian alphabet, which was a fundamental step in strengthening the Armenian Church, the government of the Armenian Kingdom, and ultimately the bond between the Armenian Kingdom and Armenians living in the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire.

Gravestones can also be used for storing hay

The monastery of Saint George is located just off of the main road that runs through the town of Mughni in the Aragatsotn province.

Saint Gevorg Monastery: Incense seems to be a part of the service in Armenia

It was snowing when we drove up the Aragat to visit the Amberd fortress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amberd)
The fortress is located 2,300 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Aragats at the confluence of the Arkashen and Amberd rivers in the province of Aragatsotn. The name translates to "fortress in the clouds" in Armenian.

The site where the fortress sits presently started as a Stone Age settlement. During the Bronze Age and Urartian periods, a fortress had been built that is now obsolete. Some sources say that Amberd used to be a summer residence for kings. The castle of Amberd and some sections of walls were constructed in the 7th century AD as a possession of the noble House of Kamsarakan.

Four centuries later the fortress and surrounding lands were purchased by the House of Pahlavuni and rebuilt by Prince Vahram Vachutian Pahlavuni, as is recorded in the manuscripts of Grigor Magistros Pahlavuni. Vahram built the Church of Surb Astvatsatsin in 1026, fortified the complex with thicker stone walls, and added three bastions along the ridge of the Arkhashen canyon. Despite being unusual for a military installation, a bath house was built in the same period and has remained moderately intact along with the water supply system.

Amberd was invaded in the 1070s by the Seljuq Turks who turned it into a military base. In 1197, a joint-army of Georgians and Armenians led by General Zakareh Zakarian liberated the fortress. Under Zakarian control during the 12th–13th centuries, the walls were structurally reinforced and the castle and outer buildings were renovated.
The noble Vacheh Vachutian purchased Amberd in 1215, making it a key defensive site in the region. Within a short period of time, the Mongols captured and destroyed the fortress in the year 1236. The site remained abandoned and untouched until the 20th century, when reconstruction and archaeological excavations began.

The Vahramashen Church is a 11th century Armenian church near the castle.

The landscape around the Amberd fortress

Saghmosavank Monastery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saghmosavank_Monastery)
The Saghmosavank Monastery is a 13th century Armenian monastic complex located in the village of Saghmosavan in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. Like the Hovhannavank Monastery which is five kilometers north, Saghmosavank is situated atop the precipitous gorge carved by the Kasagh river.

The gorge carved by the Kasagh river.

Hovhannavank Monastery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hovhannavank_Monastery)
Hovhannavank is an located in the village of Ohanavan. The monastery's title originates from the combination of the name Hovhan (Armenian for Jonah) and the word “vank,” which in Armenian means “monastery.”

Hovhannavank Monastery is also situated atop the gorge carved by the Kasagh river a few kilometers from Saghmosavank Monastery.

Khor Virap and Noravank, 29 October 2011

2011-11-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

When we came to Yerevan we visited the local tour operator “Sati tour” (http://www.satiglobal.com/index.php?page=about_company) and they arranged trips for us on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday we went south east of Yerevan to visit the monasteries Khor Virap and Noravank.

Khor Virap monastery in the Araks River Valley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khor_Virap). The Khor Virap (meaning deep pit or "deep well") is an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery located in the Ararat plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey. Khor Virap's notability as a monastery and pilgrimage site is attributed to the fact that Grigor Lusavorich, who later became Saint Gregory the Illuminator, was initially imprisoned here for 13 years by King Tiridates III of Armenia. Saint Gregory subsequently became the king's religious mentor, and they led the proselytizing activity in the country.

We drove up in the mountains in the southern part of Armenia

There were snow higher up in the mountains

Noravank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noravank), maybe the most beautiful monastery in Armenia, is fantastically situated in a narrow Gorge

The priest at Noravank

Noravank ("New Monastery") is a 13th century Armenian Apostolic Church monastery, located 122 km from Yerevan in a narrow gorge made by the Amaghu river, nearby the city of Yeghegnadzor, Armenia. The gorge is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery. The monastery is best known for its two-storey S. Astvatsatsin church, which grants access to the second floor by way of narrow stones jutting out from the face of building.

Noravank was founded in 1205 by Bishop Hovhannes, the former Abbot of Vahanavank. The monastic complex includes the church of S. Karapet, S. Grigor chapel with a vaulted hall, and the church of S. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God). Ruins of various civil buildings and khachkars are found both inside and outside of the compound walls.

An old soviet militsiya motorcycle parked at the roadside

And the old militsiya man owning it
When the Bolsheviks adopted the name ‘militia’ for their police force, they were seeking to make a symbolic break from the old, tsarist police order. The force which emerged was a ramshackle collection of revolutionary activists, opportunists, bandits-turned-nominal-lawmen and former tsarist police. Idealistic notions that they would be a radically different force from their predecessors came to naught, though, given that the Bolshevik state largely face similar challenges: an inability to deploy enough police effectively to control the countryside, a commitment to political policing over the rule of law, and as a result an implicit or reluctant acceptance of local vigilantism and mechanisms of social control. (http://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/whats-in-a-name-russian-militia-to-be-called-police-again/)

Our driver wanted to show us a bred “factory” making the Armenian flat bread called “Lavash”

Near Noravank is the main wine district of Armenia, with a lot of roadside shops selling the home produced wine.

Our travel agency “Sati tour” had arranged a nice big Chrysler for us

Armenia, 28 – 31 October 2011

2011-11-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

After the last steering committee meeting in the Kura project; Birthe and I decided to go to Armenia, to visit some authorities and do some sightseeing. Grant, the one-legged driver who usually drives us, also drove to Yerevan this time together with some members of our Armenian team, who had participated in the meeting.
When we came to Yerevan we visited the local tour operator “Sati tour” (http://www.satiglobal.com/index.php?page=about_company) and they arranged trips for us on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday we went south east of Yerevan to visit the monasteries Khor Virap and Noravank.
Sunday we visited a castle ruin at 2300 meters height and 4 more monasteries
On our way back with Grant and his Mercedes we visited to more monasteries, one at Lake Sevan and the last one: Haghartsin. All together a very intensive programme and I was rather exhausted when we were back in Tbilisi.

The landscape on the Georgian side of the border

At the tax free shop on the Georgian side of the border

Debed River just on the Armenian side of the border

View from my hotel room on Hrazdan Gorge and the Yerevan skyline

View from my hotel room zooming in on the mountains

Juta, 23 October 2011

2011-10-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning Lisbeth and I drove east up the Sno Valley to Juta village, inhabited mainly by one family: Arabuli.

Still a lot of cattle grazing in the fields.

The landscape up to the Chaukhi Mountain was covered with snow and looked very different from my last visit 2 weeks earlier

Donkeys are not so common in the Caucasus compared to horses

The open pit latrine of one households of the Arabuli family.

The Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) is a European member of the thrush family Turdidae. It is the mountain equivalent of the closely related Common Blackbird, and breeds in gullies, rocky areas or scree slopes. It breeds in the higher regions of western and central Europe and also in the Caucasus. Most populations are migratory, wintering in the Mediterranean region.

Truso Gorge and Ketrisi, 22 October 2011

2011-10-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

Lisbeth and I decided to use our whole day – Saturday – for a walk along the river Tergi into Truso Gorge. Truso gorge and Valley is located on the northern slope of the Caucasus towards Russia, along river Tergi. The Truso gorge and Valley is bordering Russia to the north and the area occupied by Russia/ independent state South Ossetia (Tskhinvali Region in Georgian) to the west. The length of the gorge is 25 km. Truso gorge is also rich in hydrocarbonate mineral waters and one can observe traces of these mineral waters along the whole gorge. Therefore banks of the river Tergi are of various colourings.

