Postcards from abroad
We drove a long way across Georgia yesterday from west to east as we headed back to the airport to drop off Nikhil who returned to India last night. We decided to stop in Gori, the birthplace of Stalin. Despite feeling squeamish about it, we decided that we should visit the museum there, built in… Continue reading The Stalin museum and the cathedral
We begam the day by visiting the park of big trees (sounds more impressive if you say ‘dendrological’) established by a billionaire Georgian who, at one time, owned a third of the GDP of the country. Bidzina Ivanishvili had a thing for trees and uprooted big ones from around the world and brought them to… Continue reading The Dendrological Park and Ozurgeti
Batumi is Georgia’s second biggest city and is a very popular spot for visitors from Turkey (which isn’t far away) and the Middle East, as well as Russians. It’s a lovely nineteenth century town with some beautifully shaded streets combined with the most garish of new buildings erupting on the skyline. These should give you… Continue reading Batumi and a Black Sea resort
We made our way through the small region of Mingrelia towards Poti, the largest Georgian port on the Black Sea and then on to our accommodation in Urecki, known for its black sands with healing properties. The drive through the countryside took us to the village of Kulashi which, according to our guidebook, was home… Continue reading The Black Sea – and more synagogues (sorry!)
Kutaisi is Georgia’s third biggest city but feels pretty small, despite the fact that the streets are being upgraded and the traffic is therefore chaotic. It is said to have been established in the 17th Century BCE, was a colony of Greece by the 7th Century BCE and the birthplace of Medea. It was also… Continue reading Kutaisi – a market, a synagogue and a fountain