I arrived in Georgia without any preconceived notions or knowledge of the former Soviet republic. The route was well crafted and gave me an opportunity to learn and briefly experience this ancient region and its people.
Arrived from the east and headed to Tbilisi, then headed to Borjomi and south to Vardiza, on the southern border. Next up to the north of the country near the Russian border, then S-SE to Telavi. Finally, a long travel day heading to the Armenian border, south of Tbilisi.
Tbilisi – the Capital
Tamada and the Art of Toasting
In central Tbilisi, a giant replica of the famous Tamada statue stands as a tribute to a bronze original dating back to the 7th century BC, discovered in Vani. It perfectly represents a core tenet of Georgian culture: the tamada, or toastmaster, rules the table. A great tamada controls the mood, pace, and behavior of the gathering, weaving poetic, heartfelt, and humorous philosophies into traditional toasts that honor God, peace, family, the departed, and guests.
Sulfur Baths
Tbilisi’s subterranean sulfur baths offer a deeply relaxing experience. The sulfur water naturally softens the skin and eases tension. These healing springs have been well known since medieval times. Per legend, these same medicinal waters inadvertently triggered one of the worst sackings in the city’s history.
In 1795, the Persian ruler Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar traveled to the baths hoping the mineral waters would soothe his “ailments”. He had been castrated as a young boy by his political enemies. When the waters did nothing to cure him, he turned his wrath on Tbilisi, brutally sacking the city and burning it to the ground.
Architecture
Tbilisi’s newer architecture balances function with modern symbolism. The undulating glass Bridge of Peace and the ultra-modern police station were designed to resemble glass bubbles, symbolizing the transparency of the post-Soviet era. Meanwhile, the Public Service Hall, also known as the Justice Center, does not house a single courtroom. Instead, it operates as a highly efficient bureaucratic hub where citizens can obtain an official ID, a business license, or even a marriage certificate in under an hour.
A Tale of Two Cathedrals
For centuries, the spiritual heart of Tbilisi was the ancient Sioni Cathedral in the Old Town. It bears the physical scars of countless foreign invasions. Following Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union, there was a desire to loudly proclaim the rebirth of a Christian nation.
The result is the colossal Holy Trinity Cathedral, on Elia Hill. The construction was supported by the state and primarily funded by private donations. The church, while beautiful, lacks the history and the mysterious religious aura of the Sioni Cathedral.
The Western Loop
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Leaving Tbilisi and heading west, we stopped at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. The stunning stone structure was built in the 11th century, though the holy site dates back to the 4th century when Georgia first adopted Christianity. According to Orthodox tradition, the foundations of the church house the robe of Jesus.
Inside the cathedral, the atmosphere feels timeless and mysterious. During our visit, a religious service was underway, and the faint sound of Georgian voices lifted in three-part polyphony, echoed through the stone interior.
This religious musical style is as unique as the Georgian language itself. Instead of standard major and minor chords, Georgian music relies on ancient scales that sound raw and powerful. It is always performed acappella, and the chant concludes with all three voices coming together on a single, pure note.
Framed, brilliantly colored icons hang at eye level throughout the interior. While the remaining original icons are on display in the Georgian National Museum, these beautiful copies seem to come alive against the dark basalt stone.
The Nearby IDP Villages
Internally displaced persons, or IDPs, are Georgian citizens who lost their homes due to Russian military incursions. Russia currently occupies roughly 20% of Georgian territory through the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Families forced to flee their homes during the 2008 war were resettled into IDP villages located near the major highway. Georgia built hundreds of identical, small three-bedroom homes on uniform plots of land for the displaced families. Though the residents initially hoped to return home, over time they realized it would not be possible.
What began as a stark development has since evolved into a dynamic community complete with schools, a hospital, and local businesses. Today, the plots of land feature expansive vegetable gardens and fruit trees.
We visited one of these villages and had lunch with a local family. The food was excellent, the hospitality was genuine, and our hostess, acting as the tamada, offered several heartfelt toasts.
The Easter Disaster at Vardzia
Continuing further into the southwestern mountains, we reached the cave monastery of Vardzia. It was once a massive, multi-tiered city hidden entirely inside the cliffside, where a thick outer wall of solid rock concealed the complex from invaders. On Easter Sunday in 1283, a violent earthquake struck during a church service. The rock canopy broke away and crashed into the canyon, exposing the hidden caves and killing hundreds of monks. For many Georgians, this tragic event foreshadowed the devastating Mongol invasions that followed.
