Walking the walk...Tbilisi, one step at a time..

It is by walking the streets that you start to understand the lives of the people. Taking the underground, shopping for your daily meal, or just looking around, there is nothing better than that to absorb the beauty of a country.

beautiful balconies near Pushkin street

In Tbilisi, there is so much to see..
Next week, I will start with Sololaki for a great photo safari. We are in search of beauty and realism. Luka will be my companion, tchemi patara pedagogi.

Rustaveli, an inspiration to all

Here is a slice of what we discovered already in the great Georgian khatchapuri pie...

fruits, veggies and all kinds of goodies

grapes in downtown Tbilisi

still don't know what that is, but it is cool.

wow..

China is so much closer here..

The bazaris, or open-air markets, are going to disappear soon, as the government is trying to bring in more shopping centers with big names such as Carrefour, Zara, H&M, etc..For now, they are what remains of the great Silk Road, a mixture of goods from all over, and also, and especially close to my heart, local products made by local people. Give a pair of knitted Georgian socks anytime, rather than a Chinese or European knock-off version!

wool and other yarns. Vagzlis Bazari/Didube

One of greatest things to do is to go to Vagzlis Bazari, (check this page of our blog for info on this market) and look at the gold! It comes from all over, at great prices. Gold here has a beautiful copper hue, and we all know what the Kartvelis have done to gold in the last centuries. They are absolute experts, and their work is absolutely flawless. Don't miss the gold in the Janashia National Museum.

Sitting on the balcony on a summer or fall evening, as temperatures slowly fall, is delightful. A lot of Georgians move their beds to the balconies in the summer, to escape the sweltering heat of the day. Today, September 13th, 2014, it is still 30+ Celsius.. Great if you arrive from Northern Europe, where I have already taken out my sheepskin slippers out..

so pretty

A mixture of ancient, very ancient, and very modern is what makes Tbilisi such an interesting place to visit. The Bridge of Peace is one of those examples that bridges modern and ancient, going from the park of Rike, with its ultra modern additions, to Kala, and the Charden district, or Old Town. The harmonious lines of the bridge do not alter the landscape, but rather....bridge it...

The bridge of Peace

This walk is not for the weak at  heart.
On the way to Betlemis Eklesia.

The beautiful golden statue of George 

slaying the dragon on the main plaza, 

called "tavisuplebis moedani", 

or Freedom Square. 

First, let's take the metro. Wow, scary, dude!! In order to get to that first step down..or up, obviously, you will need to buy a card that will allow you to go through the turnstile. The cards are available for a couple of laris (GEL) and you can refill it with cash anytime. Nowadays, some machine will refill your card at a sort of ATM. The first card is still usually bought at the desk in front of the dreaded steps. You can use your card for several people, it is not nominative. It used to be money was ok, but now the system is such that you can also use the card on all public transport systems, even the little marshrootkas/minibuses that go around town. Those, as I understand, will slowly disappear to make place for a more pollution-conscient alternative. Good, but then will it be ok to call it anywhere on the street like we can now? Don't know..
Anyway, the metro lines, for the most part, go deep within the ground. It is amazing. And...you can get in trouble with the person that is sitting watching traffic at the bottom of the elevator stairs. No pics, please! Why? Yeah, this is an "illegal" pic of an elevator.  :)

Wonderful fig trees and balconies
Lemontov avenue

Here is a link to an old part of Tbilisi, called Sololaki.

On Dadiani Street, close to Freedom Square, you can see some amazing old buildings. The one above is number 8. The wall paintings are very cool. The doors are usually open since it is an apartment house.

lovely statue on
Gudiashvili Square

amazing balconies

If you make to the top of the hill, here is what awaits you. 

ebony and ivory grapes,
a lovely arbor in front of Ateshgah 

Ateshgah is a zoroastrian temple

On the way up the hill, by way of Asatiani street
make sure to see the Betlemi churches.
Can you find the two churches on that hill?
Keep climbing...

