Hello
everyone!
We spent the
best part of a week within Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. The city is a
melting pot of European and Asian styles, but there is a strong sense of
national pride throughout the place.
There is
much for Georgians to be proud of. Their capital, whilst not yet a major
destination on the tourism map, is modernising without losing respect for their
traditions. One of the city’s newest pieces of architecture is the futuristic Bridge
of Peace, which links the two land masses separated by the unfortunately rather
dirty Mtkvari river. The nearby park is currently under construction, but
already contains some rather bizarre structures, such as a giant piano and
chess board.
These new
designs will help to move Tbilisi into the 21st Century, but much of
the city’s allure is located in its older regions. Whether taking a stroll
through the prosperous Vake neighbourhood or scaling the narrow streets behind
Rustaveli, the European styles that can be associated with many of Tbilisi’s
buildings allow one to ponder about the history of this area and beyond. There
was much repression during and immediately after the Soviet period, so it is
nice to see so many of the older buildings still intact. Some are crumbling
into oblivion, but much of the history and charm of the city will remain.
Events like the large flea market that occur every Saturday – where I bought my
first ever sword for 5GEL, or £2 – are a world away from modern urban life, and
are all the better because of it.
Some recent
additions to the city have managed to successfully link Georgia’s past and its
future aspirations. This thought is encapsulated spectacularly by the 101-metre
tall Sameba Cathedral that dominates the skyline of the left bank. It was built
as recently as 2002, but the country’s biggest church helps to visualise the
centuries of importance of the Russian Orthodox religion to the citizens in the
region.
The Georgian
love of food and wine has also lasted through the ages, and it would have been
rude not to sample their delights. Khachapuri – the cheese pie, and staple of
the country – was eaten on a regular basis. We also regularly bemoaned our
stomachs for eating too much soon after finishing on each occasion, due to the
stodgy and heavy nature of the food. You can see from the picture below how big
one khachapuri is – we put my hand there to give an idea of the size, and it’s
rather small in comparison! And this was just for me...
Another
national dish we tried and enjoyed was chikhirtma, which was described to us as
‘chicken broth with chicken leg within’. We were intrigued, and ultimately left
slightly short-changed when merely provided with a large chicken breast within
our very yellow soup.
Other food
choices were more adventurous and regrettable. I am always keen to try new
things when it comes to food, but I can now say with hindsight that a
gelatinous animal hoof should not have been one of them. It was served in a
broth along with other insides as a dish called khashi. Revolting cannot even
begin to describe it, and much of Georgia’s famous red wine was required to
take the taste away.
This was,
however, a rare failure. I have been surprised and impressed by Georgia. From
the friendliness and warm welcomes offered by her citizens – one small
misunderstanding that almost led to the police becoming involved aside – to the
aspiration to combine modernity with tradition, Georgia has been a wonderful
experience for both of us. It is a naturally beautiful country and was a great
place to spend our Christmas. Though not perfect, and anyone who lives in a country where smoking indoors is banned would have quite a nasty shock, I would definitely recommend a visit. I will warn you to bring a
pair of loose jeans, though – your waistline will surely expand if you enjoy the food
as much as we did!
Love you all
Matt
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