Kakheti wine region

We start out early for our journey out to the Kakheti wine region in Georgia. This area is known as the cradle of wine and I am hoping the next couple days are full of charming towns and tasting of interesting wines. The wine here is made a couple different ways but the traditional style is fermentation in clay pots called qvevri. Earlier excavations had Georgia amoung the oldest wine making countries but it wasn’t until a discovery in 2017 could it claim that it has the oldest evidence of wine making.

Our road had to be leveled to handle the weight of our bus.

Our first stop of the day is in Sighnaghi, the city of love. This charming small town’s claim to fame is that it used to be a place where people could come to get married 24/7…kind of like a Vegas of Georgia. People can still get married here but it doesn’t have the get married at a moment’s notice theme anymore. We buy some souvenirs and climb the cobbled streets for a few hours. If we had more time I could have probably could have had an overnight stay and a nice meal with a view.

After Sighnaghi we are invited to a home cooked meal. Here they show us how khinkali are made (georgian soup dumplings). Some attempt to make their own with varying results. The meal served is spread of many different georgian foods such as khinkali, salad, pickled vegetables, beets, cheese, bread, potatoes, beans, and of course home made wine.

Before we check into our wine resort and spa we make a last stop is at a former residence of Prince Alexander Chavchavadze. The Chavchavadze were an influential family during the 19th century and even though the orginal house and contents were destroyed in a fire, the relics inside were actually owned by the family at the time. The relics displayed were stored at their other residences but they are now here for viewing how life was like during those times. Besides having an interesting garden there is also a temporary exhibition of the Georgian National Ballet, a ballet that tours internationally. Before my trip to Georgia I researched performances of the ballet but none are scheduled – I would love to see their unique shows someday. Our visit to Georgia coincides with the graduation time for students so we see students taking photos at the residence to celebrate. Graduation time in this country includes car honking parades, white shirt signatures and pictures in formal wear – basically young people happy to be done with school.

We arrive at the winery resort just in time for my massage appointment. As part of our travel package a massage is included and I selected an early time slot this evening. The traditional massage is wonderful but it causes me to miss out on the last wine tasting of the day. I need to make an effort to attend a tasting tomorrow.

I’ve missed the tasting but it doesn’t stop me from buying my own bottle to enjoy on my beautiful balcony. I watch beautiful sunset views of snow capped mountains in the distance before joining the others for dinner. This portion of the trip is a good time to finally get to know the wonderful group I am traveling with. I’ve enjoyed my time with every person so far and that is a good sign that I’ve chosen well in signing up for this trip.

Tblisi with the tour group

Today is a city tour of Tbilisi with my group. Fortunately most of the stops today are places I never visited previously.

Day starts with an iced latte which I haven’t had much of lately.

We meet our local tour guide Tamara who will be showing us parts of Georgia. We board a tour bus that stops at the church on the hill in the city. Metekhi Church is very crowded inside because there is a service today. I don’t spend too much time indoors but the hill does offer great views of the city.

We walk down the hill and past a piece of the Berlin Wall that has been gifted to the city due to the Georgia’s role at the end of the Cold War.

We wait in a long line for the cable car to take us up the hill to see the Mother of Georgia up close. My friend and I attempted to do this previously but ended up the wrong cable car. I am glad I finally get to make the trip.

We arrive on top and have great views of the city. An accordion player finds out many of us are from the USA and plays an american song for us. After viewing the very large Mother of Georgia we use the path to the stairs down into the old town. The path eventually leads us down to the waterfall in the middle of the city, something I also missed while sightseeing the other day.

We view a waterfall, sulphur baths and then take a break for lunch. We unfortunately pick a tourist trap spot that has a hard time dealing with a larger group. While the food that does arrive is good, some end up leaving hungry because many of our food items are never delivered. We watch large parties arriving after us get plates and plates of food delivered but not us.