According my Guidebook, Peter Nasmyth: Walking in the Caucasus, Georgia from 2006 the valley had been inhabited by Ossetians, who had lived there for centuries.

South Ossetia declared its intention to secede from Georgia in 1990 and, the following year, declared de facto independence. In August 2008 Georgia's efforts to regain control of the area suffered a crippling blow when Russia - the South Ossetian separatists' military backers - defeated a Georgian incursion into South Ossetia in a bloody five-day conflict.

The Ossetians of Truso Valley seems to have been among the people displaced as a result of this conflict, today no people seems to be living in the valley.

We drove to the village Okrokano.

After village Okrokano we walked on a small jeep track along the river in a narrow gorge

Tergi River

After walking in the Tergi Gorge for an hour it opened up and became a valley.

A spring rich in hydrocarbonate, iron and other minerals - like a big bottle of mineral water

Tergi River and in the background Ketrisi Village

Ketrisi Village, Tergi River and some deposits from a mineral spring

Deposits from another mineral spring

Only ruins were left in Ketrisi Village, no inhabitants any more

A police post, no trespassing beyond Ketrisi Village – in the foreground another hiker. In my guidebook from 2006 this hike continues to the next village, and there another hike is described that goes further up the valley – but this possibility is history.

On our way back to Okrokano Village

Tergi Gorge

Tergi River

Okrokano Village – with a military helicopter in the backyard of one of the houses

To Kazbegi, 21 October 2011

2011-10-26T05:16:00.000-07:00

When Lisbeth visited me in Tbilisi we decided to make a similar trip via the Georgian Military Highway to Kazbegi as I did together with Søren and Allen two weeks earlier.

Aragvi River

View from the Soviet viewing platform established to celebrate 200 years “cooperation”

Kazbegi and Sameba Church, 9 October 2011

2011-10-12T04:11:00.001-07:00

Mount Kazbeg

The small peaks right of Mount Kazbeg

View from Kazbegi to the surrounding mountains

Samaba Church

Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) (Gåsegrib in Danish)

Griffon Vulture

Bird watching at Sameba Church, photographing Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) (Gåsegrib in Danish)

On our way back from Samaba Church to Kazbegi

Chaukhi Mountain, Sno Valley, Juta, 8 October 2011

2011-10-12T03:11:00.001-07:00

From Kazbegi we drove to Jutta village, which lies at 2150 m and is the highest village in the area. Basically all inhabitants of this little settlement belong to the same family: Arabuli. From Jutta we went a couple of hours through beautiful meadows in the direction of the magnificent Chaukhi Mountains – visible all the way.

Jutta village
See also http://jesper-48.blogspot.com/2009/08/juta-village-19-july-2009.ht

Juta Village

Juta Village

Juta Village

Starting our hike

Rhododendron meadows

Chaukhi Mountain

Chaukhi Mountain

To Kazbegi, 7 November 2011

2011-10-12T02:38:00.001-07:00

On our way to Kazbegi we made our "usual" stop at Ananuri.
Ananuri was a castle and seat of the Eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century.

View over the upper part of Aragvi river.

And a flat tire on Dimas old VW Golf – it is a wonder that it is still running

When we arrived to our homestay, the place was filled with a dozen or more young Iranians.
But our friendly hostess immediately emptied her own home for family members so we could stay there. The living room was changed to bedroom.

Here is the house altar of the family.

It was nearly dark when we came but we could still see Mount Kazbeg.

The kitchen

And although she was not prepared for us arriving she in a few minutes made some delicious food for us from what she had in her garden in the refrigerator.

To the Ushba Glacier, 24 September 2011

2011-10-07T02:24:00.000-07:00

Surrounded by 3,000–5,000 meter peaks, Svaneti is the highest inhabited area in Europe. Four of the 10 highest peaks of the Caucasus are located in the region. The highest mountain in Georgia, Mount Shkhara at 5,201 meters, is located in the province. Other prominent peaks include Tetnuldi (4,974m.), Shota Rustaveli (4,960m.), Mt. Ushba (4,710m.), and Ailama (4,525m.).

In front of Hotel Ushba, ready for the hike to the Ushba Glacier, 900 meters up from the hotel and 13 km away

“Exhibition” to remember two youngsters who got trapped and froze to death recently while climbing the Ushba Glacier.

The Ushba glacier

On our way down it started to rain heavily

Around Grand Hotel Ushba, 23 September 2011

2011-10-07T01:09:00.000-07:00

Grand Hotel Ushba
On of the most beautiful places in the Caucasus mountains - Mt. Ushba right behind the hotel. Great nature around, no TV, radio, internet

Flying to Mestia, 23 September 2011

2011-10-06T23:07:00.000-07:00

The highest permanently inhabited place in Europe, Svaneti truly has to be seen to be believed.

Svaneti is situated in the high Caucasus, northwest of Tbilisi. Svaneti is real highland territory, with several peaks rising to over 5000 meters. Svaneti is host to the highest mountains in Georgia, and several of the highest mountains in Europe. Shkhara is Georgia’s highest mountain at 5,201, but the twin-peaked pillar of rock Ushba (4710 meters) is the most dramatic mountain in the area and considered one of the most difficult mountains to climb in Europe.

But aside from the stunning natural beauty, the region’s real treasure is the culture of its people - the Svans. With their own language, related to but distinct from Georgian, their own ancient traditions and crafts, and their immense sense of honor, Svans have always been a proudly independent people.

The present Government of Georgia has put great emphasis in supporting tourism in the area, and as a part of the efforts opened a new airport with regular flights (probably heavily subsidised).

Aircompany: Kenn Borek Air (Kanada)
Plane: DHC-300 Twin Otter

The flight to Mestia is famous for always being cancelled - but after waiting for 2 hours we took off.
But when we should fly back two days later, the flight was cancelled, anf we had to take the long drive back (10 hours)

We fly over the NE part of Tbilisi and the Tbilisi Sea. It is a reservoir that is in the mountains NE of Tbilisi and is a popular attraction in the summer time.

Just west of Tbilisi

Refugee housing at Gori

Beautiful autumn colours

We just managed to pass the mountain ridge and entering the Svaneti Region

One of the villages we went past during my last visit two years ago (http://jesper-48.blogspot.com/2009/08/mestia-zhabeshi-22-july-2009.html)

Langeland (The Long Island), August 2011

2011-08-19T03:14:00.000-07:00

From the flat that Lisbeth has rented in relation to a one year job in Langeland Municipality, we investigated the beautiful nature of Langeland.
We had two themes of our trips:
1. Cycling.
2. Flooding
There are a lot of small roads winding through the landscape, with very few cars and perfect for cycling.
It has been raining heavily the last month, and the heavy soils of Langeland was soaked with water, so the additional rain resulted in surface run-off and flooding of the low laying part of the fields.

The Sunday cycling trip was in southernmost part of Langeland: Dovns Klint, and was shortened by heavy rain.

The municipality has invested a lot of money for new plots of land for individual houses, and the were ready, just before the heavy rain - now it seems that they are more suited for swimming than for building

Another view to the new plots of land for individual houses

The cycling trip of Monday afternoon was around Nørreballe Nor

Some friends came for a fishing trip - Langeland is famous for good fishing from the coast

The cycling trip of Tuesday was just southeast of the Rudkøbing, the main town of Langeland

The cycling trip Wednesday afternoon was to Spodsbjerg, east of Rudkøbing

The landscape of Langeland is dominated by windmills

Traditional Danish countryside church

Lisbeths flat is situated in the old town of Rudkøbing in a house called "Washington" an old inn for the sailors on the Goose Square.
Goose Square with the statute of H.C. Ørsted, the inventor of electromagnetism, and one of the many famous sons of Langeland (why no famous daughters?).

