GEORGIA, ARMENIA, KARABAKH, MOLDOVA, TRANSNISTRIA, CYPRUS, N. CYPRUS & GERMANY
The disputed series, reflection post. I usually have a reference for every trip I go on and this one was called the disputed nations. I had originally 4 new countries and 5 revisits I had planned but clearly it didn’t all work out
Yes it was frustrating not getting to Abkhazia but there was no time to dwell on it and I’m a big believer of the quicker you move on the better. I am due to return to that region to visit South Ossetia anyway.
GEORGIA
Again I was impressed with Tbilisi but it was good to see more of Armenia after my first visit where I didn’t get out of the city.
ARMENIA & KARABAKH
I understand it’s probably their culture and it’s not a case of them being rude but the people of Georgia just don’t seem to smile or say please and thank you. Something that was hard for me to get used to.
Considering it was the middle of January the weather was fantastic and made it all the easier to enjoy and certainly made it easier on the eye.
MOLDOVA & TRANSNISTRIA
Moldova and Transnistria are a bit of an acquired taste. Don’t get me wrong I spoke to a few people who live there and they wouldn’t change any of it but I found it somewhat 50years behind the rest of Europe.
CYPRUS
Cyprus is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean, I could nearly stop there. Yes, it was never going to have the heat of the summer months but it was more than comfortable. Not to mention every beach I went to was empty, something you don’t often get to see in Europe.
Would I recommend going in January over July, we’ll it depends what you’re after. If you want to be isolated and be surrounded by stunning beaches yet don’t care for anything over 15-20 degrees then yes.
GERMANY
I only planned to visit Schloss Neuschwanstein a day before I booked the flight. It had always been on my radar and I’ll admit to get there and then fly home the flights weren’t ideal but sometimes you’ve got the travel through the storm to reach the sunshine, isn’t that right? The castle sure didn’t disappoint and if you are going to Munich I’d put it right at the top of the list!
PHOTO OF THE SERIES
FINAL THOUGHTS
A great trip and certainly there was plenty done inside the 2 weeks albeit one less country than planned. I’ve also got to consider myself lucky with how the weather turned out as it didn’t rain for the entire two weeks during one of the coldest months of the year, a bit of luck everyone needs.
NEXT UP
The Oil Series! Click here for episode one.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
141/229
This post is part of The Disputed Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
