Staying in Tbilisi? Got no plans for the last weekend of this spring? Here I am for you!
Having friends visiting and also some requests from people I don’t know personally, I decided to make a short list of events happening in Tbilisi this weekend. As usual, it is all personal. Lets go! All the events are clickable.
Friday, 29th of May:
- Exhibition about Sergei Parajanov “The Dream of XXI century” ( daily till 15.06!)
- Live Jazz Evening in “Famous” (jazz and jam session);
- Critical Mass Tbilisi - for those who love urban cycling! From 8 to 10 PM.
Saturday, 30th of May:
- Bread baking master class at “De L’Ukraine”
- Ukrainian-Georgian charity festival
- NikaKoi at “33a” club (electronic music). Doors open from 7 PM.
- Lisi Wood Opening at Lisi Lake Hippodrom (electronic music). From 8 PM entrance is 8 GEL, from 3 to 8 PM - free.
Sunday, 31th of May:
- First Tbilisi Strawberry Photo Party at Rooftop Lounge
- Photo Tour to Uflistsikhe
- Bubble Parade in “Canudos”
- Evening live music in Drunk Owl bar
- One day trip to Truso (Mtskheta-Mtianeti)
Hope that you will find an event for you, and will enjoy this weekend! If you know anything about any interesting event, please let me know ;) Let’s spread the word and have a great time in Tbilisi together!
Here is the story about how passionate Chris Potter’s performance of “Viva Las Vilnius” piece (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSzm1OI-Di8) suddenly made me check out the Wizz Air website, find the tickets for around 70 euro here and back, buy them, and go to the Lithuanian capital. One friend of mine said, I should have traveled to any other place, because Vilnius could be similar to a lot of places I’ve been too, but I don’t regret about my decision at all. There are several reasons...
1. It’s a veggie heaven. Despite of the fact, that the Lithuanian cuisine is meat-based, Vilnius appeared to be a vegetarian paradise for me. On the very first day I discovered two veggie restaurants next to each other (at Totorių street 3), and saw many more in the city. The food in the first one, Vegafe, was so good! I just gave in to tasting the dishes and alcohol-free wine, and then found myself full and happy. The restaurant next door, RawRaw, is for raw food lovers, as you can understand. Fresh natural ingredients, wide variety of dishes and simple minimalist design – this all instead of meat pies and traditional decor I was expecting in the historical center! Very much recommended.
2. Beeradise!
If you look for authentic things, check out the breweries! Vilnius is one of the best destinations in Europe for enjoying multiple local beers. I will give you some tips.
The first one is Leičių Bravoras at Stiklių 5. I think, I tried all five authentic sorts they have. Red beer was the tastiest, and Indian Pale Ale appeared to be a delicious headshot (I suppose I am unsure about quantity of sorts I’ve tried because of this very beer). Staff was superfriendly there – they let me in to the rooms where beer was made, explained the taste of each sort and entertained me all the time.
Beer bar Būsi Trečias at Totorių 18 was something I would like to have in Tbilisi. Young and funny audience, plenty of beers and beer based drinks, and also good choice of food (Bremen Musicians shashlik impressed me with its name and ingredients at least). The bar is popular: on weekends it’s very difficult to find a seat.
The most “authentic” of all authentic breweries was famous Šnekutis (I visited the one at Šv. Mikalojaus 15). The owner and the symbol of the place is an old funny man, who has been pouring beer himself and entertaining visitors since a really long time. Local dishes like potato pancakes with different dressings are very cheap and very big, so it feels and tastes almost like at grandma’s. If my grandma could brew such beer as they brew in Šnekutis, I would never leave home, maybe.
3. It’s more than amber!
Usually people bring from Lithuania linen and amber. My advice would be – accessories. There are several shops selling local handmade jewelry, accessories and clothes - many of them are really stylish. And you definitely won’t find such things anywhere else!
Two shops I liked were Moustache (Stuokos-Guceviciaus 3) and Vitražo manufaktūra (Stiklių 6/8). Both relatively new (not older than 3 years), they offer plenty of beautiful things, which will remind you on Vilnius in a more exquisite way than a wooden magnet or amber accessories, which often look very oldschool.
