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Georgia |
Arrival in Tbilisi
I had done very little research ahead of this trip. I booked my flights on the Wednesday and traveled on the Sunday. I found things out as I explored the country - A journey of discovery.
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Holy Trinity CathedralTaken at FHoly Trinity Cathedral, commonly known as Sameba, is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church. It was a short uphill walk from my guest house in Avlabari. I had no idea it was there, or what it was. I was just exploring the surrounding area. I suppose, due to its size, I was bound to "stumble" across it.
For the photo on the left, I set up my tripod for a 1/50s exposure. Taken at f/8, I probably should have opened the exposure to f/4, but I am still learning! There was a wedding in progress. It was not until I was leaving the cathedral that I noticed the NO PHOTOGRAPHY sign. I suppose I looked like I was meant to be there as I was using a DSLR and tripod? Perhaps it helped that there was a wedding with an official wedding photographer present? Certainly, nobody stopped me from taking photographs. |
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“Mimino”Close to Avlabari Metro station, this seemed like an interesting monument but, of course, it meant little to me until I did some research.
Mimino (Russian: Мимино), is a 1977 comedy film by Soviet director Georgiy Daneliya, starring Georgian actor Vakhtang Kikabidze (left) and Armenian actor, Frunzik Mkrtchyan. The film can be viewed on YouTube, here. |
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Adjarian khachapuriI have eaten khachapuri many times. They were sometimes served at break time in Moscow. This was my first Khachapuri in Georgia!
As a Georgian staple food, the price of making khachapuri is used as a measure of inflation in different Georgian cities by the "khachapuri index," developed by the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University. |
Gori & Uplistsikhe
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Joseph Stalin MuseumGori is most well known for being the birthplace of Ioseb Besarionis dzе Jughashvili (Joseph Stalin). The museum has been maintained in its Soviet style.
Having entered the museum, I realised that I had left the SD card from my camera in my laptop back in Tbilisi! So off I went in search of an SD card. I entered a shop to find a man in an Aston Villa tracksuit top! When I told him that I was an Aston Villa fan, he claimed that he was wearing it especially for me! He only had micros SD cards with an adapter, but that was good enough. |
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Joseph Stalin's Railway CarriageTo one side of the museum is Stalin's personal railway carriage. The green Pullman carriage, which is armour plated and weighs 83 tons, was used by Stalin from 1941 onwards, including his attendances at the Yalta Conference and the Tehran Conference.
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Uplistsikhe Cave ComplexnUplistkheis an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori. It dates from early Iron Ages to late Middle Ages.
I had know nothing of this place beforehand. There was a driver outside the Joseph Stalin Museum offering a trip to see this wonderful place, that turned out to be the highlight of the day. I love clambering over rocks and it was such a beautiful, warm day! I would have liked to have spent a little bit longer here but the excursion only allowed an hour. |
The Road to Kazbegi
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Zhinvali ReservoirThe first stop was at a small layby offering basic refreshments and souvenir stalls. Despite not being a natural lake, it is a beautiful spot, especially on a sunny day.
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Ananuri
Ananuri is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Georgia, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) from Tbilisi.
Ananuri was a castle and seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. The castle was the scene of numerous battles. One is free to roam about the walls and climb a tower with log floors, which has foot-size gaps. There seems to be little regard for health and safety and I love the place all the more for it! A wonderful video can be seen below (not mine!) For me, everything was a bit of a surprise, even though I had seen this video beforehand. |
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Friendship MonumentThe Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument or Treaty of Georgievsk Monument is a monument built in 1983 to celebrate the bicentennial of the Treaty of Georgievsk and the ongoing friendship between Soviet Georgia and Soviet Russia. The monument is a large round stone and concrete structure overlooking the Devil's Valley. It is perhaps surprising that it remains after the 2008 Russian-Georgian War!
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Kazbegi (Stepantsminda)
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Gergeti Trinity ChurchFor an account of my walk up to the monastery, click here.
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Return to Tbilisi
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Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public FiguresAs well as the burial of many famous Georgians, it is also the site of the grave of Keke Geladze, the mother of Stalin.
This is close to the half-way stop of the Funicular. Situated on Mtatsminda (Holy Mountain), this is where the 6th century Saint David of Gareji lived inside of his cave cell cave cell where he resided. The entrance is now covered by a small chapel containing mosaics. There was work in progress and while I was invited in to drink the water, I was asked not to stand on the edge of the slabs. |
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Mtatsminda ParkI had a walk around the park in fading light, went on the 65m Giant Wheel before bumping into a couple of colleagues/friends at the Funicular Restaurant. I had khinkali with a beer before heading outside for some night time photography.
