Georgia on my mind
 

(The Country, not the State!)

In July, 2019 (1BC – a year Before Covid) we started a wonderful, eventful long journey that began in Georgia and ended in Mexico. Fifteen countries in eighteen months!

The first country we came to (not counting a layover in Qatar) was Georgia. For a long time I wanted to visit this far-flung nation. I knew enough Russian for short spurts of conversation. I had read about the imaginative culinary twists they put on bread and other dishes. And I knew that this was the country with beautiful forested-carpeted mountains, cathedrals, ancient castles, and intriguing centuries-old stone skyscrapers.

Tbilisi, a City Easy to Like, Hard to Spell


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Crossing the Mtkvari River over into Old Tbilisi, the historic Metekhi neighborhood.

After our bleary thirty-six hour trip from Greenville, South Carolina, with layovers in Chicago and Qatar, Tbilisi seemed like a world apart. Much of it reminded me of how the Soviet Union must have looked. After a few days, however, we noticed that the city has a lot of variety, ranging from medieval to modern. Here are some photos of the city. I hope to have a more in-depth article later on this city, as well as on some of the other places in this first article on Georgia.


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Kartlis Deda Monument, erected to commemorate the 1500th year of the city, has a sword in one hand, cup of wine in the other. Which hand is for you depends whether you are friend or foe.


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Parliament on hill and the Rike Concert Hall, one of several whimsical buildings and structures in this city.

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View looking west from Holy Trinity, part of the financial district across the river.
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Holy Trinity Church
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The city is full of interesting buildings, especially in some of the older neighborhoods.

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Sunny Sunday afternoon in Dedaena Park. Next to this (and visible here) is a market where you can buy everything from rugs to Soviet-era miscellany.

After Spending several days in Tbilisi we also explored other parts of the country, coming back to this city after having visited Armenia.

I hope to be able to convert more of my WordPress travel reports to this site but it is a slow process.

Feel free to visit my other site:

From NOwhere 2 nowHERE
https://fromnowhere2nowhere.wordpress.com/