We arrived in Tbilisi from Mestia around midnight after a 3-hour car ride and six-hour train trip. After some much-needed rest, we set out exploring the city on foot, passing through commercial streets, the eclectic garage sale-style Dry Bridge Market, and Liberty Square, the center of the city. Tbilisi, a city of 1.5 million residents, was founded in 479 and became Georgia’s capital in 1122. The area has been inhabited by humans since the 4th millennium B.C. Tbilisi has much European charm, but also relics of the Soviet past. The city is changing as tourism brings income and sleek glass buildings replace crumbling edifices. We found it modern and cosmopolitan, contrasting with the relative poverty and isolation of the country’s more rural areas, although they are changing, too. We had tasty meals at G. Vino, a Georgian wine bar. Georgia’s famous wines are different than most: the entire grape, stem, and leaves are fermented together underground in clay jars called kvevri, an 8,000-year-old tradition. The wine has an exceptionally rich, opaque color and bold taste, with a slightly thicker consistency than the wines we are used to in the United States. The most popular variety is Saperavi, produced largely in Eastern Georgia’s Kakheti region. We moved to another guesthouse for our last three nights. Located in Tbilisi’s old city, the Soviet-style building was in quite poor shape, with crooked staircases and a deteriorated façade; fortunately, our room was comfortable and the family was very hospitable, offering us fresh fruit in the mornings. We took a day trip to Mtskheta, the coronation city and burial site for Georgian kings until the end of the kingdom in the 19th, where we saw the incredible Svetiskhoveli Cathedral, built between 1010-1029. We also rode up to the Jvari Monastery (586-605 A.D.), the site where St. Nino in the 4th century introduced Christianity to Georgia by erecting a large wooden cross, fragments of which remain in the church. We spent our last two days in Tbilisi largely inside, as Alexa followed my lead and got sick. Although it was disappointing that we were sick for a cumulative week in Georgia, we had a great time doing what we could, and hope to return to finish our trek in Svaneti, visit the Kazbegi mountainous region, and see the Kakheti wine region. We made it through our entire 7 ½ month trip sick for only a few days. From Tbilisi, we flew to Istanbul for our last three nights of our journey. We arrived to our Airbnb room overlooking the Bosphorus, where we woke up to a spectacular view of both Europe and Asia, a fitting end to the trip.
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September 2018
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