The photograph of the Holy Trinity Cathedral was taken from outside the restaurant using a 300mm lens and a tripod. I used a shutter delay to prevent movement of the camera during the shot. Taken at f/4 and 1/30 second with an ISO 3200 setting. I am rather pleased with this one as the image is sharp and there is no distortion to the shape of the street lights. |
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The Metekhi Virgin Mary Assumption ChurchI popped in for a while before heading for the cable car and the Narikala fortress. This was, at one point, used by the NKVD and is believed to be the site of a number of executions.
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Tbilisis Aerial TramwayThere was a well documented accident here on June 1, 1990, which resulted in 20 deaths and at least 15 injuries. More information can be found here.
The aerial tramway was reconstructed in 2017, so hopefully now meets international safety standards. I certainly felt totally safe. |
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NarikalaI enjoyed a glass of wine and took photographs of the city, before making my way firstly to Kartlis Deda with wine in her left hand to welcome friends and a sword in her right hand for those that come as enemies. I hope she knows who her friends are!
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St Nicholas ChurchThe church was rebuilt in 1996-97. I had a quick look inside before buying some Pomegranate juice.
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Botanical GardensI decided that I wanted to walk back down rather than taking the cable car/gondola. So, I went down via the botanical gardens. I was keen to do a long exposure on the waterfall. I really should buy an ND filter for the best effect of moving water. I was reasonably pleased with this though.
Taken with the minimum f/22 aperture and a 13 second shutter speed. I tried to photograph some hummingbird moths but with little success. Walking onwards after the botanical gardens, I took this photograph over a corrugated fence in an area of construction. No tripod was used, I just rested the camera on the fence to reduce camera movement. 
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Abanotubani - Old TblisisThe main building, looking like an Uzbek mausoleum is (I believe) the entrance to the sulphuric baths.I popped my head into the front entrance, but I will have to wait for my next visit for t he full experience. I think I was actually standing on the roof of the baths when I took the photograph.
For more information, click here. |
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Kashveti Church of St. GeorgeI did not actually enter the church as there was clearly a funeral in progress with the family sat next to an open coffin. Perhaps, I will take a look inside on my next visit.
I continued down through the park below the church, where there were statues and a war memorial.
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"Atlas" BuildingI have no idea why this building is so ornate. Do the four strongmen indicate an original purpose or role of the building?
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Dry Bridge Flea MarketAnother place I stumbled across en route from Freedom Square to the Peace Bridge. I bought a centenary of the birth of Lenin rouble coin for a couple of GEL. This was as a gift to a "Lenin hunter" friend back in Astana.
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Bridge of PeaceThe bridge which stretches 150 metres over the Kura River was ordered by the City Hall of Tbilisi to create a contemporary design feature connecting Old Tbilisi with the new district. The official opening took place on May 6, 2010.
Clearly, it has many similarities to the Atyrau Bridge in Astana, which was opened in 2018. The construction of the bridge was controversial and apparently the bridge has been nicknamed the "Always Ultra" bridge for its perceived resemblance to a ladies' maxi-pad. |
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MarjanishviliI was keen to use the metro (underground) at every opportunity and the owner of the "Stay Boutique Hotel" had recommended a restuarant at Marjanishvili.
There were stalls outside the metro station selling, among other things, honey and churchkhela. Churchkhela is a traditional sausage-shaped sweet originating from the Caucasus region. It is a very popular food, combining two of Georgia’s favorites – grapes and nuts. Made by repeatedly dipping a long string of nuts in concentrated fresh grape juice it is delicious and nutritious and often called the Georgian ‘Snickers’! |
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BarbarestanI saved this for my last evening in Georgia. This restaurant offers cuisine that is not typical of Georgia. The story is that while visiting a flea market, an old, forgotten recipe book was discovered. I was shown a copy of Barbare Jorjadze’s 19th-century cookbook and told the story of the restaurant before ordering from the menu. I with that I had taken my glasses as it was difficult to read the low contrast menu in the soft lighting. However, with the help of a candle, I ordered rabbit rolls. I strongly recommend that anyone visiting Tbilisi checks out this unique restaurant.
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