Around the Black Sea (2010) | The Family Without Borders - Part 2

The Family Without Borders

The Travelling family

Around the Black Sea (2010)

Around the Black Sea

In the year 2010 we made with an old Renault Espace a 20,000 km long road trip –Around the Black Sea. In six months we crossed elven countries:PolandUkraineRomania,BulgariaMoldovaRussia,GeorgiaAzerbaijan. The Caspian Sea was our most eastern point of the trip. On the way back we drove through: ArmeniaNagorny KarabakhTurkey and finally Serbia, where our car gave up.

We met the Gipsy King in Moldova, became good friends with a poor family in the autonomous republic Transnistria, fell in love with Crimean landscape, hated corrupted Russian police, had a good rest in Chechen villages in Georgia, melt in 42 Celsius degrees in Azerbaijan, got wet in Nagorno-Karabakh, were asking questions about Turkey in Armenia and about Armenia in Turkey. And all this with a small, not even one year old daughter Hanna.

Pictures | Map | FAQ: Around the Black Sea 

Caming at Lake Sevan in Armenia

Lake Sevan, tourquise Armenian “sea”

Armenia Likes

We were coming back at Sevan few times. Cool water on high of 1900 meters will remind us on one hand small snakes on the east coast and on the other fast watercraft on the west.

Berlin meets in Akhtala (Armenia)

Berlin meets in Akhtala, North Armenia

Armenia Likes

And now it’s the time for Armenia! And on the border we are meeting another white car, with Polish number plate and non-Germans living in Berlin. So first Armenian night… in the monastery we will spend together.

Papa with baby Hanna in the lake near Rache (Georgia)

Weekend in Racha

Georgia Likes

After coming back to Georgia we decided to still jump out of Tbilisi for a short trip on the west from South Ossetia. First night in the tent and long fight to find a soup…

Bottle house in Ganja (Azerbaijan)

Bye bye Baku

Azerbaijan Likes

So from now on we will go only west. Last meetings with friends, last interview, last car workshop visit… and driving into direction of Georgia. Our visa will expire in two days.

Rider on the way to Laza (near Quasar; Azerbaijan)

Going north, to Lezgins

Azerbaijan Likes

Too hot in Baku to stay there any longer. But luckily we have friends which have a sweet house in the mountains, on the north, in Qusar – in the capital of Lezgins, one of the ethnic minority group in Azerbaijan.

boat which goes to the oil plattforms in the Caspian Sea (Azerbaijan)

Our warm Caspian bath

Azerbaijan Likes

So here we reached the most eastern point of our trip: still beyond Baku, small town Zira, the Caspian Sea beach and Artyom Island.

Too hot Baku

Azerbaijan Likes

In this biggest Caucasus’ city I have learnt something about myself: I can have too much of the sun! 42 Celsius degrees didn’t let us discover as much as we wanted.

Village Lahic in North Azerbaijan

1st birthday, on the north

Azerbaijan Likes

Getting closer to Hanna’s first birthday, we spend some days in northwestern Azerbaijan, where rivers are not made by water but stones.

On the Georgian border to Azerbaijan

Welcome to Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Likes

After super-relaxed Georgia time for empty and dry Azerbaijan with different religion, far to many pictures of the president in each village and hot as bath Caspian Sea.

hanna with a dog in Turkey

Where are the posts??

Turkey Likes

No, no, we haven’t stopped our trip! More and more people are asking what happened than since some weeks nothing appeared on our blog. The explanation is very pragmatic: our car and laptop have to be fixed and it takes time (especially when you are changing place of stay almost each day). But as soon Read More

Tbilsi: folk festival

Our (?) Tbilisi

Georgia Likes

Georgian capital is the first place we seriously consider as a place to come back for longer. People, city structure, food – so many people have already told us that Tbilisi is “their place on earth”. Maybe ours too?

Ultrasound: the new Alboth (Baby; Georgia)

We’ll be back in 4!

Georgia Likes

Many people on our way told us that we should make more babies because Hanna is so sweet and smart. So… we took it serious and our family without borders will come back to Berlin from the Black Sea trip a bit enlarged.

Khankali (Georgian food) from Pankisi Valley

Khinkali from Pankisi

Georgia Likes

Mniam mniam mniam – one of the very meaningful phrase of our Hanna. Georgian speciality: khinkali, in Pankisi taste better than anywhere else.

Hannas first watermelon in pankisi (Georgia)

Pankisi: living between Chechens

Georgia Likes

– Better not go to Pankisi valley just like this, people there are not so open – we heard in before. And during three our days there we had absolutely perfect hosts and we felt more welcome than anywhere.

Hanna in Kazbegi (Georgia; Caucasus)

Georgia is gorgeous

Georgia Likes

So we reached the point in which we are a bit afraid that we will not see anything more impressing on our way. We visited Kazbegi, in the heart of Caucasus Mountains.

A road sign near Tiblissi (Georgia)

Nice even in the whore-house

Georgia Likes

First few hours in Georgia: absolutely lovely valley in Adjura and super friendly and helpful people (including whore-house staff and… the police). Did we find our place on earth?

On the ferry Princess Victoria (Sochi - Trabzon) in Sochi port

By the sea, away from Russia

RussiaTurkey Likes

Our days in Russia were like one big stomachache before the big exam – and long ours on the ferry to Turkey were like feeling just after the exam: all emotions pouring down our bodies and minds.

In the school in Beslan (Russia; North-Ossetia)

Tears in Beslan

Russia Likes

Very soon it will be 6 years when Beslan massacre took place. But in destroyed school building people are still crying.

The Russian road police (DPS) is knocking on our window

Russian road police: Shoot back!

Russia Likes

Every morning the same game: Maybe a fast cigarette with shaking, sweating hands before starting?  Shit I don’t smoke anymore. Or a sip of vodka? Bullshit, it’s morning. I feel like puking – have to find to a tree. I am sick. Starting the car means inevitable consequences. I feel just like in school times Read More

Crossing Russia: 150 km to Vladikavkaz

Our very dark days in Russia

Russia Likes

All bad what happened on our trip until now – happened during our one week in Russia. Why one week if we had 4-days transit visa? Police, closed border, police,  car workshop, again police: they know the answer…

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