The view for Lisbeths flat direction the harbour

The view for Lisbeths flat direction the centre of the town

Lisbeths flat

The memorial plate for the famous Ørsted brothers on the pharmacy opposite Lisbeths flat, where they were born

The cycling trip Thursday afternoon was to Tranekær, north of Rudkøbing. Prehistoric burial ground - a sacred place where the wealthy Stone Age people buried their death.

David Gareja, Saturday, 30 July 2011

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We started our trip to very early, at 6.30, to avoid the mid-day heat at this desert like place.
We walked the up to the mountain ridge which is the border to Azerbaijan to se the frescoes in the caves that once were homes and churches for monks.
More pictures and info on:
http://jesper-48.blogspot.com/2009/04/davit-gareja-sunday-5-april-2009.html
http://jesper-48.blogspot.com/2009/11/davit-gareja-sunday-22-november-2009.html
http://jesper-48.blogspot.com/2010/07/eastern-georgia-19-25-july-2010.html

On our way to David Gareja

The mountain ridge with Georgia on the right side and Azerbaijan on the left.

Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)

We stopped to buy some water melons – plenty of such places on the roadside when you approach Tbilisi.

To Village Pansheti, 29 July 2011

2011-08-03T05:41:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Kazbegi we took an easy walk upstream the river

On our way we passed a swimming pool supplied by water from a spring. Probably it was build in soviet times, but still functional.

Our hostess

Dima's very old and not very good VW Golf in front of our homestay.

To Mount Kazbeg, 28 July 2011

2011-08-03T05:27:00.000-07:00

Torbjørn an I allocated a whole day in Kazbegi to a walk up to one of the glaciers from Mount Kazbeg, 1,3 km above the city. It was a bit too tuff, I would recommend to take a taxi to the Gergeti Trinity Church to cut 400 meters from the 1,3 km. I could fell the trip in my legs several days after.

Mount Kazbeg is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus

We went in the direction of Gergeti Trinity Church along a small stream

View to Mount Kazbeg

On our (long) way up

After many hours of walking we got the view of the glacier - one of several glaciers starting from Mount Kazbeg

Rhododendron

It started to rain and we hurried down - fortunately it ended just as fast as it started

Sunset over Mount Kazbeg

Silhouette of Gergeti Trinity Church

One of the small cliffs right of mount Kazbeg had a silhouette very similar to the Gergeti Trinity Church

Sunset over Mount Kazbeg

From Kazbegi to Tsdo Village, 27 July 2011

2011-08-03T03:51:00.001-07:00

After we arrived we took a walk down the Georgian Military Highway direction Russia.

Tsdo village

View from Tsdo village

Larvae attacked by ants

On our way down from Tsdo village

To Kazbegi, 27 July 2011

2011-08-03T02:45:00.000-07:00

My friend from Norway; Torbjørn, was visiting me and we decided to go up the Georgian Military Highway to the town Kazbegi in the Caucasus near the Russian border

Our very nice and helpful driver, Dima

A short break at the Zhinvali reservoir

The Soviet viewing platform

Beekeeping at the Soviet viewing platform

Welcome coffees at our home stay. Dima helped us to find a nice place with friendly people and good food – for more pictures see: http://jesper-48.blogspot.com/2011/08/bed-and-breakfast-in-kazbegi-georgia.html

The impressive view from our home stay, with Gergeti Trinity Church to the left and Mount Kazbegi to the right

Enjoying the welcome coffees at our home stay.

Bed and Breakfast in Kazbegi, Georgia

2011-08-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

Nana Qerashvili
+995 551 21 10 14
+995 551 21 10 16

Prague, 16 July 2011

2011-07-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

On my trip to Brussels I have a 10 hours stopover in Prague, so I used the opportunity to visit the town where I had never been before.

The historical centre of Prague is divided into five areas, spanning both banks of the Vltava River. Charles Bridge is the main pedestrian connection between the two.
On one side of the Vltava River is the Old Town (Stare Mesto), with the Old Town Square at its heart; the New Town (Nove Mesto), with Wenceslas Square at its heart; and the Jewish Quarter (Josefov).
On the other side of the river is the Lesser Town (Mala Strana), and the Castle District (Hradcany), with Prague Castle at its heart.

After 6 hours of walking (and very little sleep) I was rather tired when I arrived to Brussels, after the last leg in my travel.

The Old Town Square
I have heard so much about Prague totally crowded by tourists, but when I arrived it was totally empty apart from a few alcoholics. Maybe it was because of my early arrival, 7.30 in the morning.

The Old Town Square in the morning

And yes, there were many more tourists later at the day.

The Old Town Square in the morning

One of the Synagogues in the the Jewish Quarter (Josefov). It was closed when I was there – Saturday

The famous Jewish churchyard in Prague

View from Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) to Castle District (Hradcany)

Saint Vitus Cathedral - the most recognisable landmark in the city

On my way up to Castle District

The Prague pilgrim place Loreta, a former church of the Lobkowitz family. Since the foundation of Loreta, the Capuchin monks take care of Loreta and of the pilgrims.

A very angry fish with two tails - decoration on one of the houses in Castle District

Prague castle

St. George's Basilica is the oldest church building within the Prague Castle complex. St. George's Basilica was founded by Prince Vratislav (915-921).

Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) is a 14th century stone bridge. King Charles IV commissioned the bridge

There are no lack of restaurants serving traditional (heavy but good) Czech food and even better Czech beer.

The Vltava River

Wenceslas Square

Pankisi Valley, 9-10 July 2011

2011-07-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

The Pankisi Valley is situated in the upper part of the Alazani River. Alazani River is the main river in Kakheti, the easternmost part of Georgia. Pankisi Valley is inhabited by Chechen Muslims.

During the war in Chechnya many it had allegedly often been used as a base for transit, training and shipments of arms and financing by Chechen rebels and Islamic militants. Most of these accusations were around 2002, but others allege that it is more peaceful now, although there are still many Chechen refugees living there.

Birthe and I went to Pankisi Valley inspired of a website advertising the valley as a tourist destination with description of the valley, trips to the mountains, home stays etc.

We lived in a nice house in Duisi, the main town in the Pankisi Valley at Keke’s house.

Our hostess with her granddaughter. Her husband was working in Russia, and she was taking care of the small girl (maybe her parent was working in Russia).

The houses of the Chechens, including that of our hostess, all have very impressive gardens. In the background you can the see the bathroom facilities.

The “shower”, only cold water, but a lot of it.

The toilet in the corner of the garden. No light so you could only use it in the day time. In the house there were a "European bathroom" but it was no water was connected and as our hostess explained it could not be fixed as her husband was not home.

The Pankisi Valley next to Duisi.

Free Pankisistan in Chechen language?

Look what a nice larva I have caught

On our second day our contact person Melsi had arranged a trip to the mountains on horseback

Melsi had hired two very nice guys, friends and both studying law, to take care of the horses and us on our trip to the mountains.
The one with the t-shirt with Chechnya in Russian (Melsi’s brother) was studying in Tbilisi, his friend was studying in Grosnij, and on holiday in Duisi.

The people in front of us were on their way to a schaslick birthday party at river.

The schaslick when it was still alive. On our way back we were invited to join the party, but we managed to say no.

On our way further up the valley.

When the road stopped at a small hydropower plant, only very steep mountains were in front of us.

A landslide had blocked the road so we had to wait for some time before it was cleared.

Honey production

Our Grosnij friend demonstrated how to handle a horse

The alcoholic bear, 3 July 2011

2011-07-08T04:02:00.000-07:00

On our way back revisited the brown bear (last visit 21 November 2009) in a very small cage at a roadside restaurant.

It has probably been installed there as an attraction for visitors to nearby shop and a restaurant. It seemed that the main attraction was to feed it with beer. It could open the bottle and from it in a very human way. The fact that the brown bear is an endangered species strictly protected in Georgia did not seem to having gained understanding all over Georgia.