The Lost Tea Empire
I was surprised to find a tea bag in my hotel labeled “produced in Georgia,” and the tea itself was quite good. Tea plants were first brought to the Guria region in 1847. Despite the region’s northern latitude, the subtropical weather and fertile soil supported the crops. With the help of a Chinese agronomist, the quality and quantity of Georgian tea steadily improved. At the 1900 Paris World Expo, the agricultural community was surprised when Georgia was awarded a gold medal for quality.
The Soviet state later nationalized and mechanized the tea industry. By the 1970s, Georgia provided 95% of the tea consumed in the USSR, becoming the fourth-largest tea producer in the world. However, the specialized harvesting equipment developed by the Soviets bruised the leaves, which negatively impacted the overall quality.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, Georgia lost its primary market. State factories shut down, production dropped by 99%, and acres of carefully tended fields were reclaimed by weeds and forest.
During the last decade, a revival driven by local families, international cooperatives, and state funding has taken root. Georgia has returned to producing premium, hand-picked tea. The northern latitude and snowy winters give local growers a distinct advantage over larger global competitors, as Georgian tea bushes are naturally immune to tropical pests. This allows the tea to be grown entirely free of chemicals and pesticides. The resulting brew has a smooth, medium body with a natural sweetness and very little bitterness, making it an excellent cup for any tea connoisseur.
A Surprising Weather Comparison
Geographically, Tbilisi sits slightly further north than Denver. Tbilisi is located at 41°41′ N, while Denver is at 39°44′ N, making Tbilisi about 130 miles further north. Despite this, Georgia’s climate is much more temperate and is officially classified as humid subtropical. The warm, insulating effects of the Black and Caspian Seas moderate the winter chill, though they can create hot, humid summer conditions. By contrast, Denver has a cold, semi-arid climate.
The Magic and Mystery of Georgian Script
The Georgian alphabet uses 33 beautifully curved, fluid letters that read exactly how they are written. The Georgian language belongs to the Kartvelian language family, meaning it is completely isolated and shares no genetic roots with any other major language family in the world. It is related only to its small regional sister languages, such as Mingrelian, Svan, and Laz.
In eight days I’ve almost mastered the word for thank you. My stretch linguistic goal was good morning. Though Nico, our guide applauded our effort, I think he was being quite generous.
The Journey North, the High Caucasus
The Concrete Irony of the Friendship Monument
Perched on the edge of a massive cliff along the military highway, the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument was erected in 1983 to mark the bicentennial of the Treaty of Georgievsk. Looking at its colorful, Soviet-era mosaic tiles, it feels less like a tribute to friendship and more like a relic of historical marketing for a peaceful cooperation that never actually existed.
Felt Art in the Highlands
Sheep are an important economic and cultural part of Georgia. In a home in Stepantsminda, a local artisan turns raw wool into works of art. She demonstrated the process of carding wool and discussed her dyeing techniques, using a combination of natural and synthetic agents. Onion skins, walnuts, marigolds, and pomegranates produce beautiful, soft color tones, while synthetic dyes produce wool with vibrant hues.
Lunch above Stepantsminda
Above Stepantsminda, we had a home-hosted lunch in Tsdo. The village is located near the Dariali Gorge and was established over one thousand years ago. The home itself was 200 years old, built directly into the hillside, and the western toilet—a more recent addition—was located in a shed behind the house.
Our hostess, had prepared the dough and filling for the traditional mountain khinkali. She deftly demonstrated the art of pleating the dough, showing us how to properly twist and close the top of each dumpling.
Our lunch included cucumber and tomato salads, cheese, flat pies stuffed with meat or vegetables, and chacha. Chacha is made by distilling the leftover grape skins and seeds from winemaking, resulting in a high-octane spirit similar to Italian grappa.
The family patriarch, Jimsher, spoke passionately through our guide about his pride in his family, his faith, and his country. His family has spent generations defending the mountain passes along the Jvari Pass. He offered several traditional toasts as the tamada, concluding with a toast to the future.
The Quest for the Perfect Pic
Our group traveled to the iconic Gergeti Trinity Church after our lunch in Tsdo. The weather was miserable, cold, windy and wet. The mountain was shrouded in a mist that limited visibility to less than 50 feet. The eerie weather heightened the feeling of mystery within the church but thwarted any effort at obtaining a grand vista of the opposing cliff face. I returned to the hotel, disappointed but willing to try and salve my bruised ego and cold feet with a hot coffee and Baileys.
While sipping my drinks and mindlessly staring out the window, the clouds began to clear, revealing the sharp peaks and the solitary church against a brilliant blue sky. Three members of our group rushed to a local 4×4 taxi, and raced back up the mountain. Barry, a fellow traveler, was trying to get a picture of the church from the front seat while the driver was navigating the bumpy switchbacks.
