Days 389 to 393. Batumi (Georgia) to Unye (Turkey)

November 3^rd to 7^th  462km

We had some crazy weather in Batumi. The whole coastline was pounded with rain, thunderstorms and hail so we spent a lot of time in our hostel checking the forecasts online. We delayed leaving by a day, and were very glad we did. When we woke up on the 3^rd, there was silence outside the window, no rain falling, and pulling the curtains, we saw the sky was a deep blue. We packed up and hit the road, cycling through the city towards the sea front. We liked Batumi anyway, even in the rain, but it was really lovely on a sunny morning. Once we got to the sea, we turned left and joined a perfect cycle lane which took us along the beach out of town.

Georgia Summary

Georgia was another country we didn’t know too much about before going there, as it wasn’t one of the original countries we were planning to go through. As we met more and more cyclists we only heard good things about Georgia and so our excitement to get there increased as our trip went on. It didn’t disappoint, apart from on the weather front, great food, wine (yep those are the first two on the list), people, landscape and architecture. Another relatively short time in the country but definitely on the list of places to go back to, in a better season.

Days 380 to 385 Tbilisi to Batumi

October 26th to 30th. 399km

We had a really great few days in Tbilisi. What an awesome city, I’d thoroughly recommend it for a visit. It’s a good size to explore on foot, with something interesting to look at around every corner. And, of course, always something delicious to eat. Accordingly, we chilled, we walked, we ate.

Days 372 to 376. Seki, Azerbaijan to Tbilisi, Georgia

October 17th to 21st. 290km

After a glimmer of hope that the weather might improve, the rain returned while we were in Seki. We managed to get out for a wander around the town to look at the old palace and a church on the hill but by mid afternoon we were forced back to the Caravanserai by the rain. From our room we could hear it pouring down outside in the courtyard through the night. We waited around in the morning hoping it would ease off, but after our third coffee at 10:30 it was clear we’d need to get the waterproofs on and hit the road.