When Lisbeth and I were visiting Eagle Gorge; Dima, while waiting for us, made some ethnographic studies in the nearby village and found out that it formerly had been inhabited mainly by Russian, who now had left for Russia, so the town was more or less deserted. He also socialised with one of the remaining Russians, who was heavily alcoholised (2 bottles of vodka pr. day). Dima's comment regarding the bear was that it was similarly alcoholised as the Russian.

Since the early 1990s the illegal capturing and keeping of brown bears in cages or as pets is becoming a common occurrence in Georgia. Today one can see captive bears at roadside restaurants and petrol stations. In most cases the initial motivation for keeping a bear is to attract more visitors. In addition, bears are also kept as pets in private homes. Most often the bears are not receiving proper care or food. http://www.alertis.nl/index.php?id=142

Most of the captive bears have to live under harsh conditions that are truly deplorable and inhumane. Most are locked up in cages that fail to meet even minimum requirements. The cages are typically small, dirty and lack any shade at all. Most often the bears are not receiving proper care or food.

Their diet is often extremely poor and comprises restaurant leftovers, mostly consisting of bread products and cooked food scraps. Some of them have to live under a constant noise of busy roads and the threat of being teased by crowds. Most owners of the bears lack any knowledge as to how to take care of their captive bears. Owners do not observe even the most basic safety rules and visitors are often exposed to potential threats. http://www.alertis.nl/index.php?id=142

Eagle Gorge, 3 July 2011

2011-07-08T04:01:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, after a couple of days recovery after our trip to Armenia, Dima drove us to Eagle Gorge, west of Tbilisi, near the town of Dedoplistskaro.

As all other river and streams in Georgia, the Eagle Gorge stream is a very popular place for the local population to throw their garbage – doesn’t make the country more attractive for tourists

We also brought an animal with us back to Tbilisi - it wasn’t welcome

From Yerevan to Tbilisi, 30 June 2011

2011-07-08T02:39:00.001-07:00

View from the road to Mount Aragat

In the villages on the mountain plateau cow dung is dried and used for fuel

The new church in Spitak, the first bigger town on our way down fra the mountains.
The massive earthquake that struck Armenia on December 7, 1988 was epicentered in Spitak, taking at least 25,000 lives. Measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale, the many poorly constructed Soviet buildings across the region sustained heavy damage or collapsed.
The small city of Spitak was destroyed, while the nearby cities of Gyumri and Vanadzor sustained a lot of damage as well. The tremor also caused damage to many surrounding villages.
Since most of the hospitals in the area were destroyed, and due to freezing winter temperatures, officials at all levels were not ready for a disaster of this scale and the relief effort was therefore insufficient.

We were driving along the Pambak and Debed River. In soviet times a lot of industry was situated in the towns along the rivers, but not there are only ruins left.

Sanahin Monastery. Haghpat and Sanahin Monastery is situated in the Debed canyon close to Alaverdi, the last of the last of major industrial towns with their ruin of enormous soviet industrial complexes, situated on the road along the Debed River from Yerevan to Tbilisi.
Built in the monastery over the centuries were more than 20 various churches and chapels, bell-towers, the building of the Academy, book depositories, refectories, galleries, bridges and other monumental structures, to say nothing of numerous dwelling and service premises.

The bell tower of Sanahin Monastery

Armenian gravestones tell stories. This about 3 sisters and one brother all killed in one car crash

The bell tower of Haghpat monastery
Haghpat monastery was founded, like Sanahin Monastery, by Queen Khosrovanush around 1000.

Haghpat was major literary center, and maintained rich feudal lands until the monastery properties were confiscated by the Russian Empire in the 19th c.
Haghpat and Sanahin Monastery are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List based on the following arguments: These two Byzantine monasteries in the Tumanian region from the period of prosperity during the Kiurikian dynasty (10th to 13th century) were important centres of learning. Sanahin was renowned for its school of illuminators and calligraphers. The two monastic complexes represent the highest flowering of Armenian religious architecture, whose unique style developed from a blending of elements of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture and the traditional vernacular architecture of the Caucasian region.

Mount Aragat, 28 June 2011

2011-07-08T02:22:00.000-07:00

Lusine, Lisbeth and I went to Mount Aragat (not to be distinguished with Mount Ararat just on the other side of the Turkish border) with the intention to hike to its south peak, elevation 3893 meter.
02 The way to Mount Aragat.

The way to Mount Aragat.

The Yazidis in their summecamp. The Yazidis in Armenia are the largest ethnic and religious minority in the country. The Yazidis are mostly ethnic Kurds who live in the west of Armenia and are adherents of the smallest of the three branches of Yazdânism.

From the top we had views in all directions

On the whole hike we could see Mount Ararat in the distance

Garni & Geghard, 27 June 2011

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The Garni Temple was built in the first century A.D. by the Armenian King Tiridates with the money he received after visiting Emperor Nero in Rome.

The monastery of Geghard (meaning spear) is a unique architectural construction in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While the main chapel of the monastery of Geghard was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave

The monastery of Geghard is famous for its Khachkars inset in rock outcropping

From Goris to Yerevan, 26 June 2011

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Looking at flowers. Jermuk. Visits to the monasteries Gladzor, Kach, Khor Virap

Jermuk is a popular holiday resort in the region Vayots Dzor and attractive for its waterfall

Gladzor Monastery, 13th century

Stone relief from Gladzor Monastery

Stone relief from Gladzor Monastery

The landscape around Gladzor Monastery

The landscape around Gladzor Monastery

Kach Monastery is not on the list of interesting places in Armenia

There were of gathering of locals around the church celebrating some religious event

The bird of the day 1

Khor Virap monastery rests on the top of a little hill in an otherwise very flat Ararat Valley. It is famous for its profile with mount Aragat, situated in Turkey, in the background

St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned at Khor Virap for 13 years before curing King Trdat III of a disease. This caused the conversion of the king and Armenia into the first officially Christian nation in the world in the year 301

The pit where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned

The bird of the day 2, White stork

Three Villages, 25 June 2011

2011-07-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

We would like to take a walk and had found a section of the Janapar trail leading from east to west of Nagorno Karabakh.

But due to language problems and difference in culture (the concept of walking just for the sake of walking, when you have a car is very strange for people in the Caucasian countries) we could not get further than arranging a visit to three of the villages on the Janapar trail: Aygestan, Lusadzor and Dardev.

Village street

We saw several signs saying that this was a part of the Janapar trail during our visits to the villages

The local news agency

It was not only us looking at the locals, the locals was also looking at us

our driver was very good in socialising

The landscape surrounding the villages

Skhtorashen and Amaras, 24 June 2011

2011-07-07T00:18:00.000-07:00

The huge planar tree of S'khtorashen. The sign says: Platan chinar - 2,000 years; Hollow of tree is 44 square meters; Capacity of tree is 27 meters; Height of tree is 54 meters; Area covered by drancert of tree is 1,400 square meters; Saved (protected) by state

S'khtorashen is a popular and wonderful picnic spot.

Landscape with mulberry trees

Grandma is taking care of her grandson and at the same time cutting hay in her mulberry orchard

St. Gregory the Illuminator founded a church in what was to become Amaras Monastery at the start of the 4th century.
The monastery was plundered in the 13th century by the Mongols, destroyed in 1387 during Tamerlane's invasion, and demolished again in the 16th century. It underwent radical restructuring in the second quarter of the 17th century when the surviving defensive walls were constructed. Amaras was later abandoned, and in the first half of the 19th century the monastery served as a frontier fortress for Russian imperial troops.

Also Amaras is the perfect spot for a picnic

The landscape around Tigranakert. Tigranakert is an Armenian city dating back to the Hellenistic period. It is one of several former cities in the Armenian plateau with the same name, named in honour of the Armenian king Tigranes the Great.

