Dec 14th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
I traveled to Beirut earlier this year with bmi (British Midland International), the East Midlands-based airline partially absorbed into British Airways in the spring. My Beirut trip was meant to be the third installment in an ongoing series called "Far Europe and Beyond," which reached a premature end in the lead-up to the airline's sale to International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent of ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
fareuropeandbeyond posts
The Caucasus, Central Asia And British Airways
Dec 14th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
I traveled to Beirut earlier this year with bmi (British Midland International), the East Midlands-based airline partially absorbed into British Airways in the spring. My Beirut trip was meant to be the third installment in an ongoing series called "Far Europe and Beyond," which reached a premature end in the lead-up to the airline's sale to International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent of ...Yerevan day trips: Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery
Nov 7th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
There are two obvious day trips from Yerevan, both fascinating and absolutely worth the effort: Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery. Both of these sites are located less than an hour from Yerevan by car, along scenic roads that afford, here and there, great views of Mount Ararat. Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery are compact and easily reachable sites of broad interest to many different kinds ...Two Yerevan tips: Lagonid Bistro-Cafe & Sergei Paradjanov Museum
Nov 4th, 2011 at 12:30PM:
Here are two Yerevan tips. Though both make it into some guidebooks, neither would probably be an obvious choice for a Yerevan sojourn: the Syrian-Armenian Lagonid Bistro-Café and the Sergei Paradjanov Museum.
I never meant to wander into Lagonid Bistro-Café (37 Nalbandyan Poghots), a Syrian-Armenian restaurant in Yerevan. I wanted to eat something distinctly Armenian, or at ...Soviet Yerevan
Nov 3rd, 2011 at 12:30PM:
The architectural influence of the Soviet years cannot be missed in Yerevan. Two examples in particular viscerally embody the grandiose massive-scale drama associated with Soviet architectural projects: the Armenian Genocide Monument and the 50th Anniversary of the Soviet Armenia monument. The latter can be reached from central Yerevan via the Cascade stairway.
The Armenian Genocide ...Yerevan: Covered food market
Nov 2nd, 2011 at 10:30AM:
Markets are great places for getting a sense of what makes a place tick, for grasping both the local agricultural bounty of a place and its culinary inclinations. Yerevan's covered food market presents no exception to this general principle.
It's physically a very impressive site, looking for all intents and purposes like an ornate Jugendstil airplane hanger. It is lively and fascinating, a ...Far Europe and Beyond: Introducing Yerevan
Nov 1st, 2011 at 10:00AM:
It took around five hours to get from Tbilisi to Yerevan, in a taxi organized along a rather mysterious logic. I made it first to Ortachala bus station, the appointed place in Tbilisi for hiring long-distance taxis for Yerevan, and was introduced to a portly gentleman who moved like a head honcho. He ushered me into his minivan to wait. He paced, smoking furiously, occasionally asking question ...Mtskheta: Easy day trip from Tbilisi
Oct 24th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Mtskheta is Georgia's ancient capital, a little village about 15 miles to the north of Tbilisi. It is home to a number of very important Georgian religious sites and functions to this day as a kind of spiritual heart of Georgia. It was in Mtskheta that Georgia adopted Christianity in the 4th century. Today the town receives a steady stream of domestic and foreign religious tourists and hosts ...Tbilisi insider Q&A: Nina Andjaparidze
Oct 21st, 2011 at 12:30PM: To walk around central Tbilisi with Nina Andjaparidze is to feel as if you've been invited into the exciting beating heart of the local social scene. Andjaparidze, the Director of the Tbilisi International Film Festival, seems to know everyone in town; moreover, she seems to know everything there is to know about the artistic heritage as well as the contemporary state of culture in Tbilisi. An ...Georgian cuisine: Adjarian khachapuri and other delicious things
Oct 20th, 2011 at 12:30PM:
Georgian cuisine has not really received its international due, and this is a shame. It is an exciting cuisine that takes its cues from points east and west, relying on an extraordinarily fresh local bounty.
Part of what renders Georgian food so insanely good is this very freshness. Shops and stalls in Tbilisi groan with local fruit and vegetables in mesmerizing variety. One example was the ...Tbilisi: Orbeliani Baths
Oct 19th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
Some cities have an isolated public bathhouse here or there, in a remote corner; others, like Budapest, have public baths strewn throughout. Tbilisi has its own bathhouse district called Abanotubani, with several bathing venues on offer. I'd been looking forward to experiencing one of these baths for weeks. I went with the bathhouse with the most beautiful exterior, Orbeliani Baths, both ...Far Europe and Beyond: Introducing Tbilisi
Oct 18th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
"The Soviets always had a difficult time with Georgia. They were never able to turn Tbilisi into a Soviet city," says Revi. I've just met Revi, the cousin of a friend, and he's introducing me to Tbilisi. He's just picked me up at the airport and is giving an impromptu nighttime tour. We're driving down the major artery of Shota Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi. The city is sparkling. Revi ...Introducing Far Europe and Beyond
Oct 17th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
Far Europe and Beyond, a Gadling series in partnership with bmi (British Midland International) launches today.
Europe's eastern borders cannot be defined simply. The western, northern, and southern perimeters are easy: The Atlantic, the Arctic, and the Mediterranean provide those boundaries, respectively. It's the eastern border that is more difficult to pinpoint. There are two basic ...
