Moving on to Armenia...

 Crossing the border from Georgia to Armenia was on foot.....and it took a long time!

We didn't plan on staying!

Our first stop was again a church... the Haghpat Monastery....... to be precise!

This was the first time we saw a Khatchkar..... we were to see many more later on!

Lunch was in a nearby village...inhabited by Molokan Russians

Then on to Dilijan......

.....before arriving at our hotel for the night......the Tsaghkadzor Marriot Hotel in a ski area.

Next morning it was back to churches!

First we had a boat trip on Lake Sevan........

We were able to view the Sevan Monastery which we were to visit...220 steps to get there!

Before leaving the Lake Sevan area we visited the Noratus Cemetery with its many Khachkars....

... and lots of happy sheep!

Northern Georgia.... on the Military Highway

 We were to check out some more churches in the Northern part of the country, very close to the Russian border.... one lane either way with lots of trucks heading to Russia. And we had to go over a very high pass....

Obviously we had to stop en route!

We visited Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, originally from the 4th C but mainly from 1010 onwards..

The next church was up a steep hill in the mountains..... in Kazbegi or Stepantsminda

Surrounded by the Caucasus mountains......

.........and unbelievably a young couple were going to walk up to be married!

On the way to the Armenian border we stopped at Signnaghi... to check out the town......

... the Bodbe monastery

..And as it is in the wine area we had to do a wine tasting!

On to Georgia.... Tbilisi

 Entry by air into Georgia is only to Tbilisi.... interesting city.......

I stayed at the Mercure hotel, not my choice, but the rooms were excellent and it had a great rooftop bar with light food!

....and a great view.........

Almost immediately outside the hotel were the old bath houses..some there since the 5th C

 

I found it has numerous old churches... one of the  oldest is the Anchiskhati Basiica from the 6th C 

There were some interesting sites apart from churches........ the Bridge of Peace...

and unfinished projects......

Their Archeological museum was amazing......lots of gold...some from 6th BC

....and a charriot from 24C BC!!

Wandering around I found some  graffiti.......