Mtskheta - Tbilisi (Georgia) - Hidden in plain sight

Mtshketa - Tbilisi
17 September - 19 September 2016

Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities in Georgia. Standing at the confluence of the Mtkvari & Aragavi rivers,  this town is an attractive town that contains some of the most significant monuments of Georgian Christian architecture, historically significant for its contribution of medieval architecture throughout the Caucasus.

We spent the best part of a morning discovering the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and finding out a little more about independent producers of Georgian wine. Always good to discover the bootleggers.

Mtskheta - Georgia

Mtskheta - Georgia

Mtskheta - Georgia

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta - Georgia

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta - Georgia

This is the moment that Davis got told off by a priest for entering wearing a tank top - LOL

'Get out of my cathedral you punk!'

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - Mtskheta - Georgia

Georgian wine bootlegger - he looks like one too!

 Mtskheta - Georgia

 Mtskheta - Georgia

The next day we were in more professional & legitimate hands as we attended a winery just outside the lovely town of Signagi. Located in the eastern most region of Georgia the area serves as one of the main tourist destinations as the cradle of Georgian wine making now resides in this area.

Royal sulphur baths - Tbilisi - Georgia

Royal sulphur baths - Tbilisi - Georgia

Royal sulphur baths - Tbilisi - Georgia

Georgian wine - wine not - Tbilisi - Georgia

Answers can always be found at the bottom of your glass

Tbilisi - Georgia

Hard Rock Cafe - Tbilisi - Georgia

Hard Rock Cafe - Tbilisi - Georgia

Hard Rock Cafe - Tbilisi - Georgia

Outside of Signagi - Georgia

Signagi - Georgia

Signagi - Georgia

Signagi - Georgia

Signagi - Georgia

As I mentioned in an earlier entry, Georgian wine making has an 8000 year old history and it’s believe that the famed Georgian clay pots hold the secret to the formulation of their fantastic wines. The ancient Georgian method holds no barrels, or vats or monitoring systems, just the qvevri which imparts a unique taste to the wines. I have to say, after 8000 years of tradition the Georgians have learnt a thing or two about making these precious drops. There are some great Georgian white varietals such as Rkhatsiteli, Kisi, Mtsvane Kakhuri & Tsolikouri but admittedly, for me, the real hits were the reds such as Saperavi, Kindzmarauli & Shavkapito. All of these are varietals that I’d never encountered before coming to Georgia, in fact, never knew existed and least of all knew that they were probably the forerunners to all of the wines around the world! Not a bad claim to fame I’d say, and something that I believe Georgia should make a bigger deal about into the future. Once again, as per an earlier entry, for many reasons I believe Georgia is still off the radar in terms of many peoples travel itineraries. Needless to say, with a bit of self-promotion and a few good words, I believe it will enter a Lonely Planet top 10 soon enough, with a bullet!

Signagi - Georgia

Signagi - Georgia

Signagi - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Self made churchkela - Khareba winery - Georgia

Khareba winery - Georgia

Our last couple of days was spent in the wonderful city of Tbilisi. Another one of the plethora of attractions in this city is its sulphur baths, a time honoured ritual in the city ever since the King of Georgia discovered the sulphur springs in the area and decided to build his city around them. Of course now it’s very much set up for tourists but how can you go past having a soak, scrub and traditional massage beneath the domed roofs of these baths. An absolute treat.

We had really managed our luck quite nicely with the weather during our stay. Aside from a later afternoon thunderstorm in Batumi we had been blessed with some gorgeous sunshine for most of our stay. Our return to Tbilisi was no different and we took full advantage of the beautiful days to enjoy dining outdoors, partaking in some rooftop tipples and also finding some nice shisha spots. The later was another bonus of Tbilisi. It appears that Georgians are all smokers and their penchant for taking on a bit of nicotine also extended to the good ‘ole hookah, something that both Inga & I are fans off.

Tbilisi - Georgia

Tbilisi - Georgia

Tbilisi - Georgia

Tbilisi - Georgia

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

It looks completely 'desolate' here but we were the early arrivals. One hour later this place was full

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

Tsiskvili restaurant - Tbilisi - Georgia

On our last evening Inga & I went to wonderful restaurant named the Tsiskvili, http://tsiskvili.ge/english/home, located a little drive outside of the city centre, the set up was a real pleasure, with a natural waterfall, water mill, Georgian antiquities, funicular and national folk dance, all with delicious Georgian cuisine thrown into the mix, it ended up being a fantastic way to round out our time in a country that surprised at nearly every turn.

