|
TBILISI
georgia.travel/places/tbilisi
Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is a mountainous city with twisting cobblestone streets. The word “tbil” means “warm,” referring to the temperature of the water in Maydani district’s natural sulphur baths. This city is full of history and numerous cultures, with many families having lived in it for more than ten generations. Legend has it that this city was founded around a spring of water by order of King Gorgasali. While hunting the king shot a deer with an arrow, but it ran away and bathed in the spring, leaving him to see the deer with its wounds inexplicably healed.
SULPHUR BATHS
georgia.travel/places/tbilisi
The sulphur baths in the Old Town in Tbilisi have attracted many famous travellers such as Marco Polo and Alexander Dumas. Tbilisi is known as an ancient Spa in which the bathhouses were constructed where sulphur springs come out of the earth. Artists such as Pushkin, Lermontov, and Tchaikovsky have sat and worked, taking in the characterized therapeutic nature of the springs.
METEKHI CHURCH
georgia.travel/travel2/?site-path=things/churches/&id=17&site-lang=en
The Metekhi Church of the Virgin is located in Tbilisi looking straight out toward Narikala Fortress. This church is an example of Georgian Architecture and was initially royal with there now being a statue of the city’s founder, King Gorgasali. It is on these grounds that St. Shushanik was buried and Queen Tamar was married for the second time.
SAMEBA CATHEDRAL
georgia.travel/places/tbilisi/architecture/
The Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi is one of the newer, bigger churches having been just opened in 2004 and is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Built on the Elia Hill, the cathedral is the third tallest Eastern Orthodox in the world. There are nine chapels altogether with only four above ground.
RUSTAVELI AVENUE
georgia.travel/places/tbilisi/
One of the main shopping streets in Tbilisi with high quality art shops, galleries, and exhibition halls. Also along or near this avenue are several governmental and business buildings as well as The Parliament, the Rustaveli Museum, and the Kashveti Church. Rustaveli Avenue was formerly known as Golovin Street, but was renamed after the Georgian poet.
NIGHTLIFE
georgia.travel/places/tbilisi/night_life/
The nightlife in Tbilisi is comparable to other major cities with restaurants turned into bars, night clubs, and dinner down the river Mtkvari. Georgia has a popular dance scene and many clubs with the largest being Night Office, located underneath a bridge and packed with dancers. Switch has more of a relaxed, intimate atmosphere, while Traffic is a lounge containing expatriates and locals.
CAFÉ LIFE
georgia.travel/places/tbilisi/cafe_life/
Also part of the Georgian nightlife is the Tbilisi old town café cultures in which cafes stay open until all of the guests are gone. Turkish and Georgian coffee can be found in many shops as well as an array of Chai tea. Some streets for a lively evening include Iraklie II, Axvlediani, Shavteli, and Rustaveli Avenue.
KAKHETI
georgia.travel/places/wine_country/
Kakheti is a region of Georgia known for its vineyards and wineries, becoming popular for wine tasting for tourists. Within Kakheti is Telavi, the region’s capital, and Signagi, the city with the second longest wall in the world. This region is one of the most visited in Georgia and contains several types of accommodation for travellers.
SIGNAGI
georgia.travel/places/wine_country/
This town in the region of Kakheti is enclosed by the second longest wall in the world and still has most of the wall remaining as well as all 29 towers. These walls and towers used to serve as a way to warn its people of Persian invasions. Signagi is one of the smallest towns in Georgia, but is known as the city of love.
|
PHEASANT’S TEARS
www.pheasantstears.com
Pheasant’s Tears is a local winery, whose name originally comes from a Georgian tale where “the hero claims that only a wine beyond measure could make a pheasant cry tears of joy.” The wines are hand-crafted with their own grapes, then fermented and aged in quevri (Georgian clay vessels), which are buried underground. The winery offers a 1-day, 3-day, and 7-day tour, crafting a package that will give visitors the opportunity to learn more about wine and wine within the Georgian culture.
GEORGIAN FOOD
georgia.travel/culture/food
Most Georgian food is organic with ingredients including fresh vegetables that are grown in the country’s mild climate. The cuisine includes dishes rich in herbs, fresh meats, walnuts, and garlic and is complimented by a side of wine. The food is usually served in a sort of “meze” style with small dishes.
SUPRA
georgia.travel/culture/food/supra/
An elaborate Georgian feast and formal dinner, called a “supra,” consists of an array of traditional foods spread out across a table. Some of these dishes include khaja-puri (a Georgian cheese bread), khinkali (the national dish, which is meat dumplings), and mtswadi (Georgian barbeque). Often during a supra, Tamada (the toastmaker) led toasts are given with guests drinking to things like peace, the reason for the gathering, the host, and many others.
SVANETI
georgia.travel/places/mountains/
whc.unesco.org/en/list/709/
The upper Svaneti region is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List due to the landscape that has preserved its original medieval appearance. Its mountainous area, part of the Caucasus, is known for hiking and house-towers. The Mestia Museum is located in Svaneti and holds preserved icons and artefacts from churches and villages.
SVAN TOWERS
georgia.travel/places/mountains/
Some of the house-towers in Upper Svaneti that were built in the 12th and 13th centuries look like miniature castles as they reach into the sky from the rocky valley floor. These towers were originally built as a way in which to defend themselves against other tribes and avalanches.
GRAND HOTEL USHBA
www.grandhotelushba.com/EN
Located at the foot of Mount Ushba, the Grand Hotel Ushba has a total of 7 guest rooms with a mountain view. Belonging to the Svan Argvliani family, one of the family members renovated the hotel recently, while another takes hotel guests on mountain walks. Tip: Take one of the cooking courses and try Madame Vardo’s homemade khachapuri.
BATUMI
georgia.travel/travel2/?site-path=about/topdestinations/batumi/
This Georgian city is the country’s number one beach resort with its subtropical coastline climate. It contains the longest seaside boulevard in Europe and has free wi-fi access, amusement parks, restaurants, and entertainment. Other sights to see in Batumi include the dolphinarium and the dancing water fountains.
JOSEPH STALIN MUSEUM
georgia.travel/travel2/?site-lang=en&site-path=things/cultural/museums/&id=258
Located in Gori, the city in which Stalin was born, the Joseph Stalin Museum is officially dedicated to the leader of the Soviet Union with exhibits holding items that belonged to Stalin. The six halls of exhibits hold bits and pieces of Stalin’s life from office furniture to gifts that he’s received over his lifetime.
|
Sarah Cawood heads into the heart of the Caucasus Mountains in this thrilling journey across Georgia. This small republic may have only recently gained independence from the old Soviet Union, but its history dates back millennia. Sarah's journey begins in the capital, Tbilisi, before driving East into wine country. This is where wine is said to have been invented and Sarah is hosted at a traditional 'Supra' or feast. Sarah then travels west into the High Caucasus, this is the rugged spine of the country where traditions and customs have changed little over the centuries. Lastly, Sarah samples to the Black Sea coast and gets to dips her toes in Georgians’ favourite place to holiday, Batumi.