MaxGlobetrotter - Page 17 of 21 - Unusual places, curious people and travel itself.

The Queen Mary: On board in the future

Arriving in the UK on the Queen Mary offers a glimpse into the future One of the more surreal parts of an endlessly surreal week is officially being somewhere that I am not, and in the future, to boot. Let me explain. Cunard think of everything, and to this end have provided a UK immigration officer on board the ship in order to facilitate our arrival in Southampton. During the crossing, at allotted times we present ourselves and passports to her, and are duly admitted into the United Kingdom. I did wonder what would happen to an undesirable alien who […]

The Sedate Atlantic

Rarely am I reduced to silence; in particular as I travel. This journey, however, is rather different, and as I find myself hurtling across the Atlantic Ocean at a sedate 25 miles per hour, safely cocooned by the overwhelming comfort of the Queen Mary 2, one’s mind drifts. Not, I have to say to writing, but to observing one’s fellow passengers and thinking. Thinking firstly about why on earth I am here, and then to why everybody else is. I booked passage during the peak of the Icelandic volcanic crisis earlier in the year; in a fit of pique, and […]

22, Besiki Street, Tbilisi

Mundane, daily chores are actually quite fun to do when one is not at home, but simply playing house. We have rented a small house in Tbilisi for five nights, partly for the space, and partly to be able to get under the skin of the city, at least a very little bit. Our little grocery store is a case in point; having been in now for three days in a row, this morning when I went to buy some eggs and bread I was pondering the selection in the cooler to see if there was something that resembled butter, […]

Svaneti; the magical ceiling of Georgia

Every time I finish an overland journey, I decide that it was the last one that I would make. It comes as a complete surprise every so often to realise that I am neither getting younger, nor is my age staying still. Not, I have to emphasise that I am ancient, but simply that the virtues of Marriott Hotels and airlines are more pronounced than they used to be. But then I look at an atlas, spot a curious journey and start thinking about it. I have two or three on the go at the moment actually, fomenting in my […]

Overland Travel

I have an explanation to offer. I like travelling overland for a variety of reasons. I can see people; I can actually feel the earth beneath me and know that we are all connected; I can meet people, and perhaps the most important point of all is that it is the only way I have of cocking a snoot at the ghastly intrusions of airport security. Of course, these intrusions are new, and I have been wandering around for decades, but they area current bête-noire of mine, and the very thought of the scowling and shrill battalions of “security officers” […]

Georgia

I love Georgia, and was pleased to get off the train and speed toward Tbilisi, its fascinating capital. We were only stopping there for an hour to meet friends, pick up their daughter and three of her friends and head off to Svaneti, a distant and remote part of the country that we were looking forward to exploring. So after a reviving cappuccino in the city we headed west first to Gori, some 65kms from the city. Stalin might not be everyone’s choice for the focus of a museum, but Gori, in central Georgia, was his home. When the young […]

Back in Tbilisi

It is now late on Saturday evening, August 28th, and we have just returned after spending three days in Svaneti, a remote and rather interesting region of Georgia. Needless to say, I had no access to an internet connection, and will get to posting the stories of the journey, and our time in Mestia and Ushguli soon. Today marked our 34th wedding anniversary, and I am sure it is testament to Andrea’s patience with me that it was spent on an eleven-hour drive, including four hours to cover 130 kms of various sized boulders. More soon when I have slept!

Baku to Tbilisi: The Clattering Overnight Train to Georgia

Baku to Tbilisi on the overnight train is a great experience! It comprises of good solid East German stock of a mid 1960s vintage; good in its day, no doubt, even attractive in its Prussian way, but today it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. The train is an exercise in functionality, offering overnight passage between these two Caucasian capitals in either 1st or 2nd class. Each carriage is completely identical, but the 1st Class offering has only two lower berths, while four passengers prise themselves into two layers of bunks in 2nd Class. The compartments are actually […]

Baku, Azerbaijan is a very pleasant city. But still quirky!

Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is really rather strange; a very pleasant place, to be sure, but distinctly odd. It is a city of great contrast. Battered old Ladas jostling in traffic alongside shiny new BMWs; gorgeous, statuesque buildings stand next to blocks of rotting Soviet-era concrete; wide and perfectly constructed eight-lane highways intersect with rutted and gravelly streets; exquisitely laid out parks and central areas co-exist with dusty neighbourhoods strewn with garbage. I had been here a few months ago, but only for a couple of days, and now wanted to see more of Azerbaijan, but first its capital […]

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