We are also introduced to the toastmaster (Tamada). The toastmaster is a statue with a drinking horn that is a reproduction of famous Georgian colchi relic found. In Georgian culture the toastmaster leads a feast and makes toasts for the meal. It sounds like the toastmaster also gets pretty toasted.

We continue our tour to old town and the nearby Sioni cathedral which has a relic of the famous St Nino’s cross that I kept hearing about and also it holds the burial site of the high respected but recently deceased patriarch. The patriarch is of the highest regard in the Orthodox Church, like their version of the Roman Catholic pope.

After our tour ends the bus takes us back to the hotel but we all decide to branch out in smaller groups for other adventures for the day. Not ready to eat I go with a group to do a private wine tasting across town. It takes us longer than normal to get there by the Bolt car service because many streets are closed due to the upcoming independence day festivities. The driver takes us as close as we can; we walk the rest of the way.

The gentlemen giving us the wine tasting is from USA and now lives in Georgia. We, a mix of Americans and Canadians, entertain him with our silliness. He gives a dinner recommendation nearby.

We enjoy the streets empty of cars. Dinner is in a charming underground homestyle restaurant where bills are tallied with an abacus. I wish I had photos of this because it is rare seeing anyone using an abacus these days.

Next stop is at a speakeasy with no menu. At this bar the bartender makes the drinks for you off vibes. You mention flavors and liquors you like and the bartender makes something perfect for you. Even the skeptical are happy with what is made for them.

We make one last stop on the way back to the hotel at the wine window. Only one glass of wine before we notice drips of rain. We make it back to the hotel just before the sky erupts again. We were lucky today with the lack of rain after I’ve had so many days of it.

Time for bed as we are off tomorrow to the Kehketi wine region for more adventures.

Back to Tbilisi and new adventures

We made it back to Tbilisi. I have one day with my friend and then she flies back home.

We check into the hotel quickly and then walk to Fabrika again since the new hotel is closer. We stop at a fancy wine store on the way and grab a bottle just before it starts pouring rain again. This is will be the last bottle of Georgian wine we enjoy together before my friend takes off soon. But tonight we have reservations for a dinner show. The show we are attending is a traditional Georgian show with music, dance and food. We’ve been wanting to see one of these shows but they no longer have any like these in Kutaisi so this is our last chance before my friend leaves.

Tonight’s dinner show is at the Georgian House. They serve traditional Georgian food but we try something new -pickled cabbage similar to kimchi. There is a large traditional band that plays folk songs and periodically dancers come out to entertain us with the unique dancing style of Georgia.

The night is great but after lots of wine and it being a travel day I decide to sleep in a bit the next morning. We try a sulphur bathhouse close to our hotel, a great low key idea. This bath is recommended by another passenger on our bus ride back from Kutaisi yesterday. The spa is close, less crowded, and much cheaper than the ones in the main part of town. I am not much of a sauna person but I do alternate between the hot sulphur water and the cold bucket plunge. I may have even acted out a scene in the movie flashdance.

After the spa we visit more markets, view artwork, and of course there are more cats to admire.

There is once more another visit to the wine window and more town to explore. Having our fill of Georgian food we try italian food, some ice cream and dodge more rain again.

I cut the fun short because need to return back to the hotel to meet with my tour group for the next part of my adventures. The second half of my visit to Georgia is with a tour group from Girls Love Travel. I have been wanting to check out one of their tours forever.

I am introduced to everyone in our upcoming travel group and we talk logistics. After the meeting we head to a nearby bar with a DJ to celebrate a birthday of a new person I have just met on the tour. Only one other girl and I has never been on a tour with this company. It seems like a tight knit group but everyone seems open and nice. Looking forward to the next few days.

My travel companion leaves early in the morning while I am still sleeping. I am sad to see her go but I know she needs to get home. I am thankful I have some more people to spend time with. I love solo travel but there are moments I get lonely so this is nice for a change.

