I'll start with the flight. Unlike last year, this year we flew with UIA Ukrainian Airlines. This is a minus of the trip. No matter how many claims against Aerosvit there are, I don’t remember that I was ever fed such filth as they feed UIA. And this is not a charter, but a regular flight. Fly to Tbilisi for 2 hours.
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I'll start with the flight. Unlike last year, this year we flew with UIA Ukrainian Airlines. This is a minus of the trip. No matter how many claims against Aerosvit there are, I don’t remember that I was ever fed such filth as they feed UIA. And this is not a charter, but a regular flight. Fly to Tbilisi for 2 hours. I also flew to Frankfurt with UIA - 3 hours. The food is the same - a cold sandwich with cheap sausage and terrible cheese. + everything was finished off simply by the fact that they delivered the ranks on the plane. And now there is simply nowhere to put your feet on the Kyiv-Tbilisi route. Row numbering has been lost. It so happened that above my row there was no steward call button, no light, nothing at all. They even thought of putting extra rows near the emergency exit.
Tbilisi was not impressed at first sight like Batumi. Everything is gray and old. New glass buildings look very ridiculous in the city. At first there was even a slight disappointment.
Georgian cuisine and drinks. This is actually the main reason for my coming to Georgia. I advise everyone to make such a gastro tour once or twice a year for a week. The taste and color, as they say, felt-tip pens are different, but still. Georgian wine for every taste and color. Personally, my passions are Kindzmarauli and Khvanchkara - semi-sweet red wines. The funny thing is that upon arrival in Ukraine I went to cash and carry, where I found bottles of “Georgian” wine of a very good brand of Teliani Valley for $7 a piece. This is taking into account the fact that the export price of a bottle in Georgia is $ 8 without taxes, transport and extra charges. How it turns out is incomprehensible to the mind, and the sellers, most importantly, with foam at the mouth, prove that the wine is real. Oh well. Georgia is also rich in mineral waters and its lemonade. My personal discovery this year is creamy lemonade, as well as lemonade from the Saperavi grape variety, exactly the one from which wine is made. Delicious. I advise everyone to try. From food, the daily must-have for me was: Adjarian khachapuri (sometimes taken in Imereti), khinkali with meat or mushrooms (in a word, Georgians recognize khinkali only with meat, with mushrooms, potatoes or other ingredients for them, this is no longer khinkali), fried suluguni - served directly on the pan. Eggplants with nuts, salads and greens. Sometimes soups were taken (but alas, they are not very good for me. I liked only red mullet soup, such as fish soup). And of course barbecue or kebab. Only Arabs know how to cook shish kebabs and kebabs better than Georgians. The most delicious barbecue of this trip was in Kakheti. They do not cut the meat into pieces, but string a whole strip of meat on a skewer. Indescribable taste. I liked it with tkemali, but who cares.
From what is worth bringing home - no doubt wine, lemonade, suluguni, spices, tkemali, pomegranate sauce, dried persimmon, Georgian nuts and churchchella. The correct churchkhela is when it is old and already covered with its own sugar. But I don't like that. We bought fresh churchchela on the highway on the way to Kakheti, which is only 2 weeks old at 1 lari per piece. Delicious. In a word, in the city the price starts from 2-3 GEL.
About what to see in Tbilisi and the surrounding area. Perhaps many will not agree with me, but my opinion is that Tbilisi is much more beautiful at night. Especially when viewed from top to bottom. The city lights are simply mesmerizing.
We were offered 3 excursions -1. sightseeing tour of Tbilisi for 45 dollars. 2. Excursion to Mtskheta for $50 and 3. To Kakheti for $55. Lunch is included everywhere. We did not go anywhere with a guide and did the right thing.
It is convenient to move around the city by taxi, it is cheap, especially if there are 4 of you). In addition, every taxi driver in Tbilisi is primarily a guide. He will tell, show and even stop for a photo wherever you need along the route. The first thing we saw in Tbilisi was the fortress above the Tiflis baths. It was on the first day at night, very beautiful. The next day, for 8 GEL, we drove from the hotel to the center, and then walked on foot. First stop was the new glass bridge, which the locals have nicknamed "olweis ulta" because of its design. Well, Saakashvili loves everything made of glass, what can you do. The bridge is beautiful. On the other side of the Kura River there is still unfinished, the same glass theater, a little higher the president's house and even higher the new Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Between the new and old bridges there is a cable car. The fare is one lari, but you need to buy a plastic card for 2. You can take one card for everyone. I also advise you to ride the cable car in the evening. She works until 23.00. from the top of the cable car, you can go for a walk in the Botanical Garden (there is nothing particularly interesting there), go down to the fortress, or walk to the house of the Prime Minister of Georgia (it also sounds glass, no matter how funny it is). Going down you find yourself on Leseidze Street - an old street on which there are many cafes, restaurants, as well as souvenir shops and mini markets. Directly from this street you get to Freedom Square and the beginning of Rustaveli Avenue, where the Parliament, the Opera House, just a theater, ancient churches and cathedrals, etc. are located.
The next day we went to the Tsatsmindu amusement park. In the reviews, it was very loudly called the Georgian Disneyland. I'll tell you very loudly. The road there took about 25 minutes, during which the taxi driver told everything he knew about the history of Georgia with tips on where to go. He asked for 8 GEL for the road, we gave 10 because he cheapened a little, it’s really far to go, also up the mountain, we generally asked him to bring us to the funicular, but apparently he didn’t hear. Thank you for that. The park operated roller coasters, cars, a Ferris wheel and children's rides. Everything. At the entrance, you still need to buy a plastic card for 2 GEL and put money there. Leaving the balance and the card itself can be exchanged for money. Rollercoasters cost 5 GEL. It's not worth it. Absolutely. Ferris wheel and cars for 2 GEL. It is interesting on the wheel, unfortunately the park is open only until 20.00, that is, it is still light and you cannot ride the wheel at night. Cabins with "air conditioning" only it works for 1 minute. Then the heat is terrible. The walk itself lasts 13 minutes. Near the wheel is an observation deck and a TV tower. It is not clear why, but Georgians consider the TV tower one of the attractions. Almost all tourists have photos near the tower (by the way, I have too). After dinner we went to the Pantheon. This is perhaps the most impressive place for me. Crazy energy just covers. The view of Tbilisi at night opens even better than from the fortress. Griboedov and his wife, Stalin's mother, the first President of Georgia, St. Ilya, and outstanding artists are buried in the Pantheon. A church was built near the Pantheon and services are held there.
The next day was a trip to Kakheti. On your own. Together with the guys from the hotel, grouping us turned out to be 7 people. We took 2 taxis and each got 20 GEL. The price is ridiculous given that. What to go 110 km, gasoline prices in Georgia are the same as in Ukraine. Plus, taxi drivers acted as guides, and humbly waited as long as required. The first stop was the monastery of St. Nino, it was she who brought Christianity to Georgia. Her grave is also located there and there is a holy spring where you need to dip three times, thereby curing illnesses and cleansing yourself from sins. The spring is very cold, so for the brave. Near the source, white shirts made by monks are sold for 7 lari, since you cannot enter the source even with rings or earrings. Everything must be removed, only the shirt must be on you. Nothing more. The most memorable in Kakheti is undoubtedly the view of the Caucasus Mountains, alas, on the day of our visit they were in fog and only the tops were visible in the snow. The town of Sighnaghi is a small restored town especially for tourists, beautiful. The main attractions are the fortress, which overlooks the Caucasus mountains and the Alazani valley, as well as the Pirosmani Museum. I didn’t want to go to the museum, here we don’t go to our own houses, but abroad everyone’s zeal opens up. But after the taxi driver said that Pirosmani is the hero of Alla Pugacheva's song, the artist who sold all his paintings in order to give his beloved a million scarlet roses, the desire to see his paintings suddenly appeared.
Another must-have place in Tbilisi is sulfur baths. If you don't have a rotten egg gag reflex like I do, then you should go. This pleasure for an hour, including a massage with such a strange name "Kisa" costs 40 GEL in the Royal Bath, herbal tea for an additional 5 GEL. Perhaps in other baths, there are several of them, the prices are lower, alas, I don’t know. While mine were soaking in miraculous baths, I walked around. If you walk along the baths, you can go to a small waterfall. It is beautiful there. After the baths, we went to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Just in time for the evening service. The cathedral is huge, new and very beautiful. You see 3 churches, and 4 more are below, inside the cathedral. By the way, Georgians are quite a believing nation. They love their patriarch very much. He paints icons, and also develops the design of bracelets (maybe I don’t know anything else, they only bought bracelets, very beautiful ones). From the square of the cathedral, a view of the right bank opens, it is beautiful at sunset.
The next step was a visit to Mtskheta. 10 minutes drive from the hotel. The monastery and church in Mtskheta have been restored, the style is reminiscent of the old town in Budva or Kotor, Montenegro.
Svetitskhoveli is the cathedral patriarchal temple of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which for a millennium was the main cathedral of all Georgia. It is listed among the World Heritage Sites. It is currently considered one of the spiritual symbols of modern Georgia. Samtavro Monastery - The church was built in the 4th century by King Mirian. And Jvarvari - in terms of the perfection of architectural forms, it is one of the masterpieces of architecture and the first World Heritage Site in Georgia. Mtskheta is quiet and calm. By the way, just wear comfortable shoes - there are paving stones almost everywhere. On the way back there was a stop at the Tbilisi Mall. The prices there are relatively low, for example, Zara is 20% cheaper than in Kyiv. In the mall on the ground floor there is a huge supermarket Carefur, where you can buy lemonade, suluguni, spices, sauces, etc.
The day before departure, we went to the left bank, from the windows of our hotel room we can see the Stonehenge of the Georgian spill, so to speak (actually, I just forgot what this miracle is called, but there will be photos). It's pretty mysterious and creepy. It began to be built during the Soviet era and has not yet been completed. There is a cross - the cross of St. Nino, as well as the figures of 13 saints. Two columns open the passage upstairs (where there are 100 steps up). In the same place, on other columns, biblical pictures from the life and death of Christ are depicted. I won’t say for sure, but it seems to be the work of the famous Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. From the mountain you can see the Tbilisi Sea, it is small, several times smaller than the Kiev Sea. It doesn't represent anything in particular.
Regarding wine, cognac and chacha - I would advise buying in the city - the prices are lower than in duty free, and at the airport they will give you as many stickers on your luggage as you need, that there is glass. I flew home for Easter - I made it easier - Kindzmarauli poured 3 bottles into 2 plastic liter bottles, already drank everything, and poured Khvanchkara and the Alazani valley from plastic at home back into glass. We weren't checked at the airport upon arrival, we were lucky.
In Tbilisi duty free, unlike Batumi, there is a large selection of wine.
The trip went well. But still, my subjective opinion is that between the choice of Tbilisi or Batumi, I will choose Batumi without options, but for taste and color, as they say...
Tbilisi was not impressed at first sight like Batumi. Everything is gray and old. New glass buildings look very ridiculous in the city. At first there was even a slight disappointment.
Georgian cuisine and drinks. This is actually the main reason for my coming to Georgia. I advise everyone to make such a gastro tour once or twice a year for a week. The taste and color, as they say, felt-tip pens are different, but still. Georgian wine for every taste and color. Personally, my passions are Kindzmarauli and Khvanchkara - semi-sweet red wines. The funny thing is that upon arrival in Ukraine I went to cash and carry, where I found bottles of “Georgian” wine of a very good brand of Teliani Valley for $7 a piece. This is taking into account the fact that the export price of a bottle in Georgia is $ 8 without taxes, transport and extra charges. How it turns out is incomprehensible to the mind, and the sellers, most importantly, with foam at the mouth, prove that the wine is real. Oh well. Georgia is also rich in mineral waters and its lemonade. My personal discovery this year is creamy lemonade, as well as lemonade from the Saperavi grape variety, exactly the one from which wine is made. Delicious. I advise everyone to try. From food, the daily must-have for me was: Adjarian khachapuri (sometimes taken in Imereti), khinkali with meat or mushrooms (in a word, Georgians recognize khinkali only with meat, with mushrooms, potatoes or other ingredients for them, this is no longer khinkali), fried suluguni - served directly on the pan. Eggplants with nuts, salads and greens. Sometimes soups were taken (but alas, they are not very good for me. I liked only red mullet soup, such as fish soup). And of course barbecue or kebab. Only Arabs know how to cook shish kebabs and kebabs better than Georgians. The most delicious barbecue of this trip was in Kakheti. They do not cut the meat into pieces, but string a whole strip of meat on a skewer. Indescribable taste. I liked it with tkemali, but who cares.
From what is worth bringing home - no doubt wine, lemonade, suluguni, spices, tkemali, pomegranate sauce, dried persimmon, Georgian nuts and churchchella. The correct churchkhela is when it is old and already covered with its own sugar. But I don't like that. We bought fresh churchchela on the highway on the way to Kakheti, which is only 2 weeks old at 1 lari per piece. Delicious. In a word, in the city the price starts from 2-3 GEL.
About what to see in Tbilisi and the surrounding area. Perhaps many will not agree with me, but my opinion is that Tbilisi is much more beautiful at night. Especially when viewed from top to bottom. The city lights are simply mesmerizing.
We were offered 3 excursions -1. sightseeing tour of Tbilisi for 45 dollars. 2. Excursion to Mtskheta for $50 and 3. To Kakheti for $55. Lunch is included everywhere. We did not go anywhere with a guide and did the right thing.
It is convenient to move around the city by taxi, it is cheap, especially if there are 4 of you). In addition, every taxi driver in Tbilisi is primarily a guide. He will tell, show and even stop for a photo wherever you need along the route. The first thing we saw in Tbilisi was the fortress above the Tiflis baths. It was on the first day at night, very beautiful. The next day, for 8 GEL, we drove from the hotel to the center, and then walked on foot. First stop was the new glass bridge, which the locals have nicknamed "olweis ulta" because of its design. Well, Saakashvili loves everything made of glass, what can you do. The bridge is beautiful. On the other side of the Kura River there is still unfinished, the same glass theater, a little higher the president's house and even higher the new Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Between the new and old bridges there is a cable car. The fare is one lari, but you need to buy a plastic card for 2. You can take one card for everyone. I also advise you to ride the cable car in the evening. She works until 23.00. from the top of the cable car, you can go for a walk in the Botanical Garden (there is nothing particularly interesting there), go down to the fortress, or walk to the house of the Prime Minister of Georgia (it also sounds glass, no matter how funny it is). Going down you find yourself on Leseidze Street - an old street on which there are many cafes, restaurants, as well as souvenir shops and mini markets. Directly from this street you get to Freedom Square and the beginning of Rustaveli Avenue, where the Parliament, the Opera House, just a theater, ancient churches and cathedrals, etc. are located.
The next day we went to the Tsatsmindu amusement park. In the reviews, it was very loudly called the Georgian Disneyland. I'll tell you very loudly. The road there took about 25 minutes, during which the taxi driver told everything he knew about the history of Georgia with tips on where to go. He asked for 8 GEL for the road, we gave 10 because he cheapened a little, it’s really far to go, also up the mountain, we generally asked him to bring us to the funicular, but apparently he didn’t hear. Thank you for that. The park operated roller coasters, cars, a Ferris wheel and children's rides. Everything. At the entrance, you still need to buy a plastic card for 2 GEL and put money there. Leaving the balance and the card itself can be exchanged for money. Rollercoasters cost 5 GEL. It's not worth it. Absolutely. Ferris wheel and cars for 2 GEL. It is interesting on the wheel, unfortunately the park is open only until 20.00, that is, it is still light and you cannot ride the wheel at night. Cabins with "air conditioning" only it works for 1 minute. Then the heat is terrible. The walk itself lasts 13 minutes. Near the wheel is an observation deck and a TV tower. It is not clear why, but Georgians consider the TV tower one of the attractions. Almost all tourists have photos near the tower (by the way, I have too). After dinner we went to the Pantheon. This is perhaps the most impressive place for me. Crazy energy just covers. The view of Tbilisi at night opens even better than from the fortress. Griboedov and his wife, Stalin's mother, the first President of Georgia, St. Ilya, and outstanding artists are buried in the Pantheon. A church was built near the Pantheon and services are held there.