 Zororastrianism! What a word! It is, as a matter of fact, one of the oldest religions in the world. Some of our Georgian friends are still adepts of this faith that venerates the sun. This fire temple, called Ateshgah, only open to people of this faith, is an ancient structure from the 5th or 6th century. It  was transformed into a mosque around the 17th Century, but is now back in the hands of the original followers of this faith.
It is worth climbing to see it, because the way up is also a beautiful walk..

Jvaris Mama Church, at the bottom of the hill
on Ierusalimi Street

On the way back down, admire Jvaris Mama Church and Sioni. Both are very important churches in the hearts of the Georgians Orthodox. Sioni is the most impressive. Small, but magnificent. Be aware that proper clothing is mandatory. No short sleeves, shorts, short skirts, or anything...short. The ladies also cover their heads before entering what can be called the holiest of holy in Tbilisi. Respect, please.

Many weddings happen in Sioni.

Charden Street is quickly becoming a tourist trap...
but it is pretty. 

Carpet store next to Sioni

Going across the Bridge of Peace and over gives you a fantastic view
of Rike Park and the Lower Caucasus Mountains

There are many areas worth visiting in Tbilisi. I recommend...all of them. The Office of Tourism can help you decide. They have absolutely all it takes to cater to all tastes. Take good sturdy shoes, as roads can be sometimes in poor state. The place is nothing but hills too, so, hills, yes...heels...no..

Happy tourism!

Of course! Was there a doubt?

 Contact Giga on his Facebook page 

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a fun travel time in Georgia.

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Bread making in the Republic of Georgia: tonis puri, khatchapuri, nazuki, imeruli, or lobiani..

Bread making 

Artisanal tonay or bread oven, in Koda, Chida Kartli, Georgia

a fun bread bag..

late bread baking in Tbilisi

There is nothing more appealing to the senses than the smell of freshly baked bread, is there?

the dough is weighed and shaped for the tonay

the tonay is ready

The bread goes on the sides.
When baked, it will be collected before it has a chance to drop.

Bread's hot! Come and get it!

chotis puri

Whether you buy it, or you make it, the bread varieties available will astound you. It can be sweet, savory, filled with tarragon, my latest craze, or with cheese, or just...plain, of course! Most people buy their tonis puri in town, simply because they do not have the oven needed to make it, but in the country side, it is made in the family oven, usually set up somewhere outside. Either way, it is delicious..

When I arrived in Georgia in 2008, I couldn't believe that you could walk around town at 11pm, and the bakers were still in front of their ton-ay, baking tonis puri, "bread made in a tonay". You could get bread anytime of the day, really. Over the years, I have learned that frankly, the best bread is tonis puri, so hot you can't even hold it.

tonis puri in Koda, Georgia

khatchapuri adjaruli, or "from the region of Adjara" in SW Georgia

berdzenuli, or Greek bread, with blinis

Time for dinner!

This year, as we returned to Georgia, the little bakers seem to have regrouped and you can buy tonis puri, or berdzenuli puri, or "greek bread", in factories. Lucky for us, we live 2 minutes on foot from the nearest bakery, so the smell of bread baking is an all-day pleasure! Aa a French woman with an addiction for a crisp baguette, I must say that Georgian breads always deliver. Not once have I missed my boulangerie, but, of course, I wouldn't trade my "sandwiche jambon/beurre" with anyone at home!

So glad you came to visit. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Please contact Giga on his Facebook page for a fun travel time in Georgia. https://www.facebook.com/LuckyToursInGeorgia/

This link to our Facebook album to our latest trip to the Republic of Georgia in April 2014 

Ormotsi = a celebration of life 40 days after the death of a person inGeorgia.

Ormotsi: meaning 40, as in 40 days after the passing of a loved one..

It is a big honor to be included in a supra, called ormotsi, in this case, and the honor came to me in 2008, when my sister-in-law's mom passed away.
After the death, there is a week-long wake around the deceased, and this in her house, where she is on her bed, and visible to all who enter the bedroom. I had no desire to go in, since that was largely a foreign concept to me, and since I had just met the family, my place was certainly not there.
So, for a week, the family and friends come in, and cry, sometimes very loudly, around their dearly departed. It is a form of mourning that is interesting in the way that the people, with their cries, really express themselves in a physical way, and this together. This form of unity in mourning really differs from what the Western world does.

Then, a week later, the body is taken out of the house, accompanied by loud cries from the family and friends, and the casket is left open and placed on the shoulders of the carrying team, usually family members. In that case, her sons did. Then, the walking procession starts to the cemetery, still in a very vocal way. It was frankly heart-wrenching, but the family was so exhausted from crying, that they hardly seem to notice the world around. You will excuse the lack of pictures of this ordeal, of course, as I felt it totally inappropriate to take any.
The casket is then closed, put in the ground, and an orthodox priest says a few words, incense is being burned, and then the soil is added to the hole. When filled, the children, grown and young, throw themselves on the mound and cry more. This display of affection was to me a great introduction to the meaning of family in Georgia. Family ties are incredibly strong, partially, I suppose, because they live together with older and younger generations. Always a grandma on hand, or a grandpa, and they absolutely adore their children and grandchildren, tell them so all day, and have physical contact, hugs and such very often. Coming from a civilization where you had to be "seen not heard", it was unreal to me..

So, the mound over the casket is not covered for a period of 40 days after the death. It allows the soul of the dead to rise up. The final stone is put on the 40th day, with a ceremony not unlike the burial itself, but more subdued..All the personal papers of the deceased, such as passport and ID papers, are also put into the casket, sealing the "forever" part of the death..ormotsi means 40, and therefore the celebration of life is called ormotsi, since it has been exactly 40 days.

then, the party starts!!
Imagine hundreds of people, literally, coming to eat at your place.. I was told we were 300, but not all at the same time..People come in and contribute, give a certain amount of money, knowing it will more than cover what they will eat..A person sits at a single table, and takes in the contribution, and the names and amount are written in a special book, used, no doubt, to thank people later. no flowers are brought.

The amount of bread needed filled a room, there was stuff everywhere. It was awesome!
and the feast was AMAZING!

This is what we ate:
In order of appearance (I took notes.... :). Each line is one course..Keep in mind that it was during Lent, so most of the usual meat dishes had mushrooms instead..
-radishes, sprigs of fresh tarragon, and green onions
-lobiani: fresh bread filled with refried beans
-cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes cut and on a plate together, with chopped cilantro
-djondjoli, or pickled sprouts, and other pickled items
-round corn cakes called mchadi. A bit like corn bread..but better..a specialty of Western Georgia
-little blini with black mushrooms inside, rolled
-cooked spinach
-carrot salad
-potato salad
-cauliflower and walnut salad
-hot red beans
-chakapuli, which could have been meat, but was mushroom, with red spices
-in a tiny cup: wheat berries, honey and walnuts(that was wonderful)
-mashed potatoes and dill weed
-adjapsandali, a sort of ratatouille with eggplants, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes
-fruit platter with bananas, cut apples and other season fruit
-assorted cakes with cream, large slices
-sweet rice and apricots

- chai tea and Georgian coffee
and then, when they want the guests to leave, they serve chilaplavi, which is a rice dish, usually with mutton meat, but that day was mushroom). The guests then understand that it is the end of the meal..

-of course, all is served with copious amount of Georgian wines, mineral water and lemonade!

An old tumb in the cemetery

Georgian ladies are very often dressed in black. They wear their loss with their clothes, and follow a very strict rule of mourning periods. It is counted in months and years for family members. Therefore, a lady can have several members of the family pass away when she is in her fifties, which means that she will dressed in black for years. Along with the black clothing, she will also restrain from an fun activities, such as going to a restaurant or on vacation...Too strict for the average French girl , I'm afraid, but I have an immense respect for these women who wear their sorrow..It gives you a sense of loss, however, that I am not sure I could endure day after day.

Contact Giga on his Facebook page 

for a fun travel time in Georgia.

https://www.facebook.com/LuckyToursInGeorgia/

or message us directly at:
Menu Voyage