Soviet Sanatorium Tour in Tskaltubo

During the Soviet Occupation after WWII, Georgia, a soviet territory at the time became a popular spot for healing sanatoriums due to the sulphur springs that occur naturally here. In Tskaltubo, the town near Kutaisi, many of these sanatoriums were built and used as a healing destination. At the end of the Cold War, the majority of these buildings were abandoned. Many are decaying quickly and some become makeshift apartment buildings for unhoused people. While there are a couple that are privately owned and restored, most just exist these days for exploring by people who are fascinated by crumbling architecture. We visit a few of these buildings with a tour guide. The guide takes us to some of the “safer” buildings but we still have to explore with caution since there is broken glass everywhere, the non-existance of railings and roofs that look like they may collapse at any moment. We enjoy imagining the abandoned buildings in their former glory.

Our last stop is at a now abandoned Tskaltubo train station.

After the short tour we return to town and have a nice lunch at Palaty, a restaurant recommended by our guide.

We spend the rest of our time in Kutaisi visiting the hilltop church and exploring town.

We get notice at 8 PM that our day tour and transfer to Tbilisi is cancelled due to bad weather. We are very disappointed because not only do we miss visiting the canyons, we are left with no ride to Tbilisi last minute. We scramble to find alternative transportation. There are some very cheap options like the small Marshrutka vans that we still have not used during our travels but settle on the citybus that we used to first arrive in Kutaisi. It is disappointing that our day tour is cancelled but at least we now plan to arrive in Tblisi much earlier. The bus ride is fine except it is late and it is not entirely clear where the actual bus stop is. We gather at this green square and it is raining on and off and wait. There are no signs to tell you that the city bus will actually stop here. We start talking to other’s who are also confused but waiting for the same bus. Taxi drivers in the area confirm we are in the correct place but with no sign we are still apprehensive. Eventually the bus does arrive and we make it back to Tblisi.

Luckily the next hotel in Tbilisi is more modern. I was getting tired of walking up five flights of stairs multiple times a day to a not as nice apartment.

Day trip to Borjormi, Rabati and Vardazia

Another day in Kutaisi but today we have a road trip to see some popular sites outside of Kutaisi. Luckily the weather gods are in our favor this beautiful morning. We meet our guide for the day and discover we are the only two in our group. Our tour guide Lasha is friendly and very knowledgeable of Georgian history.

Our first stop is at Borjomi, the sight of a natural suplhur spring that contains healing waters, and also the birthplace of the popular bottled Borjormi Sparkling water that is sold internationally. We try it once at one smaller spring while it is cold and it is drinkable but slightly sulphuric but when we try the spring warm in another location it is has a strong sulphur and rust taste. It is supposed to be healing so hopefully it fixes my stomach that has not been cooperative lately. The springs are in a peaceful park along a river with bridge crossings and depending on where we are in the park we hear either the chirp of birds or the sound of loud music from a tourist vendor. The historic borjomi building is currently under construction and will be reopened as a museum.

We have a long drive that gets broken up with some road side views including some old fortresses and beautiful views of the river and mountain side.

We stop at the 12th century mountain cave site of Vardzia. This elaborate system of caves built to be a monastery was destroyed greatly from an earthquake in 1283. Despite the earthquake it was still used until the country was invaded by the Ottoman Empire. Prior to the earthquake the caves provided good protection from invaders and the cave system provided comfortable temperatures year round as well as a natural water supply.

Fresh water is supplied via condensation and stored in reservoirs.

We stop for a charming lunch by the fast flowing river. We try the most amazing red beans (Lobio).

Our final stop is Rabati Castle (Akhaltsikhe Castle), or beautiful castle complex initially built in the 9th century with very little important history and pales in comparison to what we have just seen today.

Today is a long day of driving between the three locations but a common theme is road cows; cows, cows, everywhere. Cows roam the nearby pastures daily and commute home, sometimes blocking the roads.