Gamarjoba! This is a continuation of the article about my first coach tour, “The Georgian Feast”. My report and photos from the capital. Intensive sightseeing, the most popular spots. Is it a good way to travel?
If you missed the previous part, do catch up! Plenty of photos and a few interesting places under this link: Georgia – Georgian feast with a travel agency part 1/3 Kutaisi
Let us get to the point: the capital of Georgia.
Tbilisi, the Capital of Georgia
I could live in this city for a while. It looks nothing like most European capitals. Even less like American ones. It holds a mix of cultures, and you run into it at every turn. I was left wanting more. The number of restaurants where you could try traditional dishes is huge. The organizers also took us to a khinkali house. There we watched traditional dancing, ate Georgian dumplings shaped like purses and tasted chacha, the Georgian grape vodka.
The futuristic Bridge of Peace made a huge impression on me, and it goes with the old architecture of Tbilisi remarkably well. It is made of steel and glass, and apparently it looks best at night, which I would like to see one day.
The modern tubes that hold the Philharmonic look great, right next to the presidential palace. To catch panoramas like these we took the cable car up to the Kartlis Deda monument on the hill. I would go up, there is plenty to look at. Walking around Tbilisi was pure fun. And I still feel I got far too little of it.
Paweł, the one they call Osmol, wrote a great report from a stay much longer than mine. He writes about the contrasts: how wealth is interwoven with poverty, how modern buildings stand next to old ones, falling apart here and there. The article: Tbilisi, gruzińskie miasto kontrastów
Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi
A huge cathedral. One of the largest Orthodox churches in the world, and the largest sacred building in Georgia. Built on St. Elijah’s hill, with a view over the city. This is the seat of the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The cathedral is not old. Its construction started fairly recently, in 1995. At some point the money ran out. All works were stopped. Finally, in 2004, after 9 years of work, the building was finished. Its size can surprise you, even overwhelm you, and yet outside and inside there was an unusual calm. Georgians deep in prayer were lighting candles.
Outside it all looks good. The smaller pieces of architecture complete it perfectly. I liked the fountain below most of all.
Summary
In short, I count the trip as a real success. I saw plenty of interesting places, the travel agency did its job, and it is hard to find fault with anything. In another dozen or so years I will certainly use this kind of trip much more. For now it was a completely new experience, a look at a different way of traveling.
And of course, come and read the third part. I will show you photos of the rock town, the fortress and a few other surprises.
Georgia – Georgian feast part 3/3 Rock town and Rabati Fortress
The previous article, part one:Georgia – Georgian feast with a travel agency part 1/3 Kutaisi
