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Lets continue Alexis' trip in Georgia!
KACHKAR MOUNTAINS, TÜRKIYE TO BATUMI, GEORGIA: A few hours of following the Black Sea coastline brought us to our second country of the trip and a new country for me! It is now time to explore Georgia, starting with the interesting seaside city of Batumi. A place with towering modern buildings juxtaposed with a charming, historic old town and a very tourist centric waterfront promenade (so when in Rome. I love som ridiculousness!) A charming place really. Views from the cable car of city, mountain and sea were pretty spectacular but the most spectacular thing of course is the food and wine! I am so happy to be in this country, already everything I’ve eaten has brought me great joy! We were also lucky enough to be here on Orthodox Easter. Every year a village called Shukhuti holds a very unique Easter tradition. Lelo Burti is an 800 year old Georgian game, a precursor to rugby and a national cultural treasure. Every year the toughest lads from 2 villages meet in Shukhuti for a day of celebrations culminating in the game. We were lucky enough to be present and let me tell you it was one of the craziest freaking things I’ve ever witnessed. Also the ball weighs a ton!! Watch the videos with sound for the full pandemonium. It was such a special experience. It was also a birthday today so I think it was a very memorable indeed!
BATUMI TO SVANETI MOUNTAINS: Wow, just wow. After a stop in Zugdidi for lunch, we drove the most epic mountain roads to reach Mestia. This outrageously charming town surrounded by mountains and dotted with 12th century towers was our home for 2 nights. My free day was spent climbing medieval towers, hiking, visiting lovely museums and indulging in home cooked Georgian food. I could stay here for ages. Amazing.
SVANETI MOUTAINS TO BETHLEMI: Mostly a drive day back on the stunning mountain roads and into Zugdidi again for lunch. From there the plan was to hit some hot springs before our bush camp. The drive started wonderfully through deeply rural Georgian villages, but took a turn when we decided to test a new route to shave off some time. I do not know how Al drove this. It would be a challenge in a car. It would be a challenge on foot!Absolutely atrocious, narrow rock and dirt track deep into mountains where certainly no truck has gone before. Real adrenaline adventure! The hot springs paled in comparison. Our bush camp was lovely as always. We were gifted homemade wine by the welcoming villagers and spent our evening with the sounds of the river and livestock. Really nice end to the day.
BUSH CAMP TO KUTAISI: We did so much even before lunch that this drive deserves its own post! As we had some time to work with I decided to get experimental and try a couple new stops. They were so cool!! First I saw the region was dotted with castles and decided to visit the Castle of Levan Dadiani or the Dadiani Summer Palace belonging to the Dadiani ruling dynasty that lived its heyday in the 19th century. You can no longer enter the residence, but you can explore the grounds and they were absolutely magical shrouded in morning mist. Next stop was a very different look at Georgia’s past. I was deeply curious about Tskaltubo, a city that houses the ruins of an abandoned Soviet spa town. There are over 25 resorts and sanatoriums here that lay in ruin since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the early 90s, several of these were used to house displaced people from Abkhazia, many of whom still lived there up until a couple years ago when the government moved several families to apartment blocks. Some remain. There is currently a project to renovate and revamp so many sites are closed off to visitors, but not the most famous of the sanatoriums which called Medea and this is the one I chose to visit. Holy shit. That’s all I have to say. Last stop before Kutaisi was Prometheus Cave, one of the most popular destinations in all the country. A 1.5km walk takes you through 6 of 22 halls. Pretty impressive cave system made more fun with a 10 minute boat ride through the cave to finish. Fascinating, grounding and beautiful day before we even arrived in the fantastic and bustling city of Kutaisi. Bonus video of Al driving over a dodgy bridge with a giant spike jutting out of it.
KUTAISI: We had a free day here which I wish I could say I spent exploring, but as soon as I walked out of the hotel and down to the river, I saw a tiny puppy dart into the street with a van barreling full speed at her so I had to throw myself in front of the van and scoop up the puppy…then I was stuck with a puppy. Most of the day was spent trying to find a home for the pobrecita. The best I could do was find a shopkeeper who was willing to look after her, but my heart is incredibly heavy. I wish more than anything I could have found her a proper home. I did manage a brief look around the city, had some amazing kebabs and visited the Bagrati Cathedral which originally dates back to the 11th century and is still operational today. Views from there were majestic, overlooking the city with snow capped mountains in the distance. Kutaisi isn’t as visited as Tbilisi or Batumi, but that is a real shame. Even my brief exploration left an impact and made me want to linger longer. Kutaisi is actually one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, has a rich history and is the hub of Georgian culture and arts. Such an interesting place to walk around with vibes for days. I really wish I had a chance to experience more.
KUTAISI TO TBILISI: Stop in Gori en-route to Georgia’s capital. Many come here for 1 particular reason…Gori is the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, a fact that is celebrated in the form of a Stalin Museum. I would say a visit here is ethically dubious, but curiosity dragged me in. I wanted to know how the man was presented, if his crimes and mass murders were spoken of or if he was simply glorified. The answer is he is definitely glorified and they have an insane number of artifacts, paintings, sculptures, rugs emblazoned with his image. There is a small section next to the stairs that is very easy to miss that speaks of Gulags, terror and death, but it most certainly felt like an afterthought. If you haven’t had enough Stalin after the museum, you can see his childhood home and enter his personal train car. Don’t forget to buy some Stalin themed socks, carrier totes, clocks or anything else you can imagine before you leave! Gori itself seemed lovely and has many historic sites to visit as well. On to Tbilisi and wow is it an enchanting city. A short climb up the Betlemi steps brought glorious views over the city and the Mother of Georgia standing strong and protective over her. Not much time for anything else today other than a lovely group meal. I’m going to love it here. More on Tbilisi later.
TBILISI: I am obsessed with this city. Every corner has a new surprise waiting. It’s endlessly charming, quirky, artsy, imaginative, historic, modern, beautiful, resilient. Started Sunday with a visit to a 6th century church to witness a service replete with Georgian polyphonic chanting. It was quite an experience and felt like stepping back in time to centuries and centuries ago. An excellent free walking tour followed. I really am enamored with this place and its story.
My final day was spent acquiring our Iran visas which let me tell you ended up being an enormous mission that ended with me sprinting across Tbilisi, but we have them! Another amazing meal before leaving this city and now I will leave you with my new favorite word: Shemomedjamo which means to eat past the point of fullness because the food was simply too delicious. This happens a lot here.
TBILISI TO TELAVI: After some life giving warmth in Tbilisi we woke up to frigid temperatures that lead into an actual winter wonderland of snow. First though, we stopped at Ujarma Fortress which was simply majestic. The views over the Gombori pass, the insane history and the complete solitude we had while exploring made this stop really magical for me. This fortress dates back to the 3rd!! century and once housed kings and the royal treasury of ancient Georgia. It was one of the most important and strategic points of defense against invaders. Unfortunately the 15th century brought the Mongol conquest and the fortress fell into disrepair and is now an important cultural treasure. I was surprised how alone we were exploring. It was really cool. Then immediately after came a blizzard seriously out of nowhere! It was also pretty magical to see the landscape suddenly turn in this way. It is not something I’m used to in the tropics! Our next stop was Ikalto Monastery and ruins of Ikalto Academy which was the most important center of learning in ancient Georgia, they even say Rustaveli was taught here! Once again we were completely alone in a place that was utterly deserted, I think this day was because it was absolutely freezing and the snow turned to rain as we dropped down from the mountain. It wasn’t the most pleasant truck lunch and we are all still defrosting, but it was another special stop in a special country. Telavi came next. Our home for 2 nights and gateway to Kakheti wine region.
TELAVI: Telavi itself is lovely and historic but wow is the area stunning. Being here obvs meant wine tour! We started the tour at the House Museum of Alexander Chavchavadze which was simply beautiful and an intriguing look into a 19th century palace. Alexander was the first to bring European wine making techniques to Georgia. The Tsinandali wine estate is also on the property which is so lush, green and peaceful. Obsessed. We visited a wine library and tasted one of their white varietals. Next was the Schuchmann Wine Estate with gorgeous mountain views. They use both traditional and modern wine making methods. They do produce a killer Saperavi and an interesting sparkling wine. Next was a small wine producer where we had a feast of Georgian staples complete with wine and chacha, which is distilled from grapes and shockingly powerful. Great day in a great place!
Next, we move onto Armenia!