Even the long wait for the 3am flight out of Tbilisi to Istanbul was made a breeze with some late night shisha and a few drinks on Shardeni Street to help us on our way.

To you Georgia I say thank you. Unexpectedly wonderful, you’re a treasure hidden in plain sight.

Batumi (GEORGIA) - აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა

Batumi (Georgia)
13 September - 15 September 2016

After a few eye opening and wonderfully surprising days in Tbilisi we jumped a train heading west and dialled in the Black Sea resort and port city of Batumi. To me this was another one of those 'mythical' style stops, a location that my mind had somehow conjured up images of for years but due to the tyranny of distance, and lack of association, there was no real hope of me making a visit. The Black Sea had always been one of those places, not the city of Batumi itself, just to be clear. As massive body of water, that's almost lake like, the narrow t only has the narrow straits of the Bosphorous to redefine it as a marginal sea of the Atlantic ocean rather than being a grand lake. What can I say, geography has always been a fascinating topic for me.

                                                           Trouble in Batumi ;)

Batumi - Georgia

The fantastic wines of Georgia - a great accompaniment to ALL the FANTASTIC Georgian food

Blue Steel in Batumi - Georgia

Sunset on the Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

The Awesome Foursome - Batumi - Georgia

When this photo was taken Inga & I weren't engaged and Davis & Annija weren't even a couple ....

Absorbing the rays on the Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Lunch in Batumi - Georgian food and wine is just outstanding

A few years prior Inga had been to Batumi with her family and had sent me photos of a city that at the time I couldn't reconcile with its geographical location. What I saw was a striking city of modern architecture, sidled up to a calm, greyish looking sea. Even more dramatic at night, the lights of the city were blinding in their brilliance. Here was a city of the 21st century in the age old country of Georgia, modern and proud.

Batumi is known as the 'Pearl of the Black Sea' and is located in the autonomous Republic of Adjara. Another fascinating piece of information in that this region, pressed up against the border of Turkey and bounded by the Black Sea is effectively a DIY region. Which got me to thinking, could Batumi actually be a capital city in waiting? Could Adjara actually become a country in the near future? My only guess is that if there's a willingness by the people then there's no reason why it couldn't happen.

Running tracks and bike paths in Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

The Alphabetic Tower - Batumi - Georgia

This 130 metre high structure symbolises the unique nature of the Georgian language and combines the double helix design of DNA into its own design

The Alphabetic Tower - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

The Batumi skyline

This city is of course different to Tbilisi. Sleek, shiny and new, there's a Gold Coast type of feel about the place. Apparently there's been a lot of work that has taken place in the city over the last 10-15 years. One of the most visitor friendly pieces of work is Batumi Boulevard or the Batumi boardwalk, which is a 7km stretch of beautified beach side walking track that has nice bungalows, cafe lounges, restaurants, children's attractions, sculptures, etc. It's a great place to walk at any time of the day but particularly at sunset. And whilst this isn't what we'd commonly thing of as a beach in Australia (since when is a stone beach really a beach?), for those that live here I assume it would be a real pleasure.

Batumi - Georgia

Night antics - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

Davis - our Georgian taxi

Batumi - Georgia

The thing about Batumi is that once you get away from the boardwalk and have dealt with the plethora of casinos, then the modern buildings themselves can only hold your interest for so long before you yearn for a little bit more substance. Of course outside of Batumi the country side is wonderful and there's a lot of satisfaction derived from those looking at the city for a launch point for something in the 'eco-touristic' domain but because we only planned a limited stay in this area we only really intended on seeing this city. Still, no complaints from my end, it was definitely worth the travel time and having the business card of Batumi in my back pocket.

Batumi - Georgia

Georgian style coffee, heated in sand pit in the back of someone's car

Flying dolphins - where else but Batumi - Georgia...??

One of the truly cool events of the stay here was the fact the Davis and Annija actually started their relationship whilst in Batumi. All it took was a few dolphins, a nasty down pour, some violent lighting, evil thunder, and hey presto, tomorrow (18 MAY 2019) is going to be their wedding day. So with that said, here's my best wishes to them! All the best for their future and a toast to where it all started, under a blanket of grim cloud & nasty thunder. All it took was a simple hand hold and the rest, as they say in the classics, is history. Personally, I am very happy for the both of them, a fun loving, nice and genuine couple!