Georgia - A Week of Different

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The full selection of photos I shot during our trip through Georgia, a beautiful and still relatively unknown country. We spent a whole week there, including a few days in the capital Tbilisi, but also in the mountains of Gadauri and Stepantsminda, the eastern wine region in Naparuli, and a few places around Tbilisi, including the historic Mtskheta.  This was a spontaneous trip, and it has definitely been worth it. 

Also check out the small travel blog video we did here: https://youtu.be/KkgB6e62xbo

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Lego Houses

The house opposite our hotel. Like many houses in Georgia, it's half finished and built Lego-style.

Street Scenes

Typical street scene in Georgia.

Georgian Letters

Georgia uses a 33 letter alphabet that derives from Greek.

Dogs

Stray dogs are very common.

Stairway to the basement

Many shops are located in basements.

Freedom Square Monument

The monument on Freedom Square is of Alexander Pushkin.

Buying something

Georgia is full of shops selling bread or similar goods, with only a small window to the outside world.

Walking the Bridge of Peace

The Bridge of Peace over the Kura river.

Bridge of Peace

Another shot of the Bridge of Peace from the east banks.

Stray Dogs

One of the many stray dogs in front of Tbilisi's skyline.

In the church quarters

Tbilisi and Georgia in general is full of churches, here is my travel companion in one of the small church squares.

Church Interior

One of the many churches we saw from inside. While many of them are bare, this one was decorated beautifully.

The way bends...

Driving in Georgia and especially Tbilisi is a whole different thing. Evidence visible here.

Balconies

I wouldn't trust many of these.

View over Tbilisi

There are many viewpoints over the city. This one is a bit more special, taken from the cable cars over the river.

Cable Cars and Riverside

Again, I wouldn't trust the balconies...

Selfie

No way around at least one!

Up the Ruins

Up on the ruins of the Narikhala fortress.

Modernity

Behind Tbilisi near the botanical gardens, you can find a few amazing modern villas.

Riverside

Another shot of the river side looking north-east.

Narikara Church

The rebuilt church in the Narikara fortress.

Waterfalls

Waterfalls in the Botanical gardens.

Whaddup?

No proper trip without a cat shot.

Sameba Church

The most prominent and biggest church in Tbilisi, Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi or otherwise known as Sameba.

Bridge of Peace

The Bridge of Peace again. I haven't figured out what the two buildings behind are.

Old & New

Modern architecture coming up behind Liberty Square, the Millennium Hotel.

Church Inside

Another beautiful church interior.

Metheki Church

Metheki church with the cable cars running in front.

Sameba Church

A full shot of Sameba Church after sunset. It was built in 2004, the interior work is still ongoing.

Bread Bakers

The amazing local bread you can find on every street corner.

Night time

A shot from one of the very few street crossings.

Bread Bakers

Another bread baker with the traditional oven.

Tiny shops

There are tiny shops all over the city, squeezes in between the buildings.

At the Market

We bought fresh tomatoes, cheese and basil here very late at night.

Exchange

Trustworthy money exchange shop.

Flea Market

Want to open a Doctor's office? Go to the flea market.

Flea Market

Many of the cars here seem to be permanent fixtures.

Feathers

This piece of art was created from bird feathers, only.

Open Air Gallery

One way to sell your portraits.

Try your luck

Things you can find at the flea market.

Filters & Lenses

Unfortunately nothing compatible for me.

Church Interior

Couldn't get enough of them, I think we saw 3 dozen in total.

Selfie History

It isn't as new as you'd think.

Kashveti Church

Another beautiful church, on the Rustaveli Avenue.

Seller's Life

Wait and wait...

Love

and a Panda.

Dubai now in Georgia

Indeed!

The Mafia

.. or just playing games.

No Visitors Ever

One way to avoid uninvited visitors is to build your door on the second floor.

Watching Me?

Despicable.

Tbilisi Tower

Overlooking the city Mtatsminda Park

Modern Architecture

Another huge and extremely modern property owned by one of the local billionaires up near the botanical garden.

City View

...with the Sameba church overlooking everything.

Street Musicians

We gave him money, but he still wasn't quite up for playing...

Liberty Square

At dawn.

The Leaning Tower of Tbilisi

Just next to the puppet theatre of the city.

Side Streets

A side streets in the city with one of the many wine bars.

The Irish Pub

Those even exist in Georgia.

House Music by the Fire

We came across these guys having a little session outside in the centre of the city around a little fire place. Of course we had to join in...

Dancing on the Tables

...and then ended up inside dancing on the tables.

With the Bottles

I'm a born bartender.

Zhinvali Reservoir

Looking north into the mountains over the Zhinvali reservoir.

Inside Ananuri Church

One of the less decorated churches, but still impressive.

Ananuri Fortress

Probably my favourite scene from the trip so far. The gloomy weather suits in this case.

Driving Up the Mountains

Up towards Gudauri and Stepantsminda into the North.

Church in the Snow

Near Gudauri in the north of the country.

