Hi,
I am continuing with my research for places I may try to visit this summer and I stumbled upon Georgia. I was surprised that the country looks so, well…Western. Sure, I saw in the images relics of Soviet occupation as well as some Ottoman influence, but nonetheless, places like the capital, Batumi and Kakheti's provincial capital all seemed to have a strong Western air to them. It appears as if the government is using its oil revenues to build/rebuild a newly independent Western nation with efficient public transport, new architecture that resembles old European architecture and etc. In short, I am impressed. Does the country feel mostly Western or am I being fooled by the photos?
Anyways, Tbilisi would definitely and TOTALLY be out of the way, logistically speaking. However, I do not want to miss out on an impressive sightseeing destination. In that part of the world and related to Georgia’s history, I’ve been to Istanbul and Moscow and was impressed by both-but I doubt either of those cities can be compared to Tbilisi.
To be honest, I generally do not find impressive those ‘Ottoman’ style Asia Minor towns. I find them to have too many ugly buildings surrounding the pretty stuff. Perhaps I am making this sound too complicated. Let me put it like this-Is Tbilisi uniformly pretty or are there only relatively small sections of the city pretty while these areas and the outskirts are basically surrounded by faceless concrete-looking buildings? Think Istanbul (mostly pretty) versus Athens (some pretty areas surrounded by mostly unattractive areas). Do you think Tbilisi is a pretty sightseeing destination onto itself?
Tbilisi: Worth the Detour?
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Hi greekness - did you decide to visit Georgia? I'm planning a trip to include Georgia and Armenia this fall, and am looking for input.
No thursdaysd. I am put off right now by the problems between Georgia and Russia. I know a bunch of people are going to jump down my throat with this one, but you never know with those 2 countries. I want things to calm a bit beforehand.
Hi greekness - understood, but I'm still going. I've dropped Iran, since it looks like there's no way I'd get a visa right now, but I'm flying into Batumi mid Sept. and heading east. Keep your fingers crossed for me that things stay peaceful!
I've heard a lot of nice things about Georgia in general and Tbilisi. And supposedly it maintains its national character. Will be in Tbilisi on August 20th for a couple of days, will report.
Great! Where else are you going?
I'll be in a couple of countries, but in that area - only in Tbilisi.
Last year, I spent 2 weeks working in Tbilisi. Did I enjoy my stay? Yes. Would I go out of my way to travel there? No. What I found fasinating was that the old co-exist with the new. This includes buildings and people. The Georgians are very warm and welcoming. You may find it lacking compared to Istanbul and Athens. Those are countries that I have not traveled to. So, I would suggest Georgia only if you are in the area. The wine is great!
Interesting, childlife. There's a post just up on Lonely Planet that's much more complimentary about Georgia!
Do you have any suggestions for places to stay or eat? Or agencies for booking tours? I'll be there mid-September and I'm hoping to visit some vineyards east of Tbilisi - any recommendations?
http://www.georgia.orexca.com/
I used them in Uzbekistan though, not in Georgia, but was very pleased in all aspects. Give them a try.
Thursdaysd: Our trip was planned by our hosts, so I did not have to plan the hotel and transporation myself. We stayed at a lovely Courtyard by Marriott on the main square. It was a beautiful hotel. The rate included the continental breakfast which was wonderful...very hearty. I booked my tours through the hotel. When I asked for a city tour, the hotel driver took me in the hotel mercedes which was quite a treat. Let me e-mail my host in Georgia and ask her for recomendations.
Thanks childlife - unfortunately the Marriott is well out of my price range.
Hi Thursdaysd: We had a car and driver who took us to the old city and capital of Georgia, "Mtskheta" near Tbilisi. This is a site I would highly recommend for beauty, history and calm. Enjoy!
OK, I'm back from Tbilisi. IMHO the city doesn't make sense for a trip on its own, but the country definitely deserve the trip. Btw, the people are outstanding. I don't subsribe to the notion of "rude" cities, - found that most people are friendly and trying to help all over the world, - and I heard about Eastern hospitality, but Georgians were simply unbelieviable. The trip does require some planning though and as an example, I found Courtyard Marriott for $107 a night - not free, but not exuberant either. Plus there are plenty of cheap accomodations. Search the Web.
Good to hear mian. Could you share where you found the Marriott at such a good price?
Thank you for all your helpful comments.
We will be in Georgia this month and staying with friends. As budget to moderate spenders, what do you think we should budget for daily spending?
Also, do you have suggestions for appropriate gifts for our hosts? When our hosts visited the USA earlier this year, we gave them a nice coffee table book on scenic places in our state. We will be staying with them for a week. They like green tea but cannot find it, so we are taking a supply. On a whim, I picked up a couple of bags of potpourri. Pottery is a specialty to our state, so have thought about taking a couple of small pieces. What do you think of a music CD, something of a specific cultural heritage? Scottish heritage is a big thing locally, so maybe a bagpiping or Celtic music CD? Your suggestions are really appreciated.
Was there anything cultural about clothing that we should respect? I am taking a couple of dresses and mostly casual slacks and jacket outfits. I have some shoes that will double for walking and all but the nicest occasions. Are tennis shoes appropriate?
Thank you for any advice. There's not a lot about Georgia in the forum. But we have heard so much good and are looking forward to this trip.
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