Roger Short Memorial Fund Travel Diary – Sebastian Collins (2024, History)

Having become enamoured with Central Asia in 2024 I decided that this past summer I had to continue on my journey westwards along the Silk Road. I had the pleasure of travelling for six weeks from Baku, Azerbaijan to Iasi, Romania. In a continuation from Central Asia, I headed (over a long period) towards Europe with the final destination being my grandparents’ house. I would like to thank all the family and friends of Roger Short who helped make this wonderful trip possible. I saw just how wonderful these places and the people living there are, and I now fully understand why you would want to help others to experience these places.

My whole journey absolutely amazed me. Firstly, I went all the way across the Caucasus. Then I stayed in the North East of Turkey, through Eastern Turkey and along the Central Spine along the “Dogu Express” railway line.

I left Manchester Airport without too much of a plan, bar that I would land in Baku and would have at least three days there. As I explored the sites of Baku, including the Old Town and the Palace of Shirvaanshahs, the mix between old and new architecture was impressive. After some intriguing tours across the East of the country, I headed to Sheki, one of the finest gems in Azerbaijan. It had some of the most beautiful and intricately decorated palaces.

One of my favourite experiences came from my sleeper journey. Not only were the sunrise views of the Caucasus mountains stunning, but the family with which I shared my room were lovely. As the train departed, I used my (I’m certain) terribly pronounced greetings and their English skills to talk about our respective plans. They had a son, whose English was excellent and he would step in if his parents needed help. I learnt that their son, who clearly both parents were very proud of, was a national competitor in Azerbaijani National Dance! They also showed me a holiday resort that they were going to in the mountains which looked spectacular. Even more brilliant was the food that they offered me, which included biscuits and a cherry cake. Items which I grew up with and that I was so happy to have. They advised me on some local dishes that Sheki had the best of in their opinion, including “peti”, a dish cooked in clay pots. The next morning, they insisted that I take extra sweet treats with me, and this food helped fuel my trip for the rest of my time in Azerbaijan.

The winding cobbled roads of Sheki revealed a lively community, with football played in the streets and retirees playing chess in tree covered parks. I felt extremely welcomed in the area even as I relied on Google Translate and hand signals to explain myself. Upon going to Kiş, which was nearby and has one of the oldest churches in the world, a lovely local offered to drive me back in his marshrutka. He refused any payment, despite the fact that the journey was clearly out of his way.

Moving across to Georgia I met Linh, with whom I shared a taxi, in the relaxing wine country of Sighnaghi. Together, we enjoyed the good company and the wine. With the beautiful views from the protected town, I headed onwards to Tbilisi and then to Gori. Gori holds some amazing historical sites, including its castle and, most importantly, Uplistsikhe—one of my favourite sites of the whole trip. Uplistsikhe is a veritable historical playground. This ancient cave city remained inhabited from around the 2nd millenium BC until around the 17th century AD. It holds large cave villas, a secret underground tunnel entrance, a 10th century three-nave church, and stunning views over the valley. I had such fun climbing to discover new caves and houses with clearly defined rooms and even carved decorations. My afternoon was happily spent running about to every new corner and enjoying some wine ice cream. I then headed by marshrutka to Kutaisi.

In Kutaisi, the Bagrati Cathedral really dominated. With this snapshot into the Georgian medieval period, one could not help but become enamoured with their architecture. After a rest day in Kutaisi, I headed onwards to Batumi and to the main event: Turkey. I must say quickly that I was fortunate enough to visit previously Tbilisi and Batumi, hence their fleeting mentions.

Upon arriving in Trabzon I was baffled by how many Turkish flags I saw, the whole city centre was full of Trabzonspor (the local football club) and Turkish flags. I enjoyed the cold and the rain brought in by the Black Sea and the impressive sights nearby, including the Sumela Monastery. I had a memorable conversation with an elderly Turkish man using my pretty broken Year 9 German. He told me about his life there, how his mother had come to Trabzon to work in the tobacco industry, and much more. The best rice pudding, “sutlac”, was had fireside on the misty mountain. It was certainly the most atmospheric rice pudding I’ve ever had. My next stay was in North Eastern Turkey in Kars and visiting nearby Ani. Kars feels like a big cultural melting pot. I saw an Armenian cathedral converted into a mosque, a cheese museum in a former Ottoman bastion right next to the Russian Quarter, as well as Russian mansions. Kars’ history is one of conflict, it was very much a border region, having been part of Russia for roughly 40 years until the end of WWI. Most intriguing, however, is the link to geese in the region, as well as Swiss cheese making. All things made apparent to me in the cheese museum and by the massive goose statues in the city. I did also enjoy the goose pilaf!

