Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Day 121 Akhalcikhe - Akhalkalaki

The coin had decided: more of Georgia and all through Armenia.
I started in sunshine along the way that made me think about cycling through more of Georgia. Basically the whole day was the same: cycling along a river through a deep gorge. But even though there was not much change throughout the day it was utterly beautiful. Most of the trees on the river wore their yellow autumn dress and some bushes on the slopes stood out with a bright red. Temperatures were close to freezing, but most times the sun saved me from feeling the cold.Only in late afternoon it got cloudy and about 2km before arriving in Akhalkalaki some snow began to fall. I found shelter under the roof of a defunct gas station and used the time to clean my bicycle - very much necessary after the wild ride over the mountains some days ago. 2 truckers joined me under the roof and offered me a place in the warmth of their truck - as the snow had stopped I refused and cycled up to Akhalkalaki. The city itself is not very impressive but the location is stunning: on the edge of a high plain with views to snowtopped mountains on all sides. After skipping an overpriced russian owned hotel with unfriendly staff I found a place at Hotel Ararat - as the names suggests run by an very hospitable Armenian and offering views to a particularly beautiful mountain.

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