From the excavations of Tigranakert

Hoopoe, Upupa epops, Hærfugl

Hoopoe, Upupa epops, Hærfugl

Agdam, formerly a city of 100.000 inhabitants but now a totally deserted ghost town is a few kilometers south from Stepanakert.
The former inhabitants of Agdam deserted city in 1993, under the threat of Armenian military operations. Taking away with them furniture and personal belongings.
Displaced, those thousands Azerbaijai is living in camps, real closed “cities”, in the region of Barda and Sumgaït.

Old Muslim graveyard just next to the road.

All over Nagorno Karabakh you will find signs of the war nearly 20 years ago.

Dadivank and Gandzasar, 23 June 2011

2011-07-06T06:50:00.001-07:00

The road to Dadivank went through the deserted areas of the Shahumyan region along the Titu River and were very bad.

Dadivank Monastery is beatifully situated.
A restoration began in August 2004 and was completed in 2005. The works of restoration were sponsored by Armenian-American businesswoman Edele Hovnanian. During the year the restoration of the Katoghike (the main domed church of the complex) was accomplished.

Dadivank Monastery was built between the 9th and 13th century.

The monastery was founded by St. Dadi who was the disciple of Thaddeus the Apostle who spread Christianity in Eastern Armenia during the first century A.C. In June, 2007, the grave of St. Dadi was discovered under the holy altar of the main church.

We took a walk uphill from the monastery

The landscape around Dadivank Monastery

Even in the remote areas of the Shahumyan region there are signs of fighting

Gandzasar monastery is a 13th century Armenian monastery situated in the Mardakert region of Nagorno-Karabakh, near the village of Vank. "Gandzasar" means treasure mountain or hilltop treasure in Armenian.

Gandzasar was the residence of the catholicoi of the Albanian Catholicate of the Armenian Apostolic Church from about 1400 until 1816,and is now the seat of the Archbishop of Artsakh.

The Van Gogh ship is stranded like a Noah’s arch in the Karabakh mountains at Vank next to Gandzasar

We had a very nice dinner at the Van Gogh restaurant

Around Goris, 21 June 2011

2011-07-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

We had some problems in finding the old caravanserai

But after and while a several consultations with the locals we succeeded

We used a totally new cable car to cross the Vorotan canyon and get to the Tatev Monastery

Tatev monastery is build like a castle with big walls to two sider and gorges to the two other

View from Tatev monastery to one of the gorges surrounding it

We found time to stop to look at the flowers

On the fields there is an impressive profusion of flowers. Some fields are yellow other white, pink, blue or other colours.

Yerevan-Goris, 20 June 2011

2011-07-05T03:41:00.001-07:00

The trip of the day was from Yerevan to Goris. through Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions. On the way we visited Noravank Monastery and Zorats Karer a 5000 year old Armenian Stonehenge. We stayed overnight in Goris at the Michav Hotel.

Vayots Dzor region has beautiful mountain landscapes

The famous Noravank Monastery is situated in an impressive canyon

The Noravank Monastery is famous for its stone carvings

The church is the upper part while the lower part is for graves

First animal of the day

The stone carvings at Noravank Monastery includes one of good

Zorats Karer is a 5000 year old Armenian Stonehenge

Yerevan, 19 June 2011

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Republic Square, a popular place in the hot summer evenings

Republic Square, the central place in Yerevan

To Yerevan, 18 June 2011

2011-07-04T20:49:00.001-07:00

We are waiting at the border.

Goshavank monastery

Wedding time at Lake Sevan

Previously the water level in Lake Sevan was much higher

Cherry trees are blossoming on Boegevej, 27 April 2011

2011-04-28T03:30:00.001-07:00

Moen and Nyord, 25 April 2011

2011-04-28T02:18:00.000-07:00

Lisbeths and my Easter Monday trip was to one of the easternmost islands of Denmark: Moen and a small island next to it: Nyord

The road from Moen to Nyord

Our first stop was the very small island Nyord.
Nyord has two parts: One hill created by the ice during the ice-age, and one very low created by the sea, which has deposit material here.
First we visited the flat meadows

The low meadows on Nyord are very important for many migratory birds, and they are protected nature
On the picture Danish name: Vibe, UK: Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

Danish name: Kanadagås, UK: Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis), an invasive species in Scandinavia

Nyord town

View from Nyord to Moen

hether you are standing on the beach looking up at the cliff, or you are up there looking down, you will feel the thrill of being on a roller coaster. There is nothing like it elsewhere in Denmark.
According to an old legend, the King of the Cliff, the Jew Opsal, lives on Møns Klint. It is said that there are two caves in Møns Klint; in one of them lives the King of the Cliff himself, in the other live his dog and white horse.
The King of the Cliff was to protect Møn from misfortune and attack.

Not only is the dramatically steep cliff an experience in itself, but also the woods and the open spaces are full of exciting wildlife. The area is well known for its many beautiful orchids.

View from the top of Møns Klint
Møns Klint is one of the most curious landscapes in Denmark. It is a chalk cliff, almost 8 kilometres in length, its highest peak measuring just on 100 metres.

The last stop was grasslands of Høvblege on the island of Møn
There is a fantastic view from Høvblege
over the Baltic Sea
Høvblege house many orchids, butterflies and day-flying moths

Høvblege is one of the few places in Denmark where European Serin lives.
Danish name: Gulirisk, UK: European Serin (Serinus serinus)

Hills west of Saburtalo (Tbilisi, Georgia), April 16, 2011

2011-04-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

After I had not been biking for nearly a year, I decided to give it a try. I had spotted an interesting trip on Google Earth. The roads I had found on Google Earth to the villages (Nafetvrebi and Mukhatskaro) on the hills west of Saburtalo one of the districts of Tbilisi.

The road went up, up and up, and the effort was close to what I am able to handle. But I succeeded, with many nice views on the tough road up and easy way down.

On my way out of town I passed several cemeteries, where people were very busy tidying up the graves.

I am always impressed by the Georgian gravestones.

Much of the way uphill was through the village Nafetvrebi.
Half of the houses was deserted or never finalised, and I saw very few people - a very strange feeling, like a ghost town or after a war.
Difficult to explain why, the village was only half an hour drive from Tbilisi centre and the houses had fantastic views.

A nice small mountain stream -

- the perfect place to throw your garbage.

Georgian architects does not seem to be involved in the design of many of the countryside houses

Lise Lake and Tbilisi reservoir
It was very hard on my legs to cycle uphill. But I also got managed to get higher than on other cycle trips. Here I look down at the Tbilisi reservoir (centre) and Lisi Lake, two places that Vlado and I have visited on our bikes: When we went there I found it rather challenging, but on this trip I got far higher up.

The area around Tbilisi is rich in deep gorges and steep mountain ridges, which divides the town

Around Tbilisi you find many areas with soviet concrete blocks

Spring is in the air

The last road section before I came to the urban area

Algeti National Park, 9 April 2011

2011-04-12T00:16:00.001-07:00

Saturday Søren and I went to Algeti National Park together with Patrick from Germany and Sasja from Ukraine, two of Sørens friends.

The Park is at distance of 60 km west of Tbilisi. It covers the southern slopes of eastern part of the Trialeti range in the gorge of the Algeti River and is situated within 1100 - 1950 m above sea level. The Park was established in 1965.

Originally we had planned to start at 9 am, but it was raining heavily in the morning so the trip was cancelled. But as the weather improved during the day we started at 2 pm, and had very nice weather with clear skies and a beautiful walk in the park.

Passing the Algeti River on a primitive bridge

We had very clear skies and on our way back to Tbilisi we had some nice views to the high Caucasus

Birtvisi Canyon, 26 March 2011

2011-03-26T07:41:00.001-07:00

Saturday Dima drove Søren and I to the Birtvisi Canyon, south of the Algeti reservoir, one hours drive from Tbilisi.

