Category: Georgia
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Caucasian Vacation 7 (Georgia): Gudauri
In the afternoon, we finally reach Gudauri, Georgia’s (and perhaps the South Caucasus’) most popular ski station. It’s quite a jarring experience seeing snow all around in the middle of spring, but it’s a fun one nonetheless, especially when you’re from a tropical country. No sooner than we climb down the van when we are…
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Caucasian Vacation 6 (Georgia): Ananuri
Halfway to Gudauri, along the Georgian Military Highway, we stop by the Ananuri Fortress, one of Georgia’s most iconic sights. The Ananuri is a religious complex overlooking the Zhinvali Reservoir of the Aragvi River. This scenic location and the intricate traditional Georgian architecture of the church make it one of the most popular day trips…
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Caucasian Vacation 5 (Georgia): Chateau Mukhrani
Making and drinking wine in Georgia dates back 8000 years that to say it’s part of the culture is underselling it. Wine is not just a matter of pride for this country of 4 million, but it also is a symbol of the locals’ hospitality, and a key component of religious and social life. Drinking…
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Caucasian Vacation 4 (Georgia): Uplistsikhe
Just 10 kilometers east of Gori is Uplistsikhe, a once vast cave city that housed as many as 20,000 before Christianity was introduced in Georgia. The city was established in the 16th century BC and carved out of rocks, serving as a major regional center of pagan worship in the Caucasus. After King Mirian II…
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Caucasian Vacation 3 (Georgia): Gori
Another popular day trip from Tbilisi is Gori, a city known as the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. It’s a rather dubious distinction, but locals still hold a degree of respect and pride for the hometown boy. The main site here is undoubtedly the Stalin Museum, a building filled with paraphernalia documenting the life of the…
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Caucasian Vacation 2 (Georgia): Mtskheta
The next day we go to Mtshketa, 15 kilometers north of Tbilisi. The city holds great significance among Georgians as the spiritual heart of the country. It was here that Georgia adopted Christianity in 334 AD, becoming the second country in history to do so, after Armenia. Mtshketa also was the capital of the Georgian…
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Caucasian Vacation 1 (Georgia): Tbilisi
It may be trite to say this, but the truth is, I didn’t know much about Georgia (the country) beforehand. I know that it’s a former Soviet state and that it’s geographically somewhere in the Europe-Asia limbo. But other than that, all the images of the country in my mind are from the handful of…
The Tourist Gaze 