One of my favourite experiences was visiting Ani. A few scattered ruins dotted the landscape as we arrived. To one side the sun-scorched plains and to the other the impressive curtain walls of the ancient (formally Armenian) city of Ani. The ruins were truly extraordinary. The rocky terrain created from the rubble of this former metropolis lying in ruin made the remnants still standing ever more impressive. There was a palace, large walls, and some churches still standing amongst a restored mosque and houses that had been part of archaeological digs. All around, in the nearby valleys there were caves that had once been inhabited, just like Uplistsikhe. Climbing up to the citadel, I was impressed by the sophisticated and intricate designs which decorated the now ruined palace.

Returning to bustling, and swelteringly hot Kars, I headed west along the central spine of the country through to Sivas and Kayse and onto Cappadocia. Sivas and Kayseri were a lot more developed and part of the Ottoman, Byzantine, and Roman empires. Cappadocia was lovely and the trek throughout the valleys was mesmerising. Göreme was very touristy, although I thoroughly enjoyed the cave hostel where I stayed. Derinkuyu’s underground city was tremendous. I felt like Indiana Jones going through and discovering all the different levels of this amazing place.

Next, I headed to the ancient sites in the Mediterranean. Taking in places such as Perge, near Antalya, Rhodes, and Izmir with its neighbouring sites of Ephesus and Urla. Some of these spots were truly fantastic. From the Knights Hospitaller castle in Rhodes with its magnificent mosaics to the sleepy seaside town of Urla with her underwater city. The hot weather was eased by the refreshing Mediterranean sea breeze. Perge really stuck with me, as well as the hostel in Izmir. Having çay with some local retirees on the street outside of the hostel was really wonderful. Other memorable moments included taking the ferry to Rhodes and Fethiye where I was greeted by a sunset in both ports, the cats in Rhodes were particularly cute and active on the island. Fethiye’s bay (where the ferry to Rhodes departed in Turkey) was truly stunning and the markets there were incredible.

The whole Mediterranean coast was fantastic. Some of the views from Urla, a sleepy seaside town will stick with me forever. In Urla, I wandered to a nearby modern quarantine island (although I suppose as I could walk there it is now a headland). I was, however, slightly disappointed at some of the Turkish pricing here. At first my impression of the island was a “crammed building site with reconstructions”, and one which you had to pay twenty-five times the cost of a Turkish citizen to visit the main site, with extras easily costing another €50. However, the buildings were tremendous and I’m certain I would have been more receptive had it not come across so poorly at the outset.

I finally headed north-west to Istanbul, where I woke up in Sultanahmet to a beautiful sunrise over the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. I spent four days in a hostel just off the square and had a wonderful time with some lovely individuals. The sites in Istanbul were fantastic and too numerous to list. Though I must mention that I was so enamoured with Topkapi Palace that I spent the whole day there and the Theodosian Walls absolutely amazed me. Another beautiful place was Dolmabahçe Palace, whose opulence was mesmerising. The commanding and serene sunset views over the Bosphorus were brilliant to enjoy at the rooftop bar of the hostel. After seeing almost all the main tourist sites as well as a few more niche areas, I headed onwards to the Balkans.

The Balkans brought a completely different atmosphere. Starting in Bulgaria the noticeable mixing of brutalist communist architecture with the western European, almost Parisian, was striking. The churches and cathedrals in the city were brilliantly decorated and some of the day trips to the fresco-painted monasteries and churches were superb. I was also very impressed by their National History Museum. It was an impressive building which gave off evil James Bond villain lair vibes. Large harsh corners, built in concrete, with sweeping marble interiors and big open rooms, the exhibits were exquisitely supported by the large glass windows giving a view into what seemed like an English country house’s garden. I even enjoyed some Bulgarian theatre, watching Tiramisu at the Bulgarian Army Theatre!

Afterwards, I headed to Romania, stopping in Bucharest. Seeing the dominating People’s Palace and the Old Town with its History Museum (and recreation of Trajan’s column) was certainly impressive. I went to the Arcul de Triumf and the National Museum of Village Houses, where surprisingly and amazingly I saw four of my friends from Univ completely by chance! Will, Natasha, Owen, and Tatiana were interrailing across Europe and we happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet. We enjoyed catching up at the museum and over dinner. The next day, after visiting the Romanian Patriarch’s complex and the Royal Palace, I headed to the airport to fly to Iasi to finally see my grandparents, a couple of bottles of Georgian wine from Sighnaghi in tow! After enjoying all the fabulous homemade Romanian food (covrig, borsch, sarmale, ardei) and seeing some of the amazing places in Iasi over a few days I eventually headed back to the UK for some UCBC pre-season in Gloucester!

Published: 27 August 2026

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