A week later I found out that I had picked up a castor bean tick (in Danish Flåt) in Birtvisi, by that time it was fully engorged with my blood

The small black section of the animal in front is its size before the nasty creature had been sucking my blood

Hash to Shavnabada Monastery, 13 March 2011

2011-03-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

This Sundays hash was to the Shavnabada Monastery. "Shavnabada" is located on the top of the mountain with the same name not far away from Tbilisi.

Shavnabada Monastery.
There is a very interesting legend about the name of the mountain and the Monastery.
Centuries ago, Georgians were loosing fight against foreign invaders. Suddenly they saw a knight sitting on the white horse wearing black felt cloak, with his help Georgians won the fight but when they wanted to thank him after the victory nobody could find him, finally they saw the knight going to the direction of this mountain where he disappeared. Georgians believe the knight in black felt cloak (in Georgian Shavi Nabadi) was St. George who came to help them in war. They gave the name Shavnabada to the mountain and built "Shavnabada" St. George church on top of it.

The basic idea of hashing is simple:
One or more members of the club (the hares) mark a route (the trail), with flour.
The rest of the members (the pack) will follow the trail, looking for marks (checking the trail).

The youngest participant in the hash

As many other churches in Georgia, the church of the Shavnabada Monastery was newly restored

From the Monastery there was a fantastic view in all directions.

At the end of the Hash the pack and the hares cicle up to evalute the hash.

One or more of the hashers - the Religious Advisor/Grand Master/Circle Master - do a recap, handing out praise and punishment to the participants for deeds done on trail.
Typical down downs include: Setting the trail, getting lost, arriving late, being quoted in the media without mentioning the hash, spilling beer, being a newcomer (virgin) or a visitor, limited only by the imagination of the Religious Advisor/Grand Master/Circle Master

The praise/punishment are the same: the lucky(?) one gets a down-down - a drinking vessel of beer which has to be emptied within a certain amount of time, while the rest of the pack chants and cheers

Brussels, 28 February to 3 March, 2011

2011-03-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

In Brussels I participated in two workshops of ENPI east projects on behalf of our Kura project: “Communication an EU-funded project” and a coordination meeting for ENPI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument) East Regional Projects.

I had never been in Brussels before and after the meetings I went for some sightseeing.

Central market square.
"One of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, if not in the world", is a phrase often heard when visitors in Brussels try to describe the beauty of the central market square.

Central market square.
The House of the Dukes of Brabant.

Central market square.
During the early Middle Ages small wooden houses were scattered around the market, but as from the 14th century the rich and powerful patrician families built stone mansions. Gradually the market turned into the main commercial and administrative centre of the city.
In the following centuries most wooden houses where replaced with beautifully decorated stone ones, mostly owned by the Brussels guilds.

On August the 13th 1695, however, the prestigious square was bombed to ruins by Field Marchal DE VILLEROY. By order of Louis XIV of France he had Brussels destroyed in reprisal of a lost Battle in Namur (south Belgium).Between 1695 and 1700 the guilds rebuilt all the houses. Also the heavily damaged townhall was entirely reconstructed.In the 18th and 19th centuries most of the houses became private property.

After attempts of several owners to modernize the facades of their houses, which would have resulted in a mutilation of the unity of style, the mayor of Brussels, Karel Buls, decided that the houses of the Grand-Place had to be preserved as much as possible in their original style. Since that year the owners of the houses are bound by a servitude.

Central market square.
The Town Hall, the FOX (House of the traders guild with the statue of St. Nicolas on top) - The HORN (House of the sailors. The upper floor looks like the rear end of a ship) - The SHE-WOLF

Monument of the dying Everard't Serclaes
Everard't Serclaes (c. 1320 – 31 March 1388), lord of Cruyckembourg (Ternat), a citizen of Brussels, was made famous by his recovery of that city from the Flemish.
It is said among locals that the statue of Everard 't Serclaes brings luck and grants the wishes of all who touch it. Many tourists touch (or rather rub) the statue, and this constant polishing keeps the body depicted in the statue in a shining color compared to the rest of the sculpture. Other parts are also touched frequently by the tourists such as the face of an angel, a dog, and one of the shields.

New York has the Statue of Liberty, Copenhagen has the mermaid and Brussels has the ...... Manneken Pis. This statue of a little boy in a somewhat compromising position has since several centuries been a major tourist attraction in the city. When most people see our 'manneken', the first reaction is always one of amazement: "Look, how small he is ! Why does everybody want to see him ?" The people of Brussels, however, accept him the way he is. After all, it doesn't always have to be big to be beautiful.

Belgium claims to be the country with the best beer in the world, but it was difficult to find the good beer in the restaurants I visited

It should not be allowed to sell beer in such small bottles!

The royal park

The royal park

The Rose-ringed Parakeet is a gregarious tropical parakeet species The Rose-ringed Parakeet is one of few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in 'disturbed habitats', and in that way withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation. It is a noisy species with an unmistakable squawking call.
The Rose-ringed Parakeet is an invasive species with big population in parks in many towns including London and Brussels. Worldwide, all colonizing flocks are initially the product of deliberate or accidental releases of breeding pairs.

As it was breeding time for the Rose-ringed Parakeets when I visited Brussels they were busy finding a partner and defending the hole in a tree chosen for their nest.

Rose-ringed Parakeets are popular as pets and have the ability to mimic human speech. First it listens to its surroundings, and then it copies the voice of the human speaker.
The Rose-ringed Parakeet is an invasive species with big population in parks in many towns including London and Brussels. Worldwide, all colonizing flocks are initially the product of deliberate or accidental releases of breeding pairs.
It has also been seen in Denmark, and as temperatures increases we will probably soon we will have our own populations in the parks in Copenhagen.

From Yerevan to Tbilisi, 17 February 2011

2011-02-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

On our way from Yerevan we first drive up to a plateau at a high elevation and from there down though the Debed Gorge to the Georgian border.

From the plateau we drive down to along the Pambak River to Spitak.

The Spitak Earthquake is named after this town. The Earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9 and took place on December 7, 1988. The earthquake killed at least 25,000 people. Geologists and earthquake engineering experts laid the blame on the poorly built support structures of apartments and other buildings built during the "stagnation" era of Leonid Brezhnev. Local housing infrastructure (particularly schools and hospitals) performed poorly in the earthquake.

The entire city of Spitak was destroyed, and there was partial damage to the nearby cities of Gyumri and Vanadzor. The tremor also caused damage to many surrounding villages.

Since most of the hospitals in the area were destroyed, and because of extremely low winter temperatures, officials at all levels were not ready for a disaster of this scale and the relief effort was therefore not launched properly. The Armenian government let in foreign aid workers to help with the recovery in the earthquake's aftermath, and this was one of the first cases when rescue and relief workers from other countries were allowed to take part in relief works in the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev, on a visit to the United States, cut his trip short and went directly to Armenia to visit the quake-affected areas.

The railway between Yerevan and runs along the Pambak and Debed River (Debed River starts when Pambak River joins Dzoraget River) and the whole gorge was in the soviet times heavily industrialized. On the way through the gorge you pass the ruins of one big industrial complex after the other, all seems to be poorly build and in different stages of crumpling.

Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, of which big part was in the Debed canyon, supplying machine tools, chemicals, electronic products, machinery, processed food, synthetic rubber and textiles and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture and small enterprises and the unemployment rate is very high.

On the plateau lives the Yazidis Kurds - the largest ethnic and religious minority in Armenia. Relations between the Yazidis and the ethnic Armenian majority have varied (from cooperation to persecution by the latter). Currently, Yazidis have freedom of religion and non-interference in their cultural traditions.

View over the Debed Gorge, with river, road and railway. its is a small river and in soviet times it must have been very heavily polluted with industrial wastewater from all the big industrial complexes along the river - without any sewage treatment.

The only big industry from soviet times that is still working is the Alaverdi copper smelter. It is probably a good example of the total lack off environmental concern that characterized the soviet industries.

