Oct 2 - Today, #182, is approximately six months into our trip. In theory this would be the halfway point if we stop after one year. Though our ending point is just a moving target at the moment, and we are not even sure what the ‘end’ of the trip will look like, I have accumulated some travel statistics:
Countries visited: 21
Borders crossed: 24 (some borders crossed twice)
Currencies used: 13 (Euros used in most EU countries)
DISTANCES (in kilometers):
By bus/taxi: 5793
By train: 4777
By rented car: 4436
By ferry: 383
By plane: 13916
By foot*: 1325
*Walking distances were taken from my phone app, which registers steps taken while phone in pocket. However, it really only works outdoors. Walking for hours inside museums and other interior spaces is woefully underestimated. The total walking distance above averages out to about 7.2 km/day.
Average daily cost**: $172
**Daily costs per country varied from nearly $300 in the UK, to just over $100 in the southern Balkans. However, there are some important exclusions. I have not included running costs in the US (monthly fee for web page, storage fees both physical and digital, and costs to maintain my corporation, etc.). I have also not included airfare costs, since I have bought a number of tickets that we will only complete through the end of January 2023. What I can say is that up to the last flight we took, airfares have amounted to about $2100, or $11.50/day. This cost category will be considerably higher in the coming months, probably more than triple.
Don’t really feel like hiring a taxi to see a monastery out of town, so sort out how to get there by marshrutka. For 9 GEL we head up the windy road into the verdant hills. Its a bit hot today, with strong winds.
Gelati Monastery is one of the oldest in Georgia, dating to 1106 during the reign of Davit IV (r. 1089-1125), also known as Davit the Builder. At the time, Kutaisi was the capital of the Kingdom of Georgia.
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
During wait for marshrutka back down to town, talk at length with two Polish visitors about ‘the second wave of Ukrainians’ to enter Poland (the first was during Russia’s attack of Donbas in 2014). It is certainly a lot for Poland to absorb, but they are better positioned to offer jobs and housing than some of the surrounding EU nations.
Georgia