Georgia
Beautiful mountains, autumn colours, bright blue skies - Georgia is the most stunningly breathtaking country in the Caucasus region.
I had arrived in Georgia for the first time, where I was introduced to our tour guide, Natalia. Natalia explained to us that Georgia is full of tolerance and love for all ethnicities. Some notable groups living in Georgia include Armenians, Greeks, Russians, Azerbaijanis, Persians, Turks, Muslims, and Jews.
A former territory of the Russian Empire and later, the Soviet Union, Georgia gained independence after the collapse of the USSR in 1991.
After a short drive through Tbilisi (the Georgian Capital), we headed east to the Kehati province.
Holding a glass of amber wine at the prestigious Mosmieri Kakheti Winery, Telavi province of Georgia
Georgia is famous in the world for its wine. In the last ten years, it was discovered that Georgia is the birthplace of wine. The group and I were taken to Mosmieri Kakheti Winery, a prestigious, elegant, and classy winery with world class quality wine tasting.
It was without a question the most delicious wine tasting experience I have ever had. Tender and flavourful, we had bread, cheese and churchkela (a Georgian dessert with walnuts and almonds).
The highlight was the stunning views of the North Caucasus mountains. Stretching along the entire country of Georgia, to the north of the mountains is Russia. It’s on the border of the Russian provinces of Chechnya and Dagestan. To date, this is the closest I have ever been to Russia.
After the wine tasting, the group and I went to the town of Telavi, where we stayed the night and had dinner together. Sitting across from my travel mate and Natalia, we had intense discussions about the war in Ukraine and how the conflict has affected Georgia with the flow of Ukrainian refugees and Russians fleeing the Putin regime:
(Please note: I visited the north Caucasus far away from the action where the war in Ukraine is taking place. Important to keep in mind that this channel is not a platform to discuss politics of any matter and is strictly for travel purposes only).
The group and I began the next day visiting the castle walls of Georgian King Heraclus II (Erekle in Georgian). One of the most famous figures in Georgian history, Erekle ruled Georgia in the late 18th Century.
We visited the town of Siginagi where Natalia took us on the walls of King Erekle’s castle he built surrounding the town on the mountain.
The highlight of Siginagi was visiting a local Georgian family’s home. We were treated to an authentic Georgian cuisine. I ended up cooking bread and purchased local homemade amber wine.
Breathtaking views of the Northern Caucasus Mountains from the Georgian town of Siginagi
The road back to Tbilisi was long, but breathtaking. A close call occurred when our driver, Koba, hammered the break due to cattle cows suddenly crossing the road. I have experienced many close calls with cows crossing the road during my travels, but this was certainly the scariest. Shout out to Koba for hitting the brakes at the right moment.
Arriving in Tbilisi, it is an historic city in the mountains. Very European, it is from 5th Century AD and based on the Mtkvari River, which runs from Georgia all the way through Azerbaijan to the Caspian Sea.
We went to the Propaganda Printing Museum. A huge history lesson, and in my element, this place staged the site where Ioseb Jughashvili, more commonly known to The West as Joseph Stalin, worked with revolutionaries between 1903-1906.
We ended the day with a walking tour of Tbilisi. The highlight of the day was taking a cable car to the top of the mountain and taking in some breathtaking views of the city.
The next day took us to Uplistsikhe, the ancient capital of Georgia and then to Gori, where we paid a visit to the museum of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, one of history’s most infamous figures and mass murderers.
Stalin was originally Georgian and came from Gori before moving to Tbilisi then abroad supporting the Bolshevik movement. Stalin took power in 1924, a position he held for the rest of his life before his death in 1953.
Seeing Stalin’s life in his museum was eerie, yet fascinating and provided a whole new narrative. He is greatly despised by Georgians and most people from former Soviet republics due to the nature of his atrocities committed on the Soviet population.
The day ended visiting the small town of Mtkvari where we did souvenir shopping before heading back to Tbilisi where we said goodbye and I prepared for Azerbaijan.
