Day 42.Tbilisi - Sighnaghi

Today was the day we were to go to Azerbaijan but we read about this town, Sighnaghi and as there is a border crossing nearby we thought why not. So we are in Georgia for one more day.

So leaving Tbilisi behind, only 100km today so very easy.

It is very hot today, I was just thinking about a water stop when I saw a couple of bikes on the side of the road. Pulled up and chatted away to a couple of German guys on hired V Stroms on day two of a six week tour of Georgia.

 We headed through pleasant farming countryside and then quickly found ourselves in wine country. Miles and miles of vineyards and then the signs to the individual wineries just like Marlborough. Wine is big here, they are very proud of their wines and rightly so, the ones we have sampled are very good. No wonder they are concerned with Russian shenanigans at the moment, I think they buy most of it.

Sighnaghi is a delightful town set high on a hill surrounded by its still intact old wall complete with lookout posts every few hundred metres.

The fluffy things you can see in the photo above are hats. You can buy one or for 50c have your photo taken with it. In this heat not really an option.

Lovely old Churches and a large monastery.
We visited one church but it was all locked up, just as we were about to leave an old woman appeared and unlocked the door. She bid us to come in. Lovely little church dating from the 17th century and still very much in use today. We bought two candles to help make our wishes come true.

Our accommodation for the night is a guest house, rustic but comfortable.

We went for a wander around this amazing wee town, and visited the museum and art gallery. This area is an absolute treasure trove for archaeologists with exhibits from the 4th millennium BC and the middle bronze age. The tools, weapons and pots were remarkably well preserved and complete. Amazing and there is still much much more to be found.
Whilst at the museum one of the attendants took Robyn onto the balcony to see the view. He also managed to explain that he collects coins and did she have any NZ ones. Luckily she had a $10 note which she gave him. I had a coin at the Guest house so we arranged to give it to him later. Boy he was so thrilled.

View from the balcony 

We met up again with the German guys from earlier for a beer/wine. Volker und ???  If you read this I’ve just realised we talked so much about biking we didn’t introduce ourselves properly.

Dinner is downstairs at our guesthouse. Well what a night this turned out to be. 

Our hosts were absolutely wonderful people. We drank toasts to friendship, countries, love, missing (people). And a few things I’ve forgotten already. Homemade wine was very good, then the local hooch Chacha. Lots of fun and lots of laughs.
 Photos I think speak for themselves. A night we will remember.

Seems appropriate that on the silk road we were with people from Russia, Poland, China and Georgia. 

Cheers Georgia.