Georgia and Beyond- Journey through the Caucuses

When people say Georgia, they usually think of the small state in the USA and not the country squeezed in between Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and the Black Sea. Georgia is known for its vast vineyards, snowy mountains, ancient sites and UNESCO Monasteries. The country first sparked my curiosity as its proximity to the famous Silk Road and ancient sites. Georgia for me is where religion is a way of life and wine is the sacred nectar of all social functions.

My first impressions of Georgia were a 3am arrival at the airport, in which I could not find my driver. In country where my friends and family only knew it as war ridden and unstable, I will admit going alone had me on edge. People could sense I was looking for something or someone as I paced up and down the corridor searching the signs to see if I could find my name. They were helpful, but my guard was up and not prepared for so many genuinely helpful people. A quick phone call to the hotel and I heard my name over the intercom. A 30-minute transfer and I was in the heart of Tbilisi.  

I entrusted Envoy Hostel and Tours to keep me safe and show me around the amazing country and beyond.  On about 3 hours sleep, a simple breakfast and 2 cups of coffee I was ready to start my day in Georgia. A trip to Jvari, Mtskheta, Gori, Uplistsikhe and the infamous Stalin Museum offered a nice variety of culture and scenic beauty. What I loved the most about the Envoy tours was the knowledge of the guides and the people who joined the tours. Every day was truly an adventure which usually had some consumption of delicious food and wine. The lunch with the locals was a highlight for me on this day as our host was from the region where it is now forbidden for Georgians to go. 

Our first stop was the hilltop church of Jvari which was built overlooking Mtskheta the oldest village in Georgia. This church is said to be the holiest church among the Georgians. The church was built between the 5th and 6th century over the original location of the wooden cross; which was erected by King Mirian.  We made our way down to Mtskheta and stepped into what felt a boutique village. The fences, houses, and flowers were in perfect order within the village. You could see the amount of pride the Georgians have in preserving their longstanding heritage here. After a few hours walking around the churches and village we made our way to Uplistsikhe.

Uplistsikhe I think is a nice place to visit if you do not plan to see David Gareji, in my own opinion. While some of the buildings were intact it was truly just an afternoon of crawling through caves, but not much factual information to be told about the site. The Stalin Museum in Gori gives you a chance to visit Stalin’s hometown and you can see his childhood home on site. The museum was one-sided and all the good was told about his life in the museum and none of the bad, I would leave it at that.

We headed back after a long day into Tbilisi. I was completely exhausted at this point and searched for a good place for dinner. I found Pastorali and ate their everyday as the food was so delicious and the staff was super friendly. Its always really awkward for me showing up to a restaurant asking for a table for one, but the staff always let me pick a great seat to people watch from.

I truly loved Georgia and cannot wait to plan my next visit to the area to see more of what this country has to offer.

Happy Traveling,

Katrina

Macedonia, Skopje- The City of Statues

I know you are probably thinking the same thing I was when Skopje came up on my fare finder last year. Where the heck is Skopje? I can assure you before moving to Europe I was unaware this little gem of a city existed or even the country for a matter of fact. Macedonia or FYROM as it’s usually referred to is tucked between Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Greece. It is a perfect starting point if you plan to see the Balkan’s as most of the car rental places allow you to cross borders without an issue.

 

I  was only in the country for a mere 36 hours. I know, not nearly enough time to soak it in a enjoy everything it had to offer, but the city of Skopje fit the bill. I stayed at Bushi Resort and Spa right at the edge of the Old Bazaar. This hotel was a steal and a great find with the spa being inclusive of the stay. The driver from the hotel collected me on arrival and whisked me into the city. While the city has nearly a million people, the city felt quiet and quaint.

 

I headed down into Old Town, which was just a short minute walk from the hotel. From here I found a square full of statues of leaders, conquers and musicians. The city is not as old as it looks as many of the buildings have been built recently due to the economic stimulus in the country and many buildings have been destroyed in earthquakes.  On the way into Old Town you can stop in to the Holocaust Museum and the National Theater. One of the most amazing and very unique things I found in Skopje is that they have built an area surrounding the House of Opera and Ballet with music playing from famous composers. I sat for about 20 minutes just enjoying the sounds of the music and peacefulness within this large city.

 

If you book in advance you can visit the home of Mother Teresa. It was closed the two days I was in town so I had to miss it on this trip. In order to get into the rest of Old Town you walk over the famous Stone Bridge. The river is being renovated right now so the views were not very good as there are backhoes, diggers and mounds of dirt along the river. They have built to ships along the river with restaurants and rooms on board. They looked really cool if you were staying with kids. Now the amount of statues that existed in this city was crazy. Everywhere you turned a statue was just around the corner. They were down the river, on the bridge, in the squares and intersections. They really provided uniqueness to the city. Looking through the building in Old Town is was so surprising to see many were just built as late as 2012, but the architecture is in line with Roman period.

 

I strolled back up to the hotel through Kale Fortress on top of the hill. It was a great viewpoint down into the Old Town. Since the hotel was very close to the Old Bazaar I had a look at some of the goods they had to offer. It seems many people come here to go wedding dress shopping as there was a lot of wedding dress boutiques located in the bazaar. One of the shops allowed me to have a look as some of the handmade lace gowns and they were just stunning.

After a ton of walking I went back to the resort to find an amazing spa right in the hotel. I was not expecting much due to it being in a hotel, but I was surprised by the hotels spa, which included a salt room, sauna, Turkish bath, Jacuzzi, heated loungers and large pool. 

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina