About 360 km inland, Tbilisi proved to be a large city of over a million people. It straddled the Mtkvari river in a broad valley and was dominated by churches. An old fortress was also high above and the whole city had a somewhat “Turkish” appearance. The right bank of the river was home to government buildings and much of the commercial sector, and was quite sophisticated. The comparison to Poti was like night and day. There were many cafes and bars and, like all of the ex-Soviet countries we have visited, casinos. The left bank was more like Poti in that it was one large bazaar and not particularly attractive. Although our return journey was at night, we saw lovely villages, ancient castles, and rich countryside enroute.
Back in Poti, we stocked up on what we could and departed for Turkey. The Georgian coast south of Poti and near the border was quite attractive and as we progressed, the Turkish coast proved to be one of the most beautiful we have seen. High mountains rose from the coast, covered in lush emerald green trees and small tea plantations. There were many tea factories each with a tall smoke stack and the while the area is much more heavily populated than we had expected, the number of mosques was astonishing; almost one on every corner or so it seemed.
Trabzon, 1100 km east of Istanbul, was our port of entry to Turkey and we berthed in the Coast Guard basin in the port. After touring the town and a trip to an old Greek monastery built into a cliff face high in the mountains at Sumela, 50 km inland, we are ready to begin our passage west, being the first foreign yacht in these parts for a long time.
Back in Poti, we stocked up on what we could and departed for Turkey. The Georgian coast south of Poti and near the border was quite attractive and as we progressed, the Turkish coast proved to be one of the most beautiful we have seen. High mountains rose from the coast, covered in lush emerald green trees and small tea plantations. There were many tea factories each with a tall smoke stack and the while the area is much more heavily populated than we had expected, the number of mosques was astonishing; almost one on every corner or so it seemed.
Trabzon, 1100 km east of Istanbul, was our port of entry to Turkey and we berthed in the Coast Guard basin in the port. After touring the town and a trip to an old Greek monastery built into a cliff face high in the mountains at Sumela, 50 km inland, we are ready to begin our passage west, being the first foreign yacht in these parts for a long time.
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