Avlabari
by call_me_rhia
Avlabari is a district of Tbilisi located on the opposite side of the Mtkvari river from Ortachala. Avlabari is an Arab-derived place name meaning "area beyond the wall", and in fact looking up at Avlabari from the river, you will see remnants of the old city wall along and beyong which there are scores of beautiful merchant homes. Old houses in this part of town are like sparrow nests hung up high on a cliff and are very colourful. There are cobbled strees and long stairs, and most home have traditional quaint balconies - all seem to have undergone a facelift recently, and nothing is in rumbles. The most noteworthy landmark of this area is the scenic Metekhi church.
Blending in - not exactly
by Assenczo
Blending in with the locals is always good idea and the opportunity in Tbilisi is the new pedestrian bridge. The masses have come here with their digital cameras and cannot stop clicking. Evenings are particularly crowded.
Mtskheta
by MalenaN
Mtskheta is a small town close to Tbilisi. The town is the spiritual centre of Georgia and have several old churches. The largest church is the cathedral of Sveti Tskhoveli (in the picture), which was built between 1010 – 1029. The ceiling is high and there are nice frescos inside the church. It is said that this is the place where Christ’s robe was buried, after it had been brought from Jerusalem by Elias.
On my way walking to Samtravo I passed a small museum with some archaeological finds. I was the only visitor and I don’t think I had to pay any entrance.
Just a few hundred metres from Sveti Tskhoveli is another church, Samtravo Church (see second photo). This church is built on the site of Georgia’s first church and inside is the tomb of King Mirian and Queen Nana.
The main church was built in the 1130s and the small chapel (Tsminda Nino) beside the church dates from the 4th century.
The minibus stop for Tbilisi is on Davit Aghmashenebelis Kucha, just down from the church.
To go to Mtskheta I took a marshrutka (minibus) from Didube bus station in Tbilisi. The journey takes only 30 minutes and in June 2003 it was 0.80 lari.
Museum of Georgian Folk Architecture
by maykal
Museum of Georgian Folk Architecture, Vake, Tbilisi. I would recommend this museum to anyone who doesn't have time to leave the city to explore the rest of Georgia for themselves...typical houses have been transported from every region of Georgia and reconstructed on a hillside on the outskirts of Tbilisi near Vake Park. An English or French speaking guide will take you on a tour of the site, which covers a huge area, opening the houses for you. In some of them, you will find artists selling their paintings...one of them, Gia or George, speaks fluent English and is absolutely crazy! He rescues street cats, and now looks after 22 at the last count. Make sure you leave a donation towards food and vets fees.
Taxi around the country
by DinkaYa
We used a number of times the 511 (so called red taxis, although they are sometimes gray) to get around to different place. On the way from the airport we took the driver's phone number and then called him to drive us to different places.
For instance:
Davit Gareja - 140 Lari, 4 people, including waiting for 4-5 hours
Hazbegi - 140 Lari, 4 people, including a stop in Ananuri as well as additional stops for picture taking and lunch.
We could have probably get something cheaper, but the car was a brand new Toyota, unlike most of the wrecks out there.
The driver was very nice, knew a lot about Georgia history (although some of it was true only according to him), his name was Paata 893652250 unfortunately Paata speaks only Georgian and Russian.
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Kakheti house; interior
Basilica from Sioni (6th century); stone carving
GTM Kapan Hotel
The fortress
