I am not a very good tourist. Mostly I just walk around and look at stuff that doesn’t cost anything to look at. It is really good exercise so the McDonald’s visits haven’t taken too much of a toll yet.
I have been in Georgia for a month now and its time to pull up stakes and walk around somewhere else. I think I have seen as much as there is to see without a goal of seeing anything in particular. Georgia is not the kind of place you just pop into if you have some spare days on your travel itinerary so this is probably my last visit. With that in mind, I have been scouring the web for uniquely Georgian things to do so I won’t have that facepalm moment down the road when I learn of something I missed.
In no particular order:
Wine tasting. I took a group bus tour to one of Georgia’s wine producing districts. All of Georgia is a wine producing district so this was just scratching the surface. The tour guide said wine was invented here 8000 years ago. Its fermented in clay pots that give it a really smooth finish. I am far from being a wine guy but the samples I had were dangerously good. They also distill the grape bits left over from making the wine to make Chacha. A high proof brandy/vodka liquor. I am not a shot guy either but it’s pretty good stuff.
The biggest challenge to being in Georgia is Georgian language. There is no connection to any other language written or spoken. It’s mentally fatiguing as your brain tries to recognize words that can’t be recognized until you finally give up and overheard conversations are just buzzing sounds. I was in a coffee shop one morning staring at the wall when a guy came in and got a coffee. I sat there for 5 minutes before I realized he ordered in English with a New Jersey accent. We had a nice chat on things to do in town
Nightlife: Anymore and very rarely to be honest, I just stick to cheap beer when the opportunity presents itself. Russian is the second language here. With all the issues going on, it is becoming a language non grata. Rudimentary English is a distant third. To get around the buzzing silence, I did a google search for expat bar because I have heard that Tbilisi was high on the list for digital nomads and cheap remote work options. I only really found one place and it was only 3 blocks of crumbling sidewalk away. A built in deterrent to having one too many.
Google pointed me to Brown’s Bar. It’s a little place owned by an Englishman, run by an outgoing english speaking Georgian lady and packed full of people from English speaking countries around the globe. It has been a fun place to visit and I’ll miss it when I am gone.
Go hiking: Apparently, Tblisi means warm in Georgian. It has roasting hot summers and mild winters. It was a surprise to everyone when it snowed for a few days soon after I arrived. Nothing stuck on the ground in town but it was still better than rain. The mountains around town did get a covering so I went on a good hike along the ridge. There seems to be a lot of hiking trails around. One was plenty for me since I only have one pair of shoes that I didnt want to get wet.
Take in the views: I took the funicular (incline railcar) up to the amusement park and city viewing deck. Usually I would just hike up and get the exercise but the round-trip ride was fun and only $2. There is a giant ferris wheel up there that I took a pass on just because it probably wouldn’t give a better city view than what I already enjoyed from its base.
I took a ropeway (cable car) to the top of another ridge that I had previously climbed up to. I almost nixed it because, I figured they would be crowded and wouldn’t get a good view. I timed it so i would be on it at late afternoon when I thought it would be the least crowded and other than a couple of older ladies on the way up, it was just me on the way down. So, well worth the $1.75.
As mentioned about 700 words ago, I am not a good tourist. I especially don’t go to the shows that reenact local life and culture from years gone by. I just can find the interest. I do however find current life and culture fascinating. And where better to soak it up than a mall. No better cross section of humanity in one place I think.
Shopping: I like Malls. I can’t think of a better place to see a wide cross section of local culture regardless of have found 4 Malls here. The main difference from their US counterparts is that they are actually open, and busy too. The store selection is competitive in that there will be 5 or 6 stores selling exactly the same thing right next to each other. Not just clothing but appliance stores and home electronics stores packed full with the latest home good and gadgets.. and a bank to apply for credit to pay for them. I saw advertisements for black Friday sales that started on the US Thanksgiving Friday but since Thanksgiving is just another Thursday in November here, the whole concept is Iost on them. So much so that there are still stores having a black friday sale a month later. I have a rule of only taking home what I brought. So far successful.
Christmas Lights: Christmas here falls on the Julian calendar which makes it two weeks later than the December 25 on the Gregorian Calendar. It seems to be a mostly religious holiday without all the retail bluster. There is still gifts but it doesn’t seem to be overly indulgent. I could be wrong since they are just finishing putting up there lights and building the Christmas market building stalls now. I will be gone before things kick into high gear if they do. I was glad that I was able to see the main Christmas tree and street lighting ceremony. I heard that it was impressive and I heard right. There were drones broadcasting the scenes from above to jumbotrons, singing and general good times. Well worth the crowds. The Soviet Era impacted the winter celebrations here. To get away from the religious aspects, New Year’s Eve became the big blow out party to push Christmas out of the limelight. Like the lighting ceremonies, it has a reputation as something not to miss. I was tempted to extend but alas too many miles ahead so wheels up long before the corks start popping.
Food: Georgian food is pretty heavy on the bread and cheese. I heard some one comment that their most exotic spice is salt. It’s pretty good for bread and cheese but it doesn’t perk up the palate. I searched far and wide and did find some food with a bit of a spark.
Churchkhela
Kachapuri is a sort of breadboat with lava hot melted cheese and an egg you stir up to scramble it. It’s like a fondue without the sticks. Its pretty good tends to be on the salty side. Shawarma is well marinated chicken meat on a spit (same as a gyro) and wrapped in a flatbread. Its excellent. Lobio is stewed read beans in a clay pot with spices I’ve not tasted before. Also pretty good. Then there are these things. Churchkhela. A candy that is similar in taste and feel to Twizzlers. A wannabe but has no chance at being Red Vine licorice. The Churchkhela is better in that it is only fruit juice, flour and walnuts. No partially hydrogentated fatty chemicals required. Granted it’s not something you would want to run into while swimming laps, but it’s ok as far as candy goes.
Add to my list of places with glaring examples of man’s Inhumanity to man: I have been to Auschwitz, Cambodia’s Killing Fields, the Hanoi Hilton, Tienamen Square and many others that i am happy to not recall at the moment. Well, that huge duche bag Stallin was born just a day tour away from Tbilisi. I went back and forth on doing the trip because I couldnt figure out who was getting the museum admission fee. When I heard that the attrocity part of his personality was a bit of a white wash, I nixed it for the local museum’s Soviet occupation exhibit. Even that was a bit understated in my opinion. I am not sure why either. In my comings and going, there doesn’t seem to be any love loss. Especially with the Ukraine war. The russian escapees haven’t endeared themselves very much. There has even been negative economic impact from them coming in to raise the animosity. I have spoken to several folks saying their rent has at least tripled in the last year.
In my forays to the mall and the connected grocery stores, I am surprised by the prices. I dont think that salaries are all that great to begin with and with inflation, grocery shopping has to hurt.
Check out the churches: It’s mostly Eastern Orthodox here. And a devout bunch they are. I have dodged the lighting a few times and took a look inside. The thing that caught my eye the lack of seating. Still don’t understand it. People go in and just light a candle and kiss stuff. The walls, paintings, the priest and leave. And another odd thing is a lot of the older churches are located at the highest possible places around town. Built when people were lucky to have deerskin bags for shoes. Definitely a devout bunch.
That’s all I had on my list. I kind of hope I missed something good so I have to come back.
I’ll check back in after Christmas. In the meantime, I’ll keep updating the google photos and posting links on the pseudo Instagram page
Happy Christmas
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