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David Gareja – the story of a certain stormy journey
Everything was supposed to look completely different. I was planning to visit David Gareja on the first day just after arrival to Georgia. After visiting the monastery and we were planning to go to Ganja in Azerbaijan. The biggest problem in organizing a tour to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan was the car. Armenia and Azerbaijan are at war and the border between them is closed, but that it’s not a problem because you can get to both through Georgia. The problem is finding a rental car company that allows going to these two countries. Finally we managed to find one, it had good rates and response was immediate. Before leaving,…
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Kazbegi and Georgian Military Highway
I started my trip to Kazbegi just after sunrise. I want to return to Tbilisi on the same day. One-way trip takes about 2 and a half hour, plus I have to take into account the time for climbing to the famous Holy Trinity Church. I shouldn’t have problems to manage it. After getting off at Didube Metro station I went straight to the bus station. There are two ways to get to Kazbegi. Cheaper option is a marshrutka, the cost of singe tickect is 10 GEL – 3€. However, I took a little bit more expensive option – private bus for 15 GEL – 4,3 € one way (supposedly…
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Gyumri – Vardzia – Khertvisi – Brojomi – Caucasus tour
Last stop in Armenia, during our Caucasus tour – Gyumri City. It’s the second largest city in Armenia, right after the capital of Yerevan. Although it’s the second largest, it has only 120 thousand inhabitants. This city used to be full of life and the cultural capital of the region. However, on December 7, 1988, it was hit by the largest earthquake in the history of Armenia, which almost razed it to the ground. Thousands of people lost their lives then, not to mention those who lost the roof over their heads. The cause of such huge loss was the poor quality of the buildings. Gyumri’s fate was sealed due…
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Tbilisi, Georgia – all in one!
Georgia’s strategic position on the border of two continents: Europe and Asia, between two cultures: Christianity and Islam has long been the cause of numerous wars. The Romans, the Arabs, the Persians, and also in the modern history Russians, all they tried to occupy Georgia permanently, but no one actually has managed to do so. The incredible determination of the Georgian nation, cultivating tradition, including the ancient Kartuli ena language, allowed the country to preserve national identity. The history of this country is shown in many aspects, starting with the stubborn character of the Georgians and ending with the various architecture. How is the capital of this country? It’s as…
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Georgia – Gori, a short visit to Stalin’s hometown
The first time I heard about Gori, it was in History class a long, long… time ago, I didn’t even think I would ever be in Stalin’s hometown. Some time ago, the world remembered about Gori again. In August 2008, news and headlines were dominated by images of the city seized by Russians. During the short war between Georgia and Russia over two regions: Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Gori, which almost borders with South Ossetia, has become the main point of military actions. Initially, it was bombarded by Russian forces, resulting in the death of many civilians and then from 13th to 22nd of August fell under Russian occupation. Being…
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Georgia – Kutaisi
Kutaisi is getting more and more popular destinantion among travelers and backpackers, due to cheap flight connections and relatively low prices. Kutaisi is the second largest city in Georgia and in my opinion, like whole this country is full of contradictions. Special attention deserves Gerogian architecture. I won’t hide that I’m as green as grass in this topic, but I have to admit that Georgian fantasy in this subject was a great surprise to me. In 2012 President Saakashvili decided to transferred here the Georgian Parliament, which previously had been located in Tbilisi. It wouldn’t be surprising but for the fact that Parliament’s building is located on the outskirts of…
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Girl on a (dangerous) Trail – roads safety…
Before I went to Georgia, I’d thought that I’d seen everything on the roads. There were roads in Mexico, especially those in Mexico City, provided me adrenaline comparable to bungee jumping. There were no rules, except for one – parking ban, which, as a matter of fact, didn’t improve my situation. It was hard, even today I still remember these dilemmas before going through pedestrian crossing, cutting 7-lane, busy road. To make matters worse, I felt constant uncertainty there, whether a driver, driving a 7th right lane, would begin to make a sudden turning left without warning. The entertainment comparable to watching a good psychological thriller was watching roundabouts during…
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Meat, gluten and wine – Georgian cuisine in a nutshell
Georgian cuisine is the kingdom of gluten and meat. The food here is very delicious and varied but certainly it’s not for people on diet. Vegetables are used here but usually they are only a decoration to the dishes. The popular snacks are also the perfect cheeses, and the meal it’s not the same without tetri – white wine. Grab a bite! Surely the most famous Georgian food is khinkali – dumplings with meat in a shape of pouches. Supposedly according to art, khinkali should be made up to 19 “folds”. But the true masterpiece is the stuffing of these dumplings, just imagine juicy, perfectly seasoned, slightly spicy meat, immersed…
