Another day by the sea — this time at Gonio beach, maybe 20 minutes outside of Batumi by bus. The beach is very clean, if still pebbly. The sea is beautiful. There is also fascinating ruins of a Roman fortress, turn Greek settlement, turn Georgian settlement, turn Turkish garrison. Or some such. Pretty neat stuff, highly…
Try #2 for Adjar Khachapuri — this time in proper region of Adjara, Georgia. If you want to taste a proper adjarian khachapuri then look no further than Retro cafe in Batumi — locals confirm its the real deal. This one was definitely as tasty as the first one, if not more. However, if only…
First try of Adjar Khatchapuri — the pride and joy of Georgia’s national cuisine: a cheesy pie with cheese and egg and butter. Welcome, heart attack – nice to meet you. Location: Turtle Lake, Tbilisi.
A peak at cafe sitting in Tbilisi. Our favorite spot was Book Corner Cafe off the leafy Rustaveli Ave. Lovely homemade wine, wifi, and perfect ambiance to get some work done and skype with home.
After our adventures in the high mountains of Tusheti and lovely wine country of Khakhetia, it was high time for us to take advantage of the famous Tbilisi sulphur baths. We booked our own private room with a hot pool for an hour — here is a little preview of how it all went down.
A short stop at the very holy Alaverdi Monastery, dating back to the 6th century. Rahter beautiful and peaceful, the monastery also features a wine cellar — common for religious buildings all across Georgia. The country is known to have invented wine making after all.
Climbing defense towers around upper Omalo, Tusheti – fun even in the rain. Earlier in the day we visited picturesque village of Dartlo, at the time it was nice and sunny, or at least not rainy. Regardless, another day of adventure in the wilds of Tushseti.
You know — just chopping some wood in the mountains. Best form of exercise and relaxation. ) Featured here on the grounds of our lovely Tusheti guesthouse – Mirgvela, set on top of a hill about 3 kilometers away from the large village of Omalo (where most visitors stay).
First Tusheti hike turned out pretty ambitious. We walked most of the day, exploring some tiny village which boasted a population of 3 inhabitants and ten times as many houses. We also came across plenty of hungry sheepdogs vociferously guarding their charges, as well as, masked horsemen. We later learned that Caucasus tradition of stealing…
We are off on our first adventure outside of Tbilisi — the wild and pristine mountains of Tusheti. The road from Tbilisi to Tusheti is only maybe 120 km, but it took us 9 hours (!) due to the highway conditions. Never mind that though, just enjoys the views!
A peak at Sergey’s childhood home — he used to spend his summers in Tbilisi until about 7 years old. The cherry tree is still there, as are the books, pictures, and all the neat other things.
Adventures around Tbilisi ramparts — we climbed the Narikala Fortress, high above the capital, for spectacular city views. Fun fact: Originally it was established in the 4th century as Shuris-tsikhe, or enviable stronghold. But when the Mongols invaded Georgia in 13th century, they renamed the fortress Narikala, or little fortress.