And yes, how could I forget! 4. Chocolate.
Walking on Pilies street, which is a touristic artery of Vilnius, I spotted that chocolaterie, but though it was for non-locals only.
The next day I was not that cautious and walked closer. The smell of fresh natural chocolate just dragged me in, and the thoughts vanished, leaving more space for feelings…
All this furniture is made of chocolate!
Well, lyric apart, Pilies šokoladinė is a great shop and café with huge choice of dozens or even hundreds of chocolate sorts, delicious spicy ginger tea and strong coffee. It is very difficult to leave without buying or tasting something, and I think the sweets made by AJ šokoladas are also a great local present from Vilnius.
5. Free museums and cheap bicycles
My heart filled with hope, as I saw big bicycle rental stations everywhere. Cycling through the beautiful streets, enjoying the weather and burning above mentioned beer and chocolate – what can be better?
Unfortunately, I had to walk almost all the time: both car drivers and pedestrians just ignore the cyclist there, and a lot of streets are very narrow. Very. So I had to walk with the bicycle almost 30% of the time, which can also count as burning calories, but with lower level of pleasure.
Still, if you want to rent a city bicycle, you’ll have to get a card for free in an info center and register on http://en.cyclocity.lt – 30 days subscription costs 3.90 euro only, the first 30 minutes of cycling are free, and stations are literally everywhere. Have fun (and patience)!
Another weird, but funny thing was free entrance to many galleries and museums. Art gallery of modern Lithuanian artists at Pilies str. was free, galleries at Literatų street too, and even money museum didn’t charge a coin!
Like in Tbilisi, there are many small galleries of fine arts, ceramics and other handcraft, where you can walk in, talk, and sometimes participate. Lithuanians seemed to be extremely kind and friendly people, ready to show you around and tell everything they know, if you need it.
But what impressed me most, was Užupis, the only self-proclaimed republic which has great values, in my opinion. A neighbourhood where creatives and artisans live, it looks like a small part of Berlin, but a bit soft-core.
Užupis has its own constitution and flag, and celebrates Užupis Day on the 1st of April. Former mayor of Vilnius also lives here and participates actively in Republic’s life. The constitution is a masterpiece of human attitude towards each other. You can read the full text here: http://tinyurl.com/mm29j8s, but the mottos “Do not defeat. Do not fight back. Do not surrender” and lines as “Everyone has the right to love. Everyone has the right not to be loved, but not necessarily” made me sob for no reason.
Hope those reasons were enough to attract you to Vilnius and come visit it once. I left major sightseeing points outside the post. Or... Maybe, here you go: a view from Gediminas Tower :))
And beautiful golden icon of Virgin Mary, which can be spotted several times a day:
Actually I’ve seen a bit more of the country and experienced local trains, buses and hitchhiking, so... stay tuned ;)
As the whole country started blooming heavily, it became impossible for me to remain at home on weekends. In case you are in Georgia or want to come see it, I can give you some ideas, where to go.
1. David Gareji (with Gareji Line or without it).
Semi-desert Udabno, mount Gareji and rock-hewn monastery, which has been established in VI century and, as it was often happening in this area, devastated and re-established many times. Beautiful frescoes of old saints (blinded by non-Christian invaders, who wanted to humiliate them this way). Pink hills and multicoloured field flowers in spring, all shades of yellow and plus 40 degrees Celsius in summer. Go there every week, and you feel see different colours and smell different scents.
You can get there with minibuses or taxis from Samgori or Isani stations, or take a minibus of Gareji Line at Liberty Square of Tbilisi: it departs at 11:00 AM every day, a two-way ticket costs 25 lari. On the way back you will stop in a cool Polish-founded place called Oasis: it is a bar, cafe, hostel and club at the same time. Very cool, out-of-order as for this middle-of-nothing area, it offers simple drinks and food, places to sleep (a room for 4 people costs 80 lari/night) and chilled out international atmosphere.
