The Plan is to encircle -- circumnagivate? -- the Black Sea. If you don't know where that is now is a good time to click here, before we get into the rest of it.
I'll be accompanied by friend and co-troublemaker, Amy, for most of the trip. She's taking three and a half weeks off work. I'm taking five. The last week and a half are up in the air but will include visiting my sister in Ukraine and perhaps some solo traveling in Poland.
The circle begins in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and continues clockwise. We will get to Tbilisi by traveling for no less than three nominal and two-and-a-half actual days. The San Francisco - Munich - Kiev flight is almost two days due to the time difference. Let's call this the Posh Jaunt since it will be on the comfy and German airline Lufthansa. After a night and a morning in Kiev (projected to be at just above freezing temperatures) we take a brief flight to Tbilisi. Let's call this the Sketchy Plane-Hop as it will on the much less reliable national Ukrainian airline, Aerosvit. My limited Ukrainian translates this as Air and Light. Reassuring, right?
Arriving in Tbilisi in the evening of our third day of travel, we hope to rest for a few days Georgian-style. In my mind this involves delightfully spicy food, Soviet-era block buildings, and 1.1 million dark-haired cigarette-smoking Georgians. I haven't actually been to Georgia since I was eight, so take this assessment with a grain of salt.
Side note: If you love Wikipedia as much as I do, here's the article on Tbilisi to save you a few clicks.
So wish me well on a journey projected to cover 7-8 countries (it's hard to predict these things) and probably no less than two dozen monasteries, churches, mosques or other religious buildings. I know! Me visiting dozens of religious buildings. It boggles the mind.
