COGH: Caucasus (Part 3)

[GailXrunning]

Cripes, can’t keep up with the team pace over these formidable mountains!! Amazing photos and stories.

1. South Ossetian necropolis, which was to east of our route, but with a myth: rferl.org/a/the-mountain-cr...

2. Great feature on the Georgian transhumance (this was also to east of our route): rferl.org/a/28817495.html

3. For something different: To the west, a mining city with 🚠 .. aka Stalin’s rope roads: theatlantic.com/photo/2013/...

4. Aerial (drone) views of Georgian landscapes (some overlap with above, but enough new to make it worth including) rferl.org/a/one-last-time-o...

All above are photos by Amos Chapple, the New Zealander who did the feature on the scary truck journey along the ice road in Kolyma.

Now to the area we’re reaching, the southern mountains:

5. Photos and interview with Natela Grigalashvili, Georgia’s first woman working as a photographer. This is about disappearing village life (where she grew up). We are passing close by: salteditions.it/hidden-life...

6. The zoologist who lived with the wolves. Fascinating story. We go right through this area: calvertjournal.com/features...

Enjoy!

[GailXrunning]

That title should read Part 2!

[Birdlady64 Graduate10]

Wonderful post!I said to Irish-John I'm lucky enough to have holidayed twice in Georgia. It is the most amazingly beautiful country, from the High Caucasus to the southern borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and east to the Black Sea coast where there is an amazing raptor migration each Autumn.

[GailXrunning in reply to Birdlady64]

That sounds like two truly incredible holidays. Just from the photos, the stunning landscapes are palpable. I can definitely imagine these being right for some big birds of prey, and the sound of their calls echoing around the rocky slopes.

[Birdlady64 Graduate10 in reply to GailXrunning]

Yes thats exactly what it was like. Truly amazing

[Littleoyellow Graduate10]

Oh my goodness Gail- that's a lot of really great information 😁👍thank you for making the time to do this 🤗

[GailXrunning in reply to Littleoyellow]

Thank you! I’m seeking them out for my own enjoyment (when I can, and when I can find good things). May as well share them! 😊

[Juliet202 Graduate10]

Thank you so much for all your research. These are amazing photos and stories - such beauty and pathos. Wonderful.

[GailXrunning in reply to Juliet202]

Glad you liked them too.

We’ll not have the Calvert Journal now we’ve left Russia or what was once part of it. It’s proved to be such a great source - either itself or as a lead.

[Charlies1 Graduate10]

Thanks for posting these. The photography is amazing, and really brings it to life. I particularly liked the mountain shepherds as I have family that farm hill sheep in Scotland, in slightly less demanding terrain!

[GailXrunning]

No sheep farmers in my family, but I really enjoyed that piece. I think I identified with the young dog facing the fear on steep slopes. And the scenery is just jaw dropping with the snaking lines of sheep zigzagging across it!