Vest of Yerevan, 16 February 2011

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At our latest project mission to Armenia we found time for some sightseeing west of Yerevan

The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant was built during the 1970s, about thirty kilometres west of the Armenian capital of Yerevan in the city of Metsamor. The power plant produces about 40% of Armenia's electricity. It was closed due to the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. However, blockades by Turkey and Azerbaijan, which created energy shortages in Armenia, caused the Armenian government to decide to reopen the plant in 1993.
The plant has been operated by Russian company Inter RAO UES since 2003, as part of a five year term to help pay off Armenia's debts.
The authorities in Yerevan formally agreed in 2007 to close the Metsamor plant after several years of pressure from the United States and the European Union, which claim it to be inherently unsafe and are promoting to build its own version of the reactor. The E.U. reportedly had classified the VVER 440 Model V230 light water-cooled reactors as the "oldest and least reliable" category of all the 66 Soviet reactors built in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Armenia is currently discussing the issue of constructing a new nuclear power plant with a projected cost of $4 -7.2 billion dollars to substitute the old power plant.

First stop was the memorial for the Battle of Sardarabad.

In January 1918, two months after the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia, the Sovnarkom, the highest government authority under the Bolshevik system, issued a decree which called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Caucasus Front. The Armenians attempted to stall the Ottoman advance as they created a small Armenian army to take up the positions the Russians had abandoned. At this time, only a small area of historical Armenian territory which used to be a part of the Russian Empire remained unconquered by the Ottoman Empire, and into that area hundreds of thousands of Armenian refugees had fled after the Armenian Genocide.
The Armenian forces immediately began to prepare for the upcoming battle. Catholicos (head of Armenian church) Gevorg V ordered that church bells peal for six days as Armenians from all walks of life – peasants, poets, blacksmith, and even the clergymen – rallied to form organized military units.
On May 21 1918, the Ottomans took Sardarabad. An Armenian offensive was launched on May 22 and in the end Ottoman commanders ordered a general retreat as the surviving elements of the Ottoman army were put to flight.

View from the Sardarabad memorial over the Araks River to the mountains in Turkey on the other side of the border

Echmiadzin is the center of the Armenian Church. It is where the Catholicos (head of Armenian church) of all Armenians lives, and the location of the Ejmiatsin Cathedral.
The cathedral, built in 480 on the very spot Grigor Luysavorich (St. Gregory the Illuminator) dreamt Jesus Himself descended to from heaven to show him where He wanted the church to be built.
Ejmiatsin was founded by King Vagarshak (117-140) in the place of Vardkesavan, an ancient settlement of the third-second centuries B.C. After Christianity was proclaimed the state religion in 301, Ejmiatsin became the country’s religious centre.

Gravestones of the Catholicos (head of Armenian church).

Saint Hripsimé Church, also situated in Echmiadzin, is one of the oldest surviving churches in Armenia. Saint Hripsimé Church is build on a pagan structure. The church was erected by Catholicos Komitas in the year 395 and the church was completed in the year 618.

Wedding in Saint Hripsimé Church.
See also: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1353578307308012045#docid=-2278608743785569598
video from another wedding in Saint Hripsimé Church
the red apple symbolizes the bride's virginity, see: http://armenianodar.blogspot.com/2007/11/sasha-and-reginas-wedding.html

It must have been a good day for weddings. We saw several processions of cars following a nicely decorated car (with the bride and the groom) making noise with their horn – typical for weddings – on the road.

Dmanisi, January 22, 2011

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The castle ruins

Georgians like to build churches in the old castles

A burial stone (pre Christian?)

The Mashavera River, view from the castle ruins

A memorial for soviet soldiers who died during the Second World War (why the Hitler Heil I do not understand)

Pictures of the soldiers

Bird of the day (unknown)

Dmanisi is the name of a very old archaeological site located in the Caucausus of the Republic of Georgia, about 90 kilometers southwest of Tbilisi, near the junction of the Masavera and Pinezaouri rivers.

Dmanisi is world famous for the excavation of complete hominid skulls were found, and they most likely represent early Homo ergaster/Homo erectus.

The castle is situated beneath a medieval castle which has been the center of a town. The location of the castle is perfect form a strategic point of view with step gorges on all sites and overlooking the road junction.

Eka, Vlado and I had a nice trip to Dmanisi. We were the only visitors and the museum with the skulls was closed.

On our way back to Tbilisi we visited the Bolnisi Sioni (see http://jesper-48.blogspot.com/2010/11/bolnisi-19-november-2010-3-churches-3.html), where a wedding ceremony was going on.

Skiing in Glumsoe, Denmark

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Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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Dear blog readers warm seasonal greetings/ wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I have seen enough snow the few days I have been in Denmark, so here is some pictures from a wonderful place in Denmark: Høje Møn, to remind us that it will be summer again.

Joint monitoring event and biological sampling in the Khrami River, 2 December 2010

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Khrami River at the sampling site with the restaurant where we had our lunch to the left

Bird of the day: Cormorant

Bird of the day 2: Kingfisher

Kick sampling of macroinvertebrates

The result of the sampling

Dragonfly (på dansk guldsmed) larvae

Very delicious crane fly larvae (på dansk stankelben), also called leatherjackets

The river was rather polluted, no more than moderate status according the WFD, stones were covered with algae and fine organic sediment and the groups of macroinvertebrates most vulnerable to organic pollution: Stoneflies and Mayflies were totally absent

Some bottom living fishes had also gone into the net during the kick sampling

Keeping control of the samples from the different locations

Group photo of all the participants

During the lunch out team leader handed certificates to the three laboratories acknowledging their participation in the joint monitoring activities

One of the main activities of our EU Kura project is the so-called Joint monitoring where monitoring teams from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan collect water samples from a number of cross boundary rivers after a pre-agreed plan, partly by the individual teams and partly together. After the water samples are analysed independently by the three national laboratories, the results are compared and differences discussed at our workshops. The results are also used in our dialogue with the three laboratories on how they can improve their sampling and analytical procedures.

The three national teams jointly take samples from two sampling locations in Georgia: from the Khrami River and from the Kura River both near the border to Azerbaijan.

The national teams meet at the Khrami River to exchange samples and depart to their countries after a brief joint lunch at a restaurant at the Khrami River.

At this last sampling event I was invited to join, and to support my colleague biologist, Irakli, from the Georgian team in demonstrating biological sampling for the participants from the three teams.

Kazbegi, 20 – 21 November 2010

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Soon the mountains will be covered with snow, and it is time to bring the livestock down to the lowland

Still some livestock is grazing on the meadows in the mountains

A view form the so-called Soviet viewing platform build in 1983 to celebrate 200 years of cooperation (some may call it occupation) between Georgia and Russia

We spotted a fox close to the Soviet viewing platform

Kazbegi is on the other side of the Caucasus

We took a walk up the mountains

Mount Kazbek (5,033 m) is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus located on the border of Kazbegi District of Georgia and North Ossetia. It is the third highest mountain in Georgia (after Mount Shkhara and Janga) and the seventh highest peak in the Caucasus Mountains. The summit lies directly to the west of the town of Stepantsminda (the official Georgian name of Kazbegi) and is the most prominent geographic feature of the area.

The Gergeti Trinity Church is famous for its scenic location. Its isolated location on top of a steep mountain surrounded by the vastness of nature has made it a symbol for Georgia. In times of danger, precious relics from Mtskheta, including Saint Nino's Cross were brought here for safekeeping. During the Soviet era, all religious services were prohibited, but the church remained a popular tourist destination. The church is now an active establishment of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church

Mount Kazbek

The bird of the day

Vlado persuaded Dima to join our second walk Sunday. Here he talks with a woman from one of the villages we passed

Pig siesta

My colleague from Denmark, Birthe, who is managing our Carl Bro part of the Kura project, was in Tbilisi over the weekend, and wanted to se some nature so Vlado proposed that we went together along the so-called “Georgian Military Highway” to the Greater Caucasus and stayed overnight in the town Kazbegi near the border to Russia.