We were able to signal the driver and he pulled to the side of the road. Barry leapt out of the car and captured a great shot of the church against the mountains. The initial disappointment, followed by an adrenaline and baileys fueled return trip to the church, makes this my favorite photo of the trip.
The Literary Shepherd of Kazbegi
One of Georgia’s favorite literary figures is Alexander Kazbegi. A nobleman by birth, he was classically educated learning French, the international language of the 1800’s. He woulda relinquish his titles and wealth to live as a humble mountain shepherd. He did this in order to immerse himself in the lives, struggles, and culture of the local people.
In 1858, the French author Alexandre Dumas traveled through the Caucasus and met a rugged mountain shepherd. Dumas was surprised when the man began conversing with him in flawless, aristocratic French. This interaction helped shaped Dumas’s favorable impression of Georgia.
Creating a one-foot-square piece requires a series of steps that combine to fix the color and meld the wool fibers together. The piece shrinks about 10% during the wetting, soaping, rinsing, and rolling process. Historically, women shaped the wool into 7 layer robes that kept shepherds warm in the high mountains. It could take several weeks to create one garment.
The Modern Silk Road
While heading south, back toward Telavi, Nico spotted a work crew near the Jvari tunnel bypass project. We stopped to chat with the three man international crew. The men came from China, Ghana, and Pakistan. It was a pleasant interaction that highlighted China’s growing involvement in Georgian infrastructure, as China plans to export its products through Georgia to reach European markets.
Eastern Georgia
The Last King
In Telavi, we toured the royal palace. The compound functions as a museum with outer buildings of the royal residence, two churches, and a bathhouse. The architectural style of the palace reflects Persian influences mixed with traditional Georgian design.
King Erekle II fought tirelessly during his reign to ward off foreign invaders and seek an alliance with a major Christian country. In 1783, he negotiated the Treaty of Georgievsk. The terms of the treaty made Georgia a willing protectorate of Russia in exchange for a permanent military alliance and defense guarantees.
In 1795, the Persian ruler Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar invaded Georgia, but the Russian troops never arrived to assist in the defense of the country. When the Persian ruler died without an heir, dynastic infighting ensued, giving Russia the opportunity to absorb Georgia and abolish the royal line entirely.
Kist Villages
In eastern Georgia, an hour outside of Telavi, there are twelve villages populated by the Kist people, an Islamic community that has lived in this area of Georgia for over two centuries. The towns observe traditional customs and are run by a council of elders. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Pennsylvanian Amish community.
We enjoyed tea properly served from a samovar at a home in Name. Our hostess, Name, also prepared a local delicacy, ghaabak chaabilg. It’s a tasty combination of local pumpkin, caramelized onions, honey and mint, spread on a thin wheat pastry.
Our hostess was both an entrepreneur and a pioneer in her community, being the first Islamic woman in these villages to drive a car. She runs a successful bed and breakfast and had one of the most welcoming demeanors I’ve encountered on the trip.
Wine Making and tasting
Lunch on our final full day in Georgia was at a Georgian winery. The winery is owned by a German who has invested heavily in appropriately modernizing the facility while keeping and perfecting the traditional fermentation process. The first vines were planted in 2015.
Wine has been made in this region for 8,000 years. The ancient method uses buried egg shaped clay vessels, Qveri. The entire grape bunch, stem, skins and seeds are pressed and poured into the qveri. In the past, the vessel was buried and allowed to ferment.
The current process requires that the mixture is stirred, while in the qveri, 8 times a day for six weeks. Then the clay vessel is sealed and aged for 6 months. The qveris at the winery we visited was nearly 7 ft deep and held approximately 1000 liters. After 6 months, the wine is removed and stored in temperature controlled steel tanks.
Because the white grapes are aged with their skins and stems, the wine takes on a distinct amber hue. Georgian amber wines are complex and robust, with flavor notes of mild spices, dried fruits and nuts. The region near Tevali, Kakheti, also produces a western style white wine. After pressing, the clear juice is immediately separated. The juice is fermented in temperature controlled steel tanks. The result is a crisp, light wine.
The king of the red wine varietals is the Sapervai. The grape is unique as both the skin and the flesh is red. After the initial shorter underground fermentation, 3 to 5 weeks, the wine is often aged in oak barrels. The final product has a lustrous, deep red, nearly black color with a 14% ABV. It is full bodied with a velvety texture, similar to a dense Cabernet Sauvignon. I found it similar but less syrupy than a port wine.
Georgia is a place that stays with you long after you leave. Its diverse landscapes, ancient culture, spiritual traditions, and complex, painful history leave a lasting impression. It is easy to feel a deep respect for the resilience of the Georgian people.