T'bilisi Off The Beaten Path

Recently I discovered a new place for those who love to work out. On the top of a Turtle Lake one can go uphill and roam around enjoying the nature and exercising at the same time. It is possible to cross to Funicular both on foot and on bike. Though bringing up a bike in the start of an uphill trip in the beginning may be a problem.

If by any chance it happens so that during one's stay in Tbilisi, there is a performance of Georgian National Ballet - Sukhishvili or Erisioni, he definitely needs to go and visit it. This is a traditional Georgian dance (kind of Irish River Dance) with using swords and in my opinion this one of the best things that Georgians may be proud of.

I will add that both Sukhishvili and Erisioni dancing troops often are out of country on international trips... So basiclly they only perform once or twice during the year...

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Visit Davit Gareja, a couple of hours ride from T'bilisi.
A driver can be arranged at Nasi's place. Her neighbor Roland charges 100 lari for the ride, maximum 4 people per car so it's 25 lari per passenger. It's worth the day trip but start out early!

The initial trek up to Udabno cave monasteries can be pretty steep. There is nothing much left in terms of cave frescoes but the view overlooking Azerbaijan is stunning.

TIP: Come down the other side past the church-like building at the top, for a much-less steeper shortcut back down to Lavra monastery.

Lavra monastery is very fascinating but the monks cave quarters are strictly out of bounds.

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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.

Mtskheta is Georgia's ancient capital city and, as you can see from the picture, is located at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers. It is about 30 minutes away from Tbilisi.

Mtskheta is named after Mtskhetos, son of Kartlos - the legendary progenitor of the Georgian people. It is also the place of the first Christian church in Georgia and it is still regarded as the spiritual capital.

There are several churches and monasteries worth visiting in and near town. Highly recommended are Sveti Tskhoveli Cathedral, Samtavro monastery and the litthe Jvari church.

Gori is an industrial city in the Shida Kartli province of Georgia, about 2 hours from tbilisi, which no one woud ever mention or visit, if it was not for a very famous former resident and the large museum dedicated to him. Gori is in fact the birthplace of Joseph Vassariovic Djugashvili - which you may know better by the nickname Stalin, meaning "iron". You can see the last standing statue to him in the former Soviet Union is in Gori.

People are still very fond of him in Gori, and will not fail to tell you, and it's possibly the only place in Georgia where you'll feel that the population is regretting the times of the Great Soviet Union. This comes across quite as a surprise, since during his rule Stalin did not do his fellow Georgian countrymen any favour (actually he murdred many and exiled many others).

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Davit Gareja is a complex in the middle of deserted plains and an easy day trip on bad roads from Tbilisi. It consists of churches, monasteries, caves, watchtowers, spings and amazing panoramas and was founded by Davit, a syrian father, in the 6th century.

In the main monastery you can see, among others, Davit's tomb as well as the cell in the rock where he used to live and pray. Upo the hill, beyong the watchtower there is a natural spring in the cave called David's tears.

Further up, over the next hill, you can reach Udabno monastery with its precious frescos and look out over the not so distant Azerbajian.

There is no public transportation to the monastery, so you'll need to get there by taxi: from Tbilisi we paid 90 lari.

This is in eastern Tbilisi, north of the river. In Soviet days, this was the government wedding palace. After independence, Georgians reverted to type and now opt for a priest and a church. The government sold this building to a businessman who uses it as his private residence!