Kazbegi, Georgia ‘19

For Saudi National Day last weekend, I enjoyed the four day weekend by meeting up with my sister Lois in Georgia, near Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. Lois spent two nights in the capital city of Tbilisi before I came into town. We enjoyed a short walk around town before getting a taxi out of the city.

The city is a great mix between historic and modern. But I was more interested in getting out of the city and into the mountains. Here are some pictures en route towards Stepantsminda (Kazbegi).

We enjoyed a mini fall market with local wine and pastries. Lois was more of a fan of the cheese bread – Kachipuri. We then settled in to our home for two nights, The Rooms Hotel in Kazbegi. Here was the view out our window:

Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip for me was getting a taste of autumn for the first time in three years. The colors visible on our walk up to the church on top of the hill (seen in the photo above) featured trees with all the colors of the season.

Unfortunately, the elevation of the church was shrouded in mist.

The rest of that day focused on lounging and reading at the indoor pool. The next morning, things began to clear, revealing some new-fallen snow! From fall to winter! But enough sun was out for us to get in our token trip run- this, a 6 mile (out and back) run back up the mountain towards the church. The colors and views did not disappoint! Lois and I joked about which shots we’d select for our cover photos for Runner’s World magazine.

By the way, many of the snow covered mountains you see in the photos are on the Russian side of the nearby border.

The second to last photo above was the view I was distracted by while running down hill that caused me to roll my ankle completely. That’ll cause a hiccup in the running routine for a few days! It was worth it though, as I think this route takes the cake for being the most breathtaking run I’ve ever done.

While the mountains were incredible, we decided to have one more day and night in Tbilisi.

You’d also be happy to know that despite being on the vacation, Lois and I still caught the Chiefs game via NFL Gamepass. Wouldn’t miss it! (That is the game on Lo’s laptop)

We enjoyed the time immensely. Lois headed on to Baku, Azerbaijan to meet up with friends after we split ways.

I’m safe and sound back here in Dhahran. There had been action in the area with the recent drone attack, yes, but things at my compound are okay for now. Thanks to all you who’ve reached out to confirm that.

Thanks for reading, happy fall, and I hope to talk to you soon!

Peter