The next day was a trip to Kakheti. On your own. Together with the guys from the hotel, grouping us turned out to be 7 people. We took 2 taxis and each got 20 GEL. The price is ridiculous given that. What to go 110 km, gasoline prices in Georgia are the same as in Ukraine. Plus, taxi drivers acted as guides, and humbly waited as long as required. The first stop was the monastery of St. Nino, it was she who brought Christianity to Georgia. Her grave is also located there and there is a holy spring where you need to dip three times, thereby curing illnesses and cleansing yourself from sins. The spring is very cold, so for the brave. Near the source, white shirts made by monks are sold for 7 lari, since you cannot enter the source even with rings or earrings. Everything must be removed, only the shirt must be on you. Nothing more. The most memorable in Kakheti is undoubtedly the view of the Caucasus Mountains, alas, on the day of our visit they were in fog and only the tops were visible in the snow. The town of Sighnaghi is a small restored town especially for tourists, beautiful. The main attractions are the fortress, which overlooks the Caucasus mountains and the Alazani valley, as well as the Pirosmani Museum. I didn’t want to go to the museum, here we don’t go to our own houses, but abroad everyone’s zeal opens up. But after the taxi driver said that Pirosmani is the hero of Alla Pugacheva's song, the artist who sold all his paintings in order to give his beloved a million scarlet roses, the desire to see his paintings suddenly appeared.
Another must-have place in Tbilisi is sulfur baths. If you don't have a rotten egg gag reflex like I do, then you should go. This pleasure for an hour, including a massage with such a strange name "Kisa" costs 40 GEL in the Royal Bath, herbal tea for an additional 5 GEL. Perhaps in other baths, there are several of them, the prices are lower, alas, I don’t know. While mine were soaking in miraculous baths, I walked around. If you walk along the baths, you can go to a small waterfall. It is beautiful there. After the baths, we went to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Just in time for the evening service. The cathedral is huge, new and very beautiful. You see 3 churches, and 4 more are below, inside the cathedral. By the way, Georgians are quite a believing nation. They love their patriarch very much. He paints icons, and also develops the design of bracelets (maybe I don’t know anything else, they only bought bracelets, very beautiful ones). From the square of the cathedral, a view of the right bank opens, it is beautiful at sunset.
The next step was a visit to Mtskheta. 10 minutes drive from the hotel. The monastery and church in Mtskheta have been restored, the style is reminiscent of the old town in Budva or Kotor, Montenegro.
Svetitskhoveli is the cathedral patriarchal temple of the Georgian Orthodox Church, which for a millennium was the main cathedral of all Georgia. It is listed among the World Heritage Sites. It is currently considered one of the spiritual symbols of modern Georgia. Samtavro Monastery - The church was built in the 4th century by King Mirian. And Jvarvari - in terms of the perfection of architectural forms, it is one of the masterpieces of architecture and the first World Heritage Site in Georgia. Mtskheta is quiet and calm. By the way, just wear comfortable shoes - there are paving stones almost everywhere. On the way back there was a stop at the Tbilisi Mall. The prices there are relatively low, for example, Zara is 20% cheaper than in Kyiv. In the mall on the ground floor there is a huge supermarket Carefur, where you can buy lemonade, suluguni, spices, sauces, etc.
The day before departure, we went to the left bank, from the windows of our hotel room we can see the Stonehenge of the Georgian spill, so to speak (actually, I just forgot what this miracle is called, but there will be photos). It's pretty mysterious and creepy. It began to be built during the Soviet era and has not yet been completed. There is a cross - the cross of St. Nino, as well as the figures of 13 saints. Two columns open the passage upstairs (where there are 100 steps up). In the same place, on other columns, biblical pictures from the life and death of Christ are depicted. I won’t say for sure, but it seems to be the work of the famous Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. From the mountain you can see the Tbilisi Sea, it is small, several times smaller than the Kiev Sea. It doesn't represent anything in particular.
Regarding wine, cognac and chacha - I would advise buying in the city - the prices are lower than in duty free, and at the airport they will give you as many stickers on your luggage as you need, that there is glass. I flew home for Easter - I made it easier - Kindzmarauli poured 3 bottles into 2 plastic liter bottles, already drank everything, and poured Khvanchkara and the Alazani valley from plastic at home back into glass. We weren't checked at the airport upon arrival, we were lucky.
In Tbilisi duty free, unlike Batumi, there is a large selection of wine.
The trip went well. But still, my subjective opinion is that between the choice of Tbilisi or Batumi, I will choose Batumi without options, but for taste and color, as they say...
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