In the Snow

We really weren't prepared for the snow. This is up at around 3000m near Gudauri, there was nothing but white around us.

No Photography Please

People weren't always open for photography. Sometimes I understand them.

On the Way up

On the way up from Gudauri. White.

Back Down

On the way back down to Gudauri on the cable cars.

Gudauri Ski Slopes

One of the most popular skiing resorts in Georgia.

In the Mountains

Looking towards the Kazbegi mountains near the Russian borders.

Don't Walk Further

This observation platform had a few missing supports in the rail...

In the Mountains

Overlooking the Caucasus.

Stepantsminda

Our accommodation in Stepantsminda. The next morning, this whole area was white.

View Over Stepantsminda

We made the mistake of walking up to Gergeti Trinity Church, through mud and snow, but in the end, the view was worth it. This is looking towards Stepantsminda, covered in clouds.

Gergeti Trinity Church

Almost there...

Mount Kazbeg

The third highest mountain Georgia at over 5000m.

Gergeti Trinity Church

Just hidden in the shade.

Dinner

We had local Khinkali (dumplings) and Khachapuri (bread), homemade here.

View from the House

Looking towards the south from our accommodation. Stepantsminda is surrounded by mountains all around.

Home

... for one night anyway.

Dangers on the Road...

... are mainly limited to potholes. But there are many of them, as we found out.

Repair Shop

This man luckily fixed our tire, in his ultra-modern facilities.

Wine Cellars

Our next stop was a winery in the east.

Twins Old Cellar

The entrance of the vineyard we stayed at, with its huge kvevri.

Vineyard Stills

Some equipment is global.

Making Wine

The traditional way...

Bread Shops

Remember the small window...

Local Friends

Some people were quite open - it was the exception though.

Local Schools

Tweety & Dumbo.

The BBQ

This was where our dinner at Twins Old Cellar was cooked, and it turned out amazing.

Cork Storage

Also at Twins Old Cellar.

Chacha

Our guide explaining how the Georgian Chacha is made, some kind of strong wine vodka. I tried it. Once.

Nothing unusual

Typical scenes in rural areas.

Herdsmen

Locals weren't always open for photography. He didn't mind.

Alaverdi Monastery

One of the most hauntingly beautiful places I've ever been to.

Alaverdi Monastery Interior

Bare, dark, quiet.

Alaverdi Monastery

This orthodox monastery was built in the 11th century, but parts of it go back until the 6th century.

Shepherd

Another local who proudly posed for a photo.

Alaverdi Monastery at Dusk

We weren't very lucky with the sky and the weather in general, here is a shot with a bit of texture at least.

Uplistsikhe Cave Complex

One of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia, dating back to hundreds of years BC.

View from Uplistsikhe

It was extremely windy that day, but the sheep were still out.

View from Uplistsikhe

We didn't figure out what the ruins at the foot of the mountain were.

Rock Patterns

Just adjacent to the Uplistsikhe cave complex.

Uplistsikhe Basilica

The christian basilica sitting in top of the cave complex.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral Courtyard

Located in Mtskheta, this is one of the most important cathedrals in the country and said to also be the burial site of Christ's mantle.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral Dome

From the 11th century.

Inside Svetitskhoveli

The church is full of beautiful ornaments

Inside Svetitskhoveli

Also including this amazingly detailed chandelier.

River view

Looking towards the Jvari Monastery from the Aragvi river in Mtskheta.

Mtskheta

View of the city from the hill of the Jvari Monastery.

Jvari Monastery Interior

The monastery alongside the other monuments in the city is listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO

Jvari Monastery

The second important landmark in Mtskheta dates from the 6th century.

Tbilisi Market

Back in the capital. The long sticks are Churchakela, nut candy.

Wine Cellar

There are hundreds of them all over the city, this was one of the nicer ones, owned by our AirBNB host, although that didn't work out in the end.

Wines

I tried at least a dozen!

Cork Diorama

In the aforementioned wine shop.

Myself.

Different type of Selfie.

Terrace View

From our hotel in the centre of the city.

Metekhi Cliffs

The old historic neighbourhood of the city.

Sunny Day

Tbilisi looks different in the sun, unfortunately we only had the last day with some blue skies.

Sulfur Baths

The small domes are part of the historic sulfur baths in the city.

German Beers

Are everywhere, we even found a Hofbrauhaus.

Laundry Day

Looks like someone didn't separate the whites.

Museum Artifacts

On the last day we visited the National Museum - for half an hour that is, it then closed due to a power cut.

Millenium Hotel

The 130m Tower under construction.

Bridge of Peace

Another shot of the bridge.

Presidential Palace

The palace at dusk.

City Wall at Dusk

From the rooftop of our hotel.

Mix

The mix of old churches and historic buildings alongside questionable soviet architecture is evident in many places across the city..

KGB is still watching you

Yes, this was the name of this restaurant.

Nightlife

We spent our last night in this club under a bridge, since our flight only left at 5am.

Nightlife

Worth it though, this band was pretty good and the local people were simply up for having fun with no fuss.