Georgia vol 2

 

Gori - Borjomi - Kutaisi

We took a morning train from Tbilisi to Gori. Transportation can be a bit hard to figure out in Georgia, it can be inconsistent or slow, but in this case worked out very well and between these two towns train is definitely the easiest and quickest option (around 1 hour). The only tricky part was to find the train station. It was walkable from our hostel and the map points you to a huge station-like-looking building, but there seemed to be malls, markets, stock exchange, gold stores etc. situated inside. No signs directed to trains. It was early and everything was semi-closed. What you have to do is take a few escalators up to about the third floor and there you will find a train station. 

If you will go to Gori, then do yourself a favour and stay at Nukri Guest House. A lovely homestay with very a very friendly family. Nukri drove us around and gave us tips, his english was not excellent and my Russian is also quite broken, so we communicated a lot through google maps or body language, but managed to talk about culture, history and all other topics. His son spoke excellent english tho, so he gave us tips and and stories in the evening. They offer rich home-cooked breakfast and dinner as well and have a cool dog named Julia Roberts! As most people in Georgia, they also make their own wine and chacha in different flavours. The grapes grow in the backyard and are there to nibble on as well.

Nukri took us to town, gave a quick tour and left us to explore on foot. 

Gori is Georgia’s seventh-largest city by population and due to its location has served as an important waypoint on east-west trading routes (including the Silk Road) for centuries. The name Gori comes from the Georgian word gora meaning 'hill'.

The Memorial of Georgian War Heroes. A work by a Georgian sculptor Giorgi Ochiauri in front of the castle hill. It consists of large monuments of soldiers arranged in a ring formation, each seated on a stone block and each missing a limb or a body-part. It's a memorial to lives lost and changed by the war.

Gori Fortress. A castle from the 7th century. It's worth a little hike up the hill to wander around the open castle green and climb the walls for beautiful city views. Entrance to the fortress is free, and it's open 24/7.

Gori is also the birthplace of Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili, aka Joseph Stalin. The Stalin museum is located on th Stalin street and includes a memorial house where he was born, his private railway carriage and a two-story memorial hall filled with. photos, personal items and other memorabilia. 

Gori is a bit of a trip back in time. 

The main reason why we went to Gori was the Uplistsikhe Cave town situated a 20-minute drive from Gori. It's one of several cave towns in Georgia and it's very cool. At its peak, around 20 000 people lived in the chambers in these rocky cliffs. Uplistsikhe "The Fortress of God" is one of the oldest urban settlements, dating back to the 1st millennium B. C. Uplistsikhe was a cult temple city, a large pagan center prior to the introduction of Christianity. 

After the trip to the cave town, Nukri also drove us nearby to St George's church on top of another hill to enjoy sunset over the city. 

Figuring out the way from Gori to Borjomi was not the easiest. There was a train on certain days, but it took hours. There were no direct marshrutkas. A safest bet was to take a marshrutka to Khashuri and another one from there to Borjomi. Nukri took us to the marshrutka stop in the morning, but one had just left and there was around 1.5 hours until the next one. So, Nukri took us to a highway and parked under a bridge, we climbed up the hill onto the highway and literally hitchhiked onto a Tbilisi-Borjomi marshrutka  and got to Borjomi in less than 2 hours! We were so thankful! 

First up, went on a hike to Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. Took a cab to the nearby small town of Likani and did a 9 km Likani valley black trail. We checked the map and estimated time, but forgot to check the difficulty level. It was marked as hard. It was a great hike tho, a bit hard on the knees, but amazing views from the top. Some local doggos joined us for part of the hike.

Borjomi in Borjomi

Possibly the best chicken I have ever had - Shkmeruli chicken!

Borjomi is a lovely small town known for forests, fresh air and mineral water springs. It used to be a popular resort for people with health problems.

Surprisingly, the discovery of Borjomi’s mineral water was by accident. In the 1800s, Russian troops while fighting a war against the Ottomans saw some water bubbling from the ground and drank it. They soon noticed their wounds healed faster, and they felt much better in general. 

Borjomi from tap - the mineral water spring. Honestly it tastes strange at first, especially when it's warm-ish. Letting it get cold makes it a lot better. 

Borjomi Central Park

Took a cable car to the top of the mountain and hiked back through Borjomi’s national park.

Another mountain, another ferris wheel!

On the way back down we found the Sulfur Tsar Baths, to soak in warm and nice healing waters a bit!

Picnic in the woods

Went on a self-made hike later, had to literally walk in the river at some point but it was fun!

Khachapuri... why is bread with cheese so damn delicious.. well because cheese. That was actually the only one we had in a restaurant, as because there was just so many delicious dishes to eat each time, and we started most mornings with fresh, still-warm khachapuri from some local bakery, costing about 1 EUR per two. 

Final stop Kutaisi. This time we did get lucky with the marshrutkas and found a one that was headed to Batumi through Kutaisi. 

Martvili Canyon

A swimmable waterfall right next to the canyon

The town of Martvili and the Virgin Mary Church accessible by an old squeaky soviet cable car. 

Colchis waterfall

Bagrati Cathedral. The cathedral dominaing the skyline of Kutaisi. Originally built in the 11th century, destroyed during the Ottoman era and has been now completely renovated. It was on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list until 2017.

Thunderstorm incoming. This huge storm came pretty much out of nowhere, while we were on the hill near the cathedral. Luckily there was this awesome cafe/restaurant 'Our Garden' right next to the cathedral to escape from the rain. We happily degustated their wines until the storm passed.

the White Bridge

The last day was rainy, so it called for a long breakfast and tea at the 'Tea House Foe-Foe'. Last walks in the town and a late lunch at restaurant 'Palaty' and off to the airport we were. See you another time Georgia, you're wonderful!