2. Another great option (also from Tbilisi, and also located in Kakheti) is Vashlovani National Park. Better to go there in spring or early summer, because in July and August it will be very hot. Don’t forget your ID card, register in Visitor Center in Dedoplistskaro village, and go face adventures! There are couple of bungalows to rent, and also camp sites for those who have tents (more info about prices and trails is here: http://apa.gov.ge/en/protected-areas/cattestone/vashlovanis-daculi-teritoriebis-administracia).
3. Why day trips should be undertaken from Tbilisi only? Bored in Batumi? Go to the mountains and drink wine! There are several winehouses nested in Ajarian mountains, so taking a shared car and going to explore them might be a nice idea. On the way don’t forget to visit bridge of King Tamar and Kintrishi waterfall: it is very beautiful.
As for winehouses - I’ve been to Ajarian Wine House and Shervashidze’s Wine House, and I can say that both of them have their own peculiarities: Shervashidze’s winery is more home-like, and Ajarian Wine House is also a restaurant with huge wine cellar and some stories to tell - about big politicians visiting them, at least.
Of course there are hundred time more ways to spend a day off (not even speaking about chilling in Kazbegi or Lopota, going to explore Kartli or another part of Kakheti, as I already recommended). If any reader would share her or his favourite spots for weekend, I would really appreciate ;)
Single people want relationships, settled people wonder if they’re missing out on something, traveling types miss stability, stable ones are restless, old friends want new friends, new friends miss old friends, and basically almost everyone my age has some dangling worry trailing around after them everywhere that they’re somehow not doing everything, that what they’re doing is not altogether the right thing, that they are missing out. … Do not be ashamed. The doubt is natural, and everyone you know – yes, even that person – carries it sometimes too. Allow yourself to be peaceful. Allow yourself satisfaction in what you have. If you really don’t like it, allow yourself permission to make changes.
Actually it is one more tribute to the country which gave me a possibility to live normal peaceful life, be surrounded by good friends and really helpful people, do a cool job and enjoy awesome nature and food.
It was very easy and nice to dream about living in Europe or US, walking through clean streets with eco-cup of eco-coffee in your palm, wear cool things, read young modern writers, be a creative class person or do some important things. Be socially secure.
Georgia is challenging. But while dreaming about those great things, one should consider that dirt and filth around you is also yours.
Hi! With all those April jokes I totally forgot about my main mission: informing about interesting things and routes :) My bad!
So, here we go. In the end of March a small seven nation army (The Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, India, Thailand and Ukraine) decided to go explore Kartli, the region around Tbilisi, if it would be more clear. And here are some tips for a nice weekend trip:
With our Delica (the number of rental you can ask in PM) we went to Birtvisi canyon first. You follow the road to Tbisi (not Tbilisi!), then look for a shield with BIRTVISI, and then park and walk around 4 km to reach the canyon. There is also an easier way: follow the same road up to a small lake, then turn to Amlevi road, park and find the stairs. They will lead you to one of the passes to canyon and fortress.
As the snow will finally melt, it will be much easier to hike there. This time we just check out the place :)
And then proceeded to Marneuli, where local Azeri community celebrated Novruz, the spring fest. The road from Tbilisi to Marneuli would take 1.5 - 2 hours, but our way from Birtvisi took us just 35 minutes.
The whole celebration sounded like mixture of Georgian and Azeri languages and cultures. I still believe that the majority lives there peacefully, and this mixture is not the reason for misunderstandings. I do like to think so.
After a nice lunch in one of the road cafes we finally to the last point of our day-trip: Bolnisi, where the oldest Georgian basilica is located. The first examples of Georgian writing have been found there, and also the shape of cross, which I carry, comes from there.
But being almost there, we have suddenly noticed a church on the top of the hill, which was not indicated at the map. So the idea was to climb to it immediately.
It was worth it: such breathtaking views were opening in front of us! After our ascend we understood that the church was in the construction process yet, and there was a quite loud dog barking... Still, we decided to come closer.
The church is being built by Father Amiran, a very enthusiastic priest, and his helpers. If you read my Imereti post, you might remember, that I have already met another very positive priest named Amiran there, so for me it is a very good name :)
In this church I was even allowed to ring a bell (BOOOOMMM!))
