I had asked for the rental car company representative to be available at the International Airport at 5 am. We had a 7.30 am flight to Tbilisi. We left, as decided, just before 4.30 am, after collecting the 'so-called' packed breakfast and the hotel staff checking the room for any shortages or breakage. The eight-lane road to the airport was a joy to navigate and we reached the Terminal2 car park before 5 am. I message the car company representative who came over and checked the car for its condition, cleanliness and fuel level. He was fully satisfied and was about to return my deposit when he remembered to check any traffic fines we may have accidentally accumulated during the duration of the rental.
We were surprised to learn that there were four violations for speed, wrong lane driving and prohibited parking. The best part is that the violations are clocked real time, with photographic and video evidence. I made it a point to watch the videos and inspect the photos. I was impressed and made a mental note of the fact that this is what we need in our country too. We don't need hundreds of policemen, marshalls and wardens, we need the use of technology and ruthless implementation of rules and the laws of the country. 120 AZN was deducted from the deposit and the balance was returned by Chingiz, the rental car company representative.
The service of Automile had indeed been good, but I wished I had been given a car with better mileage. The Hyundai Accent consumed about 8 litres for a 100 km; we did a total of 1105 km during the rental. The company had told me to fill 95 octane fuel, which was twice the cost of 92 octane. The former was 2 AZN, while the latter was 1 AZN per liter, nearly INR 50. The fuel prices are the same all across the country and across companies. Diesel costs just .8 AZN per liter, the equivalent of about Rs. 40.
We joined the queue for check-in for the Azerbaijan Airlines flight to Tbilisi. I found the counter staff, at least a few of them behaving rather curtly with customers. The immigration didn't take much time and we were in the flight on time. The flight to Tbilisi was under an hour and we completed immigration quickly. The immigration counters were efficiently managed and were staffed by the Georgian police department. I gained free entry using my valid USA visa.
After collecting the baggage in the rather basic airport we looked around to buy a simcard and travel card; couldn't find any counter for the Magti simcard or for the travel card. People were not helpful either, with language being a major barrier. Anyhow, we made our way to the bus departure point and was told by the driver that we could use our credit card to tap the POS inside the bus. We did that and reached the city within an hour.
The difference between Baku and Tbilisi was stark. Tbilisi looked like a city that had seen better times and was financially not doing too well. The people, who make the most difference, gave us the impression that tourists are not that welcome, especially the English speaking, brown skinned ones! The infrastructure did indeed look run down.
I had booked accommodation at Hotel Frida, a short walk from the Freedom Square. Using Google Maps we reached the hotel in good time, admiring a couple of churches and the Clock Tower on the way. It had been a medieval Georgian tradition to name churches after specific places in the Holy Land. Thus, the Sioni Cathedral was named after Mount Zion in Jerusalem. To distinguish it from other churches in Georgia the one here is known as the Tbilisi Sioni church.
Construction of the original church on the present site was initiated by the then King in the 5th century. A hundred years later it was rebuilt and this process of rebuilding went on many times, due to invasions and natural calamities. The current structure is based on a 13th-century version, with some modifications made between the 17th and 19th centuries. The eastern facade of the church faces the right bank of the Kura River. The Sioni Cathedral served as the main Georgian Orthodox Cathedral and the seat of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia until the Holy Trinity Cathedral was consecrated in 2004. The Sioni Cathedral has served as a burial ground for several notable churchmen and achievers.
The Clock Tower in Tbilisi is quite unique. It looks like a structure about to collapse, as does many buildings in the old part of the town. The unique Clock Tower was built in 2010 by Redo Gabriadze next to the Tbilisi old town marionette theatre. Every hour an angel comes out to announce the hour with a small hammer struck against a bell. The tower also houses a small mechanical puppet theatre where one can see a show called "Circle of Life" at noon and 7 pm every day. The tower is also decorated with many tiles, which became a major architectural attraction of the city.
After a short prayer in the Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral and a stop to admire the Clock Tower we walked the rest of the way to Hotel Frida, where we were welcomed by its owner, Levan, a wonderful gentleman with a ready smile and plenty of information and suggestions for a tourist. He is a repository of information about the city and ever ready to help and assist. The building in which the hotel is run from is over 200 years but is furnished quite well with modern amenities.
Levan told us how the business is down after the pandemic and the wars in Ukraine and Israel. The majority of his customers came from Russia and Israel and that stream has virtually dried up. The hotel is still well occupied, albeit due to deep discounts. What used to be lapped up for 250 GEL a night is at almost half the price now. The hotel is named after the celebrated Mexican revolutionary artist and painter, Frida Kahlo. The partner of Levan lives in Mexico and is a great fan of the artist. Many of the paintings and articles in the hotel are Frida Kahlo and Mexico inspired.
We had serious problems finding a Magti retail outlet. We walked through the Lado Gudiashivli Sqaure to the Freedom Square. The Lado Gudiashivli Sqaure is a historic Square that dates back to the Middle Ages. The buildings around the Square have historical significance such as the editorial office of the Literature of Georgia. Over time it housed the Russian Army headquarters and was also host to the celebrated poet Mikhail Lermontov. The Armenian Church of the Virgin Mary stands near the Square too. The present name of the Square is in honor of the great Georgian painter.
The Freedom Square, or Liberty Square, has been in existence since the early 19th century and has been named variously over the years. It was here that a bust of Lenin was torn down symbolically in 1991 to signify the independence of Georgia from the USSR. It was also here that an unsuccessful attempt was made to assassinate George Bush in 2095 when he and the President of Georgia were addressing a gathering of over 100,000 people on the occasion of celebrating the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. Now the Square has the Liberty Monument at the centre with a statue of St George slaying the Dragon. Six major streets branch out from the Square and many important government and private buildings ring the Square.
We finally sought out a Magti outlet and bought a sim with unlimited data for seven days for 20 GEL, which will adequately service my requirements for the stay in Georgia. The young lady who took care of our queries was patient and amiable. Armed with an activated sim we confidently strode out for what we had noted down for the rest of the day.
First things first, but. We spied a couple of people going down a flight of stairs to what seemed like a traditional Georgian restaurant and decided to follow them. It indeed was. The basement restaurant had plenty of seating suggesting that its clientele was fairly large. From the menu displayed on the wall at the restaurant reception we ordered a large Lobian with bacon and two drinks, a chocolate and pear. Lobian is more or less like a stuffed paratta, with moong dal and bacon filling. I loved the pear drink while Ajay didn't very much relish the chocolate one. With the tummies full we embarked in a walking tour of the town and its attractions.
The Metekhi Virgin Mary Assumption church is a Georgian Orthodox Christian Church on the left bank of River Kura, opposite the old town of Tbilisi in the Metekhi cliff. Much of the existing structure was built in the Middle Ages between 1278 and 1289 AD. Oral traditions place the construction of the church much earlier to the 5th century. The murals inside the church have not been well preserved. The view from the edge of the cliff is never to be missed when you are in the city. The massive statue of the city's founder, Vakhtang Gorgasali, astride his horse, stands majestically on the edge of the cliff.
The Peace Bridge is a bow shaped pedestrian bridge, built in 2010, that connects the Old Town to the Rike Park across the Kura River. Numerous river boat operators accosted us offering us the half hour rides at various prices. I mentally noted a couple of them to take a ride the next day. The bridge gets illuminated with LED lights in the night. The Peace Bridge is an important pedestrian crossing as well as a tourist attraction. Selfie seekers take up vantage positions along the 150-meter bridge.
The St George Cathedral is a 13th century Armenian Church in the old town, one of the two functioning Armenian churches in Tbilisi. It is overlooked by the ruins of the Narikala fortress. Built of brick, as are most churches in Tbilisi, the outer walls of the church are covered in stucco. 18th century paintings adorn the interior of the church, and four large murals were added to embellish the internal walls and the altar.
The Anchishkhati Basilica is the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi, built in the 5th century. Originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the church was renamed in 1675. The church is close to the Hotel Frida too and near the Clock Tower.
The Sameba Holy Trinity church required stamina and patience to reach it by foot. The climb was steep and the weather a bit too hot for such a pilgrimage. The church is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church in Tbilisi and was constructed between 1995 and 2004. It is the third tallest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world and one of the largest religious buildings in the world by area.
The church and the facilities within are cavernous. The construction of the church was proclaimed as a "symbol of the Georgian national and spiritual revival" and was sponsored mostly by anonymous donations from several businessmen and common citizens. The cathedral consists of nine chapels, five of them in large underground halls. The overall area of the cathedral is 3,000 square meters and the height of the cathedral from the ground to the top of the cross is 87.1 metres.
The Jan Shardeni Street is a small walking street in Tbilisi. It has always been one of the centers of cultural and social life in Tbilisi. There are many art galleries, salons of vitreous enamel and other handmade items, as well as bars and restaurants in Shardeni. It is one of the most popular, crowded, interesting and attractive places in Tbilisi. Here you can get acquainted with the works of contemporary Georgian artists, buy different and original items, and listen to good music. While walking through the narrow street we were hailed by young men and women to drop in for food and drinks or, at the very least, to go through their menu.
The anti-government protest against its support for the war in Ukraine is visible in street 'art' with graffiti all over the place. The protestors had filled the Freedom Square for many months and there are travel advisories issued by many countries against traveling to Georgia.
The Great Synagogue was established by Georgian Jews who migrated from Akhaltshikhe to Tbilisi in the 19th century. The synagogue was started from a house in 1877. However, by the turn of the century, due to disrepair, the house had to be demolished. Subsequently, Georgian Jews built a new synagogue, construction of which began in 1904 and was completed in 1911 in Moorish Revival and Romanesque Revival styles. There were no restrictions in entering the synagogue, worshipping or photographing the inside of the synagogue.
Indian tourists could be seen around in large numbers in the old part of the town and guides were trying to shepherd them into either the Taj Mahal or Bollywood Masala restaurants. Indian tourists can be heard before they can be seen. But the loud Indian is a perfect match for a boorish Georgian!
Before returning to the hotel, we went to the localrent.com office to confirm the car rental and the pick-up time schedule. Tamara, the lady at the reception, confirmed that the car could be picked up from that location after completing the documentation and payment the next day as appointed at 5.30 pm. Before retiring for a well-earned rest in the hotel we went to the Natakhtari restaurant, next door to the hotel, for dinner. While waiting for the main order of Kinkali, a national dish – much like the Chinese momos, dumplings – and the Chikhirtma soup – we polished off two pints each of the local draft beer.
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