We have had a long period with very stable nice weather here in Georgia, and this weekend was no exception.

Bolnisi, 19 November 2010, 3 churches, 3 carriages and a mosque

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According the map the name of this church is Kvemo Bolnisi

Bolnisi Sioni
According to the old inscriptions at Bolnisi Sioni the cathedral was built in 478-493. The appearance of the church is simple and laconic. The walls are faced with smoothly hewn, large tuff slabs of deep and intensive turquoise colour. In this early period of the development of Georgian architecture designers did not set themselves the aim of artistic quality of the facades. They paid more attention to the interior design. Bolnisis Sioni Cathedral is famous for having an inscription of the oldest written Georgian to have been found in the country.

Inside the Bolnisi Sioni

According the map the name of this church, with the nice view, is Tsugrugasheni

A detail from Tsugrugasheni

Our team went on a trip in the direction Bolnisi. Eka who had planned the trip was not able to participate, so in the best Georgian traditions we had to improvise. Fortunately we had a map with us with the main tourist attractions, and we spotted some churches on the map.

The people living in this part of Georgia is mainly Azeri, which you can se from the shape of the houses and the way women dress. Also the Azeri villages tends to be better maintained and with less garbage than the Georgian ones.

From the main road along the Mashavera river we went up the in the foothills of the lesser Caucasus to visit some churches. You may ask why churches when the majority of the population is Muslims, but it illustrates how people is this region has moved around, and when the churches was build it was a Christian dominated area.

Biological sampling in Mtkvari River, 12 November 2010

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Upstream view from the sampling site

Downstream view from the sampling site

Sampling is done by kicking in the gravel in front of the net to get the animals into the water and to the sampling net

The animals are collected from the sample

The result of our hard work

Some nice cranefly (stankelben) larvae

More nice larvae this time of mayflies and caddisflies

When our friend Irakli, responsible for biological monitoring in the Department for Environmental Pollution Monitoring, invited me to join the sampling trip to the Mtkvari (Kura) River just vest of Tbilisdi, I immediately said yes.

We have had a long stable period with nice weather and it was a good opportunity to get out of Tbilisi, and off course also to support the work on biological monitoring.

Wine trip to Kakheti region, eastern Georgia, 16 – 17 October 2010

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The Chavchavadze estate
Large tracts were owned by the Chavchavadze of Tsinandali, and their estate is a museum today. Tsinandali park and its beautiful gardens were established by Prince Garsevan Chavchavadze

View over the Alazani Valley to the Caucasus Mountains from the Chavchavadze estate

One of the rooms in the Chavchavadze estate

The Chavchavadze estate had also its section for wine tasting and wine buying

Next stop the Alaverdi Monastery. The Alaverdi Monastery is a Georgian Orthodox monastery located 20 km from Telavi the main town of the Kakheti region. Parts of the monastery date back to 6th century. The present day cathedral dates to the 11th century. At a height of over 55 meters, Alaverdi Cathedral is the second tallest religious building in Georgia.

New technologies provides improved connections to the Almighty

October in the main wedding month in Georgia.

We were invited to Telavi the main town in Kakheti by Zurab, but as he was busy, so his farther had to take over, and he did a very good job, first showing us around at the Chavchavadze estate, and then serving us a delicious meal with excessive amounts of home made wine

We visited the big wine produces "Kindzmarauli Marani" which uses modern technology and control methods

Also at "Kindzmarauli Marani" there were time for wine tasting and wine buying

Next stop the small town of Sighnaghi - Some squirrels were playing next to one the roads.
Sighnaghi is situated the elevation of about 790 m above seal level. The town has a well preserved defensive wall around a big area. The wall was build of the settlements in the valley, so people could seek shelter when invaders came. It has been restored and is a popular holiday resort.

In Sighnaghi there is a museum with a small exhibition of paintings by the famous Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani. He is famous for his paintings of the Georgian supra, portraits, pictures of animals, scenes of rural life and landscapes.

Both his mother and his father died when he was young. Here they are in the wine field.

Wine and Supra or feast is a central part of Georgian life. In the best Georgian traditions our team went on a weekend trip to Kakheti region, eastern Georgia, a rich valley of vineyards nestled in the mountains east of Tbilisi. Georgians claim that wine-making was invented in Kakheti. In any case, in-the-ground clay vessels for grape fermentation were found near Ikalto which held 30 000 liters, dated to around 3000 BC.

During Soviet times Georgian wines were quite poor, despite what every Georgian claims. Only very recently have modern methods been introduced, and now there are some estates that produce competitive wines for the European market.

Wine making, Tbilisi 21 September 2010

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Bato, Peters favourite taxi-driver and friend said that we could use his equipment for wine making to make our own wine, an offer we could not refuse!

Bato and Peter bought 120 kg. grapes, and we were ready for the wine making.

Bato picked us up and we drove to his house in the outskirt of Tbilisi, where he, his wife and sister had a nice house with a very friendly and very big dog plus a cow, who we did not meet, as it was parked somewhere outside.

Then we stated the wine making using a good old equipment.

After the wine making Bato invited us for supra (the wine making did not take long time and was merely an excuse), and we had a very nice dinner with lots of food and wine.

Alazani River, 17 September 2010

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The Alazani River at the place of sampling

On the surface and below stones you find many animals

In rivers and streams macroinvertebrates (small animals visible with the naked eye) is used in the biomonitoring. Among them are the larva of stoneflies, the biggest animals in the plastic tray.

The number of animals for each species is also important to get knowledge on the environmental situation from the macroinvertebrate monitoring. To get this quantitative information a special net and technique called kick-sampling is used

A small tributary to the Alazani River where we also did biological sampling.

The Georgian partner for our Kura project asked us to help them in introducing biological monitoring and using the equipment for this purpose delivered by the EU. They had employed a new staff member to work with the biological monitoring, and he needed some training.

First we visited their laboratory and looking at the equipment. We agree to join their normal chemical sampling in the Alazani River and make some biological sampling at the same stations at which they would take water samples for chemical analysis.

Kutaisi, 11 – 12 September 2010

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There was no light in the caves and a very bad smell - Eka thought that hell would be like this.

View from the Bagrati Cathedral. Bagrati Cathedral is an 11th century cathedral church perched atop the Uk'imerioni Hill.

11 – 12 August 2010 we (some of my colleagues on the project and I) made a weekend trip to Kutaisi . Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 west of Tbilisi.

We wanted to visit a part of the a karst area at a height of 1000 meter, and some caves outside Kutaisi. Karst topography is a landscape shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite. The fact that the bedrock is soluble result often in impressive landscape formation and the creation of caves.

We started early in the morning from Tbilisi in heavy rain, but during the long drive the weather gradually improved.

We had a nice weekend looking at Kutaisi and the Karst formations both above and below the ground.

Randers Fjord, 10 August 2010

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Monday Lisbeth and I drove from Sjaelland to the main part of Denmark, Jutland, to visit my cousin Sanne and her husband Lars who are living at a farm on a hill overlooking the landscape around Randers Fjord, in the easternmost part of Jutland.

Tuesday Sanne shoved us Randers Fjord and the surroundings, including a couple of local churches.

On the religious painting from the 16th century people are dressed in the clothes of that time.

The entrance to Randers Fjord

The entrance to Randers Fjord

Udby Church

Inside Udby Church

Estruplund church

Inside Estruplund church

Religious painting from Estruplund church

On the religious painting from the 16th century, people are dressed in the clothes of that time

The landscape around the Fjord is dominated by big fields

A view over the fjord

Rafting on River Aragvi, 26 July 2010

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Monday Agnete, Mathias and I went on a rafting trip on the Pshavi’s Aragvi, a nice and not very difficult trip.