South Caucasus – Tiblisi Old Town

The morning started a bit underwhelming. I purchased a voucher for breakfast and was a bit disappointed what I found there. Well, I found enough to fill my stomach. After that it was time for the big programme today: a guided tour through the Old Town of Tiblisi. To get to the meeting point, I took the metro, it was the quickest mode of transport, next to the hotel and only one station away on the other side of the river. But first, you had to descend to the platform by a moving stairway. The platform is located a whopping 60 metres underground, the escalator is 120 metres long and takes more than two minutes to get down.

A typical example of a Soviet metro. I arrived at the meeting point before time.

The group was assembled and called to the office nearby to confirm the participants. The group was about 10 people and consisted mostly of expats from various countries. Ell, the guide asked everybody to present themself which was nice because it resulted in many conversations later between the participants. Well, there were Canadians from the San Diego, a Colombian family from Baku, a Jordan from Dubai, an Australian couple from Dubai, an Italian from London, a Turkmenic from Usbekistan, an Arabic Christian from Haifa, a Bavarian from Belgium, and a couple from the US….what a mixture. Our guide Ell was very knowledgeable and friendly, contributing to the good group spirit. It was designed as a four-hour walking tour, so this was quite a walk ahead.

We walked through some streets to stop near the river at the Metekhi Church. From there, there is a great view on the many hills that surround the Old Town. The church was built in the 13th century, probably on the remains of a much older one. At every stop, our guide us some background on history, culture and language. We could stroll around and watch the mass that was taking place inside.

The UNESCO-listed polyphonic singing of the choir is impressive and the harmonies a musical rollercoaster. After regrouping, we went down to the Europa Square, passing a piece of the Berlin Wall, a gift from the German government, and lined up to take the telepheric to the top of the hill on the other side of the river. There, we walked to the huge statue of ‚Mother of Georgia‘: The statue depicts a woman in traditional Georgian dress who represents the dual nature of the Georgian national character:

Left Hand (Bowl of Wine): Welcomes guests and friends with traditional hospitality.
Right Hand (Sword): Ready to fight off any enemies who threaten the country.

A lady not to mess with. After enjoying the views over the huge city (1.3 M inhabitants, 30 % of the population of Georgia), we descended and crossed the river Kura on the impressive Peace Bridge.

We entered the Old Town and were flankes by souvenir shops ledt and right that all seem to sell the same stuff. We stopped at the tilted tower of the puppet theater that has become a sort of local attraction, it shows twice per day a string puppet play.

The next stop was at the Anchiskhati Basilica, the oldest church from the 6th century. The Anchiskhati Choir based out of the Anchiskhati Basilica is the world’s leading exponent of Georgian polyphonic choral music. People were flocking to the church to kiss a silver cross in the hands of a priest.

We could have a short rest in the adjacent garden in the shadow. Next, we went to the church of St. Nino that I had seen the night before. St. Nino is believed to have brought christianity to Georgia in the end of the 3rd century. While we were watching the church, our guide purchased our snack lunch.

We munched our pastries in a park nearby under large plane trees. There, as during the whole walk, there was time to talk with the other participants and we had a lot of good and amicable discussions. Ell was able to create a kind of team spirit in the group. By the way, I never had tarragon lemonade before, interesting.

On the way to our last stop, we passed the underground passage of the Maiden Bazaar where you can acquire all kind of products, from old medals to souvenirs or wines. A picturesque place.

We passed the sulphur baths and walked upwards a small canyon with steep sides. At the end, a refreshing water fall awaited us, one of the two in the city. This was the end of the tour and Ell ask everyone about their impressions. It was quite fun, an open minded and funny group.

After five hours, it was time to get some rest in the hotel, so I strolled through the side streets and discovered some interesting sights.

After finishing yesterday’s report, a quick gym session and a shower, I left again to get some dinner in a wine bar, some eggplant with walnuts salad and some chicken in truffle, vulgo, mushroom sauce, washed down with some nice red. Tiblisi is flooded with wine bars and restaurants, wine bars and bars in general. The atmosphere in this part of town is quite nice.