It will sanctified on the 12th of July, as the Orthodox Peter and Paul’s Day is being celebrated. Father Amiran asked me to inform you that everyone is welcome!
We also came to Bolnisi Sioni, but there was a funeral service inside, so we couldn’t enter and show you the examples of ancient Georgian writing.
The nature is just awesome there, so if you are wondering where to go from from Tbilisi, don’t hesitate to check out these places. It is close, accessible and very beautiful. Walking routes are not super challenging, so you can also improve your health and picnic after ;)
And here are the cats from Peter and Paul’s Church. I think they would be glad, if you come visit them :)
A Guide to Budget Trip to Georgia for Female Travelers
After reading so many blogs of famous solo female travelers as http://theblondeabroad.com or http://blonde-gypsy.com, I thought that maybe I should finally disclose how I managed to see so many places in Georgia and experience this variety of nice things…
So, here are my tips for girlies who decide to discover beautiful Georgia and spend as few money as possible.
1. Georgia is a country with its own traditions, which have roots in ancient times and have not been changed that much nowadays. But you are the representative of your country, right? So bring a part of your culture with you! As you maybe know, we, Ukrainian women, are famous for our habit to dress up even if we go out to buy a bread. Do this in Georgia! Even if men overreact, it shows their great admiration, believe me.
Or, remember this funny scene from Sex and the City? I love it!
2. If you travel somewhere in the mountains and some local guys offer you to ride a horse together, or give you a lift to somewhere far, or show you a remote lake, agree! It is such a unique possibility to see something rare. And if you don’t know the language, and he doesn’t speak yours, even better: that’s how real nomadic souls communicate!
3. Diamonds? Pfff! Minibus and taxi drivers are a girl’s best friends! Talk to them, sit next to them (because backseat prevents the good communication), tell all your stories, and of course, don’t forget to mention you are here alone. If you get an invitation to khinkali, agree!
4. Flirting can also provide you with some free things: from a ride to souvenirs and food. It’s so cool to save couple of laris just with your charming smile! If you see what I mean.
5. If you are blond or redhead, USE IT! Here, and in all those Southern countries, they see such amazing hair colour as yours quite rarely, and of course, you are different from local women. I think, just because of that you deserve a great dinner :)
Here you can learn how to eat some national food like khinkali or mtsvadi:
6. Don’t forget you dresses, make up and heels! You’re a WOMAN, and you’re going to vacation, why not! I saw local women wearing ultra high heels climbing to Jvari church in Mtskheta on their wedding day. Show them that you can do it better!
I hope that these simple, but very effective pieces of advice will make your trip to Georgia unforgettable!
So, in my first post about Torino I stopped by the museums, right? Now let’s proceed to the third museum I’ve visited: Juventus Museum. No wonder, taking into consideration the facts that I love football and my father was wearing Juve’s t-shirt all my childhood long.
From the point of view of marketing, the museum is just awesome. Greta history, great names, all illustrated in a very logical and beautiful way... Even a person who doesn’t like “Juventus” (like Gianluca) will be impressed.
But, as a person which still believes in football, I was a bit irritated by this huge shopping mall in front of the museum: it is just not good that you can buy kits and scarves of teams like “Roma” or “Inter” next to bianconeri’s home... Ok, H&M and ice-cream shops can be there for people who come there not to enjoy football, but to get a doze of entertainment like zoo or cinema. But foe’s t-shirt? Eh. If I would be a ghost of Edoardo Anielli, I’d come to current managers of the club in a very scary dream.
But that time I was scary just for the stadium guide who saw me putting my travel mascot, the green owl, to “Juve”’s name, and thought it was an “Inter”’s symbol, a snake. After I explained that it was on owl, he got scared even more: in Italy owl is supposed to be a bad unlucky sign. Though, the last Champions League game was super successful for black and white team: they have beaten “Borussia” 3:0 - so maybe my owl is the special one? Would be cool to have it hired as team mascot :D
The majority of real locals supports “Torino” though :)
During such a short time I wanted to taste and experience local things as much as i could. And Gianluca organized it perfectly. For example, we checked out Eataly: a huge grocery, supermarket and restaurant complex. Now you can find this franchise in NY, Chicago, Tokio, Istanbul, Milan and some other Italian cities, but it started exactly in Torino, in an ex-baking factory at via Nizza 230, in front of ex-Fiat building. At the roof of Fiat, by the way, there was a one kilometer long racing track for horses and cars. Not bad at all!
Not sure about Italy, but I’d definitely live in Eataly for some time! If we had such a huge conceptual store and restaurant with different tasty foods in Tbilisi, I’d be happy. And their wine and beer department! Heaven on Earth.
Prices are good, by the way, especially compared to Rome: A portion of delicious risotto + one local beer costed around 9 euro.
Local beer topic may be tagged by #Gianluca_says and #hello_to_my_friend. Using this occasion, I’d like to say hello to my friend and tell him that Italian beers are real lemonades! :) Gianluca says, that Peroni is a double lemonade + the most mass, pop and so on beer ever. Couldn’t but agree: I’ve tried better ones! Note down: «Open Baladin Torino» at Piazzale Valdo Fusi. A real child of Piedmont, this bar and brewery is producing around 60 sorts of beer: 30 craft and 30 bottled. Their ambitious dream to make Piedmont to a beer capital of Italy is not far from reality!
There was also another page in my short drinking history here. If you will be at via Fratelli Calandra 10, come by to a small dark Arfican bar and order a drink called “Tamango”. Hell! This is a pure concentration of black magic of Torino! Gianluca and me were kinda too old for that sh... drink, so we even didn’t finish, but in case you will, blackout is guaranteed!
If you are more into walking and enjoying views, I have several options for you. The first one is a park and WWII memorial at Colla della Maddalena.
The second is Superga. There is not just impressive baroque basilica and nice park around, but also a memorial to the best “Torino” team in history, who died in an air crash in 1949.
Another great place is outside of Torino. It is a hunting palace of Savoy royal family, Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi. This place appeared in front of my eyes in an epic way (Gianluca, I know you wanted this!)): first we were riding motorbike superfast, I had my eyes closed, and as I opened them, I saw this stunning view:
Ah yes, if you would have time, you can go to a small town Rivoli. There is a huge road leading to it just from the center of Torino, constructed after the order of bicerin fan Cavour: He wanted to go to work faster.
We went to Rivoli to chill on a roof and eat Turkish food (a must do thing in Italy, right?). There is a castle in the town: it was shelled during WWII, the restoration started in 1979, and is going till now. Currently the Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the building, but we didn’t attend its exhibition (see “Tamango”).
Parco Valentino is also a great place, Gianluca says. I left it for the next time - as you understand, I really liked Torino a lot! And by the way, you can drink not just cocktails-from-hell there, but some Piedmontese things like milk with mint. Is very yummy!
Or check out this place (it is not superfar from Parco Valentino!) for the best ice cream. We passed by three others gelatterias while looking for this one. According to the best guide in Torino, this one is really good!
So, as you will plan your Italian holidays, try to avoid the popular route Rome - Florence - Piza - Naples - whatever. Go to Torino, it is amazing, it has the atmosphere, it has stories to tell and things to taste. If you will like it too, rise a glass of bicerin for me :)
Writing about my sunny days in Torino while it’s raining in Tbilisi is just perfect. If I were in Piedmont’s capital now, I’d go to Mulassano, order a portion of bicherin to drink it atthe bar counter, and watch people passing by at Piazza Castello…
Ehehe, here comes the “I’ve-Been-There-And-Know-Something-You-Don’t”-tone,right? What the heck is bicerin (a medicine against bitch talks?), why not to sit down and relax, but drink at the counter? Okay. I will explain. But first of all I should say that Torino is a magical city, even without mentioning that it was a center of black and white magic, has a fallen angel statue at one of the central squares and so on. It is tailored in a very elegant manner, consists of porticos and arcades, baroque and art nouveau, book stores and chocolate shops, and remains an important trade and industrial center at the same time. As a person from an industrial town, I appreciate this combination of exquisiteness and working class simplicity.
Torino is sooo bully! I mean, there are a lot of bulls at the streets, because it is symbol of the city. You can find them everywhere: from drinking water fountains to the logos of FC Torino and Juventus, who are also kinda city symbols.
Torino was the first capital of united Italy, where some glorious historic events were happening, but to my big enlightenment, it is not that crowded (hurra, no people waving selfie-sticks next to the Royal Palace!). Founded in 1404, the University of Torino is one of the oldest and respectable in Europe. There is a huge street named after USSR - Corso Unione Sovietica - what I found quite weird. It was a present to the Victory in WWII.
And another cool thing about Torino is that here lives Gianluca, a friend of mine. We met in 2010 in Izmir during my internship there, and haven’t seen each other since that time. He appeared to be such a great guide, that now his face is the face of the city for me (before it used to be Gianluigi Buffon, you may guess, why). Gianluca is from Piedmont, so he knows local peculiarities, what is extremely good for such a curious guest as me, and also he drives a motorbike, which allowed us to see a lot of thing in a very short time. Isn’t it a big luck?
Now let’s go back to bicerin and bar counter. Before I was pretty ignorant about this unwritten rule of paying more, if you drink at the table. That’s why the locals prefer to finish their espresso and other short drinks just standing at the counter. Bicerin, a sweet energy bomb full of calories, made of espresso, dark chocolate and cream, belongs to this group. Its name derives from the type of glass it is served in (same story as paella or wok). One of the most famous bicerin drinkers was Cavour, a person who made a lot for the united Italy. Maybe that was the reason why he was quite a corpulent man and had energy for all the transformations he has done?
In Torino, there are several must-visit-and-have-a-drink places – just to feel the spirit of city (btw, to this spirit in a good mood, don’t drink water after espresso and cappuccino in the afternoon). One of those places is Fiorio (via Po 8) founded in the beginning of XVIII century. It is usually attended by locals, but I saw it in every second tourist reference about Torino as well. The story about King of Piedmont regularly inquiring about the topics Fiorio’s attendees were discussing in the café, is still alive.
If you want to taste one of the best bicerin in Torino, better go not to Al Bicerin, which is also a must-visit place, according to multiple reviews, but to Mulassano, that I mentioned in the very beginning. Located near Piazza Castello (the square in front of the Royal Palace) since 1907, it used to be a meeting point for bohemian people. Mulassano employees are also proud by the fact that typical Italian sandwich, tramezzino, was served in their café for the first time.
In order to temporary close the food topic, I’d mention that not far from these two places, at Via Maria Vittoria 36, a Piadineria Romagnola is located. There you should try piadina, thin bread with various fillings. Being not a local fast food, it is still very tasty.
Generally, if there is nothing but food in a city, I am not very interested. Overdose of beauty is even worse (sorry, Rome, sorry, Dresden). If there is a nice TV-tower or just a tower, the city gains +1 to attractiveness in my eyes. Add mountains to this – and poor city, on the whole Earth there no place to hide from my love. That’s how I settled in Tbilisi (unfortunately Berlin was a bit too flat for me), and that’s the way I fell in love with Torino. Framed by Alps, offering tasty local food (btw, as non-meat-eater I was pretty satisfied) as well as bars and culture, inhabited by non-snobbish and non-über-hipster people, Piedmont’s capital has great football scene and even birch trees for me. And Mole. Mole Antonelliana.
Actually it should have been a synagogue, but the Jewish community didn’t like the work of Alessandro Antonelli that much, so the architect said: OK THEN! – and built this 168 m tall beauty, which became another symbol of the city. Gianluca meant, it should have remained the tallest building, but Mussolini wanted to show how great he was, and ordered to build this.
Now, there is a huge interactive Museum of Cinema inside Mole. You can spend the whole day there, learning new things about history of cinematography from different optic machines up to modern 3D-technologies in a very empiric way, or just lie down and watch some old movies in a huge hall. