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A Georgian Holiday

Tbilisi

We start our trip in the capital of Georgia, in Tbilisi and come back a few times on our travels across the country.

On our first walk up and down the steep cobblestone streets in the Betlemi Historic Quarter we fall in love with the city’s charm. That love only deepens once we have experienced a little its restaurant and food culture. A glass of wine, some delicious food, some live music to accompany our evening…

The Narikala Fortress resides up above the old town. Even though it is raining as we walk up there, the mist and low hanging clouds add to the charm. The roofs of the numerous churches shine in the rain as we huddle under our umbrella. We are not fazed by the rain and our shoes slowly getting wet and continue to discover more of this charming city. The deep red wine paired with the hot potato wedges taste especially good in this weather.

Some of the churches are sitting below the current street level and attest to their age. I cover my hair as I enter and the rich darkness takes us. Light falls through the tall windows and casts a golden light on the icons. The smell of incense lies heavily on the air and the little wax candles add to the overall calm and revered atmosphere. You can feel that churches are an old and important institution in this country.

The biggest church on the other side of the Kura River is the Georgian-Orthodox Holy Trinity or Sameba Cathedral. Its golden cupolas are visible from afar. The majestic church is one of the biggest in the world and quite a sight. It is Sunday morning as we pass by. The doors are open while mass is being held inside and the singing can be heard all over the main square in front.

We continue our walk to Fabrika. The former Soviet sewing factory has been turned into a cultural space. We love the atmosphere there and spend quite a bit of time in the courtyard soaking up some sunshine, having lunch, admiring the exhibitions and walking through the handicraft fair. Tbilisi is filled with interesting places. We are not getting tired of exploring this city.

The old town has a lot of beautiful corners, and we quickly fall in love with the old houses and their intricately carved wooden balconies. Some are restored, and others are barely still standing. Small alleys wind up the hill. There is always something to discover around the next corner.

Mtskheta

The weather is still a bit grey and rainy, but we are making the most of it. The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the city centre has a fortified wall around it and is beautiful inside. I like the mystique light filtering through the windows in the tall tower, the smell of incense burning and the warm glow of the thin candles illuminating the golden icons. Only the group of school children breaks a bit the peaceful atmosphere.

The Jvari Monastery looms high on the hill across the river. Normally, we would drive up there and enjoy the view, but passing clouds hide the church every once in a while and so we decide against it. We opt for walking a little along the river, but soon have to really search for the path between all the puddles. It must have rained a lot here.

What best to do on a rainy evening but to sit in a nice restaurant with a glass of delicious Georgian wine, some good food and a view of the cathedral. We talk a lot and feel very cosy as the rain is falling outside. Life can be so sweet.

Kutaisi

The small city is a stop on our way to Svanetia, but we really come to like our choice. The main centre is very walkable and when we first arrive we spend the whole afternoon discovering this charming place. There are a lot of cafés and restaurants, parks and a church a little up the hill with a nice view over the city and its surrounding area. In the evening with enjoy delicious food in a beautiful restaurant with live music. A group of four men sing traditional Georgian songs and everyone listens in awe.

We cannot communicate much with the lady of our Guest House, but she organises us a driver and we set out to the Motsameta and Gelati monastery near Kutaisi. The Motsameta monastery lies high above the Tskaltsitela River in the middle of a forest. It feels lovely to get out of the city and we enjoy the green vista.

We continue our little excursion to the historically important Gelati monastery. It was founded in 1106 as one of the first monasteries of Georgia and also served as a centre for science and education. The views over the Tskaltsitela valley are beautiful and today marks the end of the rain on this holiday.

Mestia

We initially debated whether a trip to the far Svanetia would be a good idea. We ended up being so happy that we went.

The long drive up from Zugdidi is already part of the adventure. With no exact information of the departure of the Marshrutka, we do not really know what to expect. At our Guest House we get the information 8 or 9 o’clock and when we asked at the bus stop the day before they tell us 10 o’clock. We end up waiting for quite some time before the driver shows up at 9am. Sometimes, it takes a while when the driver wants to wait for more passengers. And that’s exactly what happens. After some negotiations it is almost 10 o`clock and we are finally on our way.

Mestia and the surrounding villages are famous for their fortress towers. They are dotted all over the villages. Each family had such a tower as part of their farm. Access was only via a ladder and the tower served as protection from attacks and blood feuds.

The snowy mountains are the perfect backdrop for our hike around the Mestia valley. It is still spring up here. The apple and cherry trees are in full bloom, butterflies are everywhere. For most of our walk uphill, we share the path with a small river. The snow is melting high on up in the Caucasus Mountains. The valley of Mestia with its small airport stretches out below us. We have a lunch break at the ruins of a Soviet sport centre. Now, only cows graze between the abandoned structures. The trail continues through light forests and over green meadows. Small Alpine flowers add a bit of colour to the landscape. On the way back we have to cross a gurgling river cascading down the hill. The wood planks across the water are slippery and we try to be very careful so no one falls in. The noise of the water drowns out all the other sounds and the sunlight filters through the fresh green leaves. What a beautiful day today. The stone towers get taller and taller as we get closer to Mestia. It is so interesting to see the old buildings. I wonder what life must have been like here…

Telavi

Last but not least, we visit the wine region of Georgia. The country advertises itself as the oldest wine producing country in the world. So far we have liked the wines a lot, especially the red wines. Already the drive to Telavi is beautiful and leads us through the agricultural areas. Upon our arrival we have trouble finding our Guest House at first. We have had the problem before that the properties did not have signs and we had to ask around. Everyone is always helpful and so it usually never took long for us to find it. The alphabet is beautiful, but also impossible to read for foreigners.

The centre of Telavi is not big, but the old cobbled street with wooden houses and their carved balconies is beautiful. The old church has snapdragon flowers growing out of its roof. Along the main street there are quite a few buildings from Soviet times.

For dinner, we find a small restaurant and sit in their garden. The view over the valley is beautiful as the sun slowly sets. The red wine is really good and we enjoy this lengthy dinner. Georgia was a proper food holiday.

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Interpretation

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Retention of Your Personal Data

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Transfer of Your Personal Data

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Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

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Law enforcement

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Other legal requirements

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Security of Your Personal Data

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Children’s Privacy

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Links to Other Websites

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Changes to this Privacy Policy

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