Georgia: lost in Tbilisi

Georgia, that country that when you talk about it, first people think you talk about the US, but we really refer in this post to the great and little known by the Spaniards and many Europeans this Caucasian country.

 As neighbors it has Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkey. In addition Georgia is bounded by the Black Sea and on the boundary between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

Its geographical location is so influential in its culture, in its buildings, clothes and traditions are reflected the Ottoman era, Russian Orthodox style, and medieval Europe.

All this makes it an unique place in the world, because it is easy to recognize each of these influences and, at the same time, how they have transformed it into a symbol of their identity.

Currency: lari

Georgia, like its neighboring countries of the Caucasus, is crossed by the Caucasian mountain range, that makes the landscape exceptional. It is a country full of forests, mountains and curious beaches. It should be noted that its citizens are responsible with pride and love to defend their landscapes.

Our experience

Section:

Travel

The trip and the hidden surprise

To get to Tbilisi we need to go first to Istanbul Atatürk airport, my life and travel partner flew from Barcelona and I from Basel. From there we took another plane to Tbilisi.

All this was with the Turkish airline "Pegasus Airlines". With which the flight experience was quality and quiet (with very cheap prices).

From the Georgian airport we go to the center with a bus line that connects with it every 35 minutes.

Once in the city we went to the hotel "Lost In Tbilisi". We had been awake for more than 20 hours and we were looking forward to getting there.

When we finally arrived at the hotel we were met with a big surprise, Lost in Tbilisi was really lost, it didn’t exist.

It was 6 in the morning and there were still no open cafes.

We were running out of internet and we did not have anywhere to go. So we waited until 7:30 to open a restaurant where (Rustaveli Avenue, Dinehall), I must say, I had the best coffee with ice cream of my life.

Dinehall, Rustaveli Avenue

Already tired (and desperate) we managed to contact Booking for a refund of the reservation at the ghost hotel. And at that time, we decided to rent through Airbnb a cute apartment but we could not access until 3pm, a whole show.

The apartment is located right in the old town, next to the botanical garden, that is, after a large hill.

What did we finally do? We left our suitcases with the appartment's owner and we went to the botanical garden. That is not especially small, which is beautiful and a recommended visit, in addition, is close to the baths / hot springs of Tbilisi, the favorites of Russians and newlyweds in the city.

It should be noted that the weather in May there is great. The little time it was raining, people went without an umbrella, because when the rain stopped, at 15 minutes you were absolutely dry.

Featured sites:

Old Tbilisi: beautiful and chaotic. Old town in reforms and dark streets. The feeling of security still, is very high.

Streets full of business thought for tourists: souvenirs, ex-change, restaurants ...

Rustaveli Avenue: full of historic buildings, shops, a big mall, hotels and exclusive restaurants.

Sololaki Hill: you can reach it with a cable car that crosses the city, that's where the mother of Georgia is, an aluminum statue 20 meters high. It is seen from all the city, and the hill has a complete panorama of the whole city.

The thermal baths "Sulfur Baths": Incredibly relaxing and unique beauty. They are recommended to treat skin problems, help with arthritis, insomnia ...

Or to go with your crush!

Parliament: The parliament is one of the majestic government buildings that can be seen on the famous Rustaveli avenue.

Liberty Square: the Peace Square, renamed several times during history, is located in the center of the city of Tbilisi and at the eastern end of Rustaveli Avenue.

Every 26th of May the anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Georgia is celebrated with a festive atmosphere going through all the streets of the capital.

(Restoration)

Maspindzelo: This was the best restaurant we found without a doubt in all of Tbilisi. It is close to the Sulfur Baths. There they make the best "Kachapuri Acharuli" (oval bread stuffed with cheese, butter and egg) and the best tasting quality price of the area. Definitely a stop-off site.

(Restoration)

MAQRO: From this place I can recommend the bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruits and the exquisite "Ice Coffe with Ice cream".

Also in front of this exclusive and luxurious place is the Tbilisi Opera House.

Cathedral of the Holy Trinity of Tbilisi: imposing orthodox cathedral of recommended visit for lovers of cultural and religious tourism.

Shardeni Street: iconic Tbilisi street full of entertainment, shisha and catering.

Outside the capital:

Ananuri: Natural beauty spot with an orthodox monastery. Landscape to the Caucasian mountain range.

Mtskheta: is a museum city near the capital is one of the oldest cities in Georgia and since the year 94 world heritage. Stands out for a beautiful Orthodox monastery (Jvari monastery) and the Svetitsjoveli cathedral. Within the city there are a multitude of stops and food stalls.

For us there is still a long list of places to visit in Georgia, we make a preview of the next trip:  

• Batumi: located on the coast of the Black Sea
• Gori: hometown of Joseph Stalin
• Vardzia: medieval monastery dug in the mountain.
• Sighnaghi: small town of great charm, the favorite of the couple to get married.

Section:

Trunk of the anecdotes

MAQRO: As I said earlier our first day in Tbilisi was a bit moved. At 6:00 in the morning we were lying without a hotel, internet or battery so we decided to walk along the "Rustaveli Avenue" and there my partner noticed a place with modern air that was still closed.

We decided to sit on a bench in front of the place that turned out to be a dinner hall. Coincidences of the universe the place ended up being one of the best places in Tbilisi for both breakfast and brunch.

(Culture)

Georgian Independence Day: we did not really know that May 26 was Independence Day, which was a surprise because that same day we returned to our corresponding destinations (Barcelona / Basel)

The return flight was at night so we enjoyed the festive atmosphere all day.

(Stores)

In the city that I currently live in Weil am Rhein there is a museum of architecture and interior design called Vitra, I was very surprised to find a store in Tbilisi of the same Vitra.

(Transportation and people)

In Tbilisi the normal thing is to get around with the bus, the metro or the taxi, we opt most of the time to take the taxi.

 One of the times we met with a nice taxi driver who although we did not really understand each other, his sympathy and his desire to be understood made us end up going with him on an excursion through Ananuri and Mtskheta. In the end, the gentleman ended up becoming a tour guide and a photographer. We made such good friends that after making a selfie we exchanged telephone numbers.

(By the way, in my opinion, the tbilisi metro is where I found the longest, fastest and steepest escalators in the world.)

(more about taxis)

But certainly one problem that we find in Georgia is that the majority of the population does not speak even a basic English, so when we took a taxi and left us in front of a shopping center we had the suspicion that the station was not there. So we told the taxi driver to take us to the place marked by Google Maps.

We got off the taxi a little surprised by the loneliness and misery that hit the area where we were.

It turns out that the almighty Google Maps was wrong and that there was no train station there (besides it was probably the worst periphery of Tbilisi) so we had no choice but to try to stop a taxi to return, it took us half an hour to stop a ramshackle car but we returned safely to Tbilisi.

I love Georgia, its landscapes, the influence of the different eras and empires in its streets, its people and its *kinkalis!

* Traditional Georgian food.

For me, to this day, it has been the trip that has marked me the most. I see Tbilisi as another European city, but with a much calmer people.

I felt very comfortable and "at home" and not just because I understood something there, absolutely everything in the streets is in Georgian, even the numbers are in this exceptional alphabet. (also in Russian and sometimes English)

But there are places that, without knowing an exact reason, reach the soul. This has been one, and at our annual meeting we will meet.

We tied the boat for today, Until the next post!