Georgia And Armenia 2022 – The First Caucasus Tour

Highlights From This Trip

• 8 Days
• 1400km driven
• 40 Locations Photographed
• ~600 photographs
• An amazing first trip to the Caucasus region
• Soviet-era relics; sanatoriums, hospital, planes, trains, cars, culture house, bus stops, murals

What is the Caucasus region?

Now for a geographic digression! The Caucasus (or Caucasia) is a region bordered by the Black Sea on the west and the Caspian Sea on the east. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and portions of Southern Russia are all included in the region.

The Caucasus Mountains, which pass through the area, were once thought to mark the border between Europe and Asia. When you take a quick look at where it is on a world map, that seems like an oversimplification. The Caucasus is geographically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, Russia, and the Middle East. This region’s residents come from a variety of linguistic, racial, and religious backgrounds because of its unique geographic location. In this diverse post-Soviet geo-political landscape, the Caucasus region has become the scene of territorial disputes, which have resulted in the establishment of the unrecognised states of Artsakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SOVIET-ERA RELICS in the Caucasus region?

In 1922, after signing the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia became the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (TSFSR), an autonomous republic within the Soviet Union. With the passage of the Soviet Constitution in 1936, the TSFSR was dissolved, and its constituent republics were each given full republic status within the Soviet Union.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia declared their independence and established new governments. With nearly 70 years of USSR membership, it is not surprising there is so many Soviet Relics in the Caucasus today. If you look hard enough, every town will have hidden (or not so hidden) remnants of the USSR to discover.

Soviet-Era sANATORIUM, spas and bath houses

Last-minute route changes are nothing new to me; being adaptable is essential when on an epic road trip. The days before my flight, I was anxiously checking the weather. A severe storm was moving across Georgia from the Black Sea in the west, and it was expected to hit shore on day two or three of the trip.  Not ideal considering that this region had some of the best locations and included many outdoor scenes to shoot. Fortunately, the weather in Armenia was favourable almost every day of our trip. We had a few hours between flights, which was a great opportunity to relax and reflect (over a beer!). In order to photograph these locations first, it was decided to reverse the direction of our road trip loop and immediately drive west fom Tbilisi upon landing. First up is Georgia, and after that Armenia.

The first few days were spent exploring Soviet-era leisure ruins. Grand sanatoriums and dilapidated bathhouses filled the first two days of exploring. Internally displaced people from Abkhazia and South Ossetia have established new communities and lives in a number of these old spas and hotels. I approached these inhabited locations with the utmost respect, making my presence known and requesting consent to take pictures away from the inhabited areas.

A little oFF-ROADING adventure

As the storm came in, it was time to head east/southeast across Georgia towards Armenia. Because there were so many amazing places to visit, the route zig-zagged quite a bit. Undoubtedly, there were some unique experiences to be had on some of the rural roads. The mountain passes that connected the villages were a glorious adventure in and of themselves. Large potholes that could swallow a car, loose gravel on the corners, and not a single safety barrier despite the steep drop to the valley floor below. Being ahead of the rain made me very happy because I realise the little rental car would not have been able to handle the addition of slick mud. However, the little Kia was successful (mostly due to some excellent professional driving skills, of course!)

Finding time for a little side project

Just before departing, I bought an adaptor so I could use my own camera with my grandfather’s USSR Helios-44 58mm lens from the 1970s. At the conclusion of the road trip, when I had planned to spend a few leisurely days exploring the city by myself, I thought I might take a few pictures around Tbilisi. It turns out that I enjoyed using this vintage lens a lot! Throughout the trip, I was able to switch to it frequently and take a few pictures of whatever caught my eye. Over the course of the trip, this evolved into a small side project for me, a chance for some creative experimentation and novelty.

This dedicated blog post features a curated selection of my favourite images captured with this vintage lens; Vintage Lens – Helios-44 58mm – Soviet-era Relics Of Georgia & Armenia.

More behind-the-scenes photos from my gEORGIA AND aRMENIA 2022 Road Trip

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this road trip blog! Here are the rest of the behind-the-scenes snaps and preview photos from this trip, see you next time <3.