I’ve observed gypsies engaged in some pretty ignoble behaviors, such as stealing donations in Berlin from a memorial dedicated to those killed attempting to cross the Berlin Wall. However, despite these prior observations, some of the extortion begging techniques of the gypsies in Tbilisi, Georgia still raised my eyebrows. The picture below demonstrates one popular … Continue reading
Author Archives: Justin
Goats In Nagorno-Karabakh
There’s a certain enlightened demographic that will appreciate this post more than others… Contrary to the typical Eastern European experience, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh were universally friendly and generous. And the high number of goats in the region is an additional testament to the fine character of this population. Continue reading
Yerevan, Armenia
Unfortunately, despite its impressive history (Yerevan is older than Rome) and reasonably appealing center, Armenia’s capital of Yerevan is not a particularly attractive city. Too much of the city is comprised of crumbling, gray Soviet-era apartment blocks such as those pictured below… This dreary Soviet influence is due to the rapid expansion of the city … Continue reading
Shushi, Nagorno-Karabakh
I can honestly say that I have never visited a town like Shushi before… By the way, Shusha is the Azeri name for this town whose majority population for most of the past century (until the most recent war) was actually Azeri; it is the Armenians that call it Shushi. The town used to possess … Continue reading
Photo Of The Day: Google Market
We stumbled across this small market when we spent the night in the Georgian mountain town of Kazbegi, which is squeezed in between South Ossetia and Chechnya. I thought the “Google supermarket” was pretty freakin’ funny: Continue reading
Photos Of The Day: Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat is the national symbol of Armenia and has been revered by Armenians for ages. In Armenian mythology Mt. Ararat is the home of the Gods, much like Mt. Olympus in Greek Mythology. And then, of course, some people believe as well that a man named Noah built an ark that came to rest … Continue reading
Photo Of The Day: A Casualty Of The Nagorno-Karabakh War
I took this picture while visiting the front line of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The front line is strewn with the wreckage of the machines of war, but for some reason this lone armored personnel carrier (APC), flipped on its side amidst a field of flowers, resonated with me. Perhaps it serves as some sort of … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 