Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust) was the systematic mass extermination and expulsion of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians within the Ottoman Empire (most of whom were citizens) by the Ottoman government from approximately 1914 to 1923. The starting date is conventionally held to be 24 April 1915, the … Continue reading →

Armenia – Syunik, Vayots Dzor (Kapan) December 3, 2019 After only about 8 hours in Nagorno, I left Shushi to return to southern Armenia. Although I thought I had climbed as high as I could, the road continued to climb … Continue reading →

Armenia – Yerevan, Ararat, Kotayk, Aragatsotn, Armavir   November 30-December 1, 3-4, 2019 Day 2 YEREVAN (pop 1,073,000) Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia as well as one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, it is the administrative, … Continue reading →

Armenia – Gegharkunik, Lori, Shirak, Tavush (Gyumri) November 29, 2019 OBSERVATIONS 1. Currency. Armenian Dram – AMD. Exchange rate (Nov 2019): 529 AMD = 1€. 2. Drivers. Easily the worst thing about Armenia is the aggressive drivers. Of the “accelerate … Continue reading →

Nagorno-Karabakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh, is a country in the Caucasus. It is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is closely linked in every way to Armenia and accessible only through Armenia. WARNING: There is a very high … Continue reading →

My interest in this religious ethnic group that emigrated from Georgia in the late 1890s, is that I lived in the West Kootenay of British Columbia where the majority of Doukhobors finally settled permanently.  Originally from Ukraine, they were relocated … Continue reading →

Azerbaijan – East (Baku, Quba, Lankaran, Yevlakh) November 24-27, 2019 CASPIAN SHORE DEFENSIVE CONSTRUCTIONS (24/10/2001) The Caucasus Mountains on the northern border of Azerbaijan was a natural defensive obstacle for foreign campaigns. They gave access to the narrow Caspian Plain, … Continue reading →

Azerbaijan – West – Ganja-Qazakh, Shaki-Zaqatala – November 23-24, 2019 Currency. Azerbaijan manet (AZN). Exchange rate November 2019 1€ = 1.88 AZN Capital. Baku Population. 10 million GETTING IN Visa. Most citizens of Western countries can enter with an e-visa … Continue reading →

Iraq is a republic in the Middle East. While Iraq contains ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, it has been ravaged by war and oppression for the last century. WARNING: The political situation in Iraq remains extremely unstable, even though the war was officially … Continue reading →

Georgia – Kartli Shida/Kvemo, Mtskheta, Kakheti (Tbilisi, Gori) November 20-23, 2019 GORI Stalin House and Museum. Now in a park, Stalin’s birth house is housed under a monumental stone canopy. The tiny, flat roofed, brick house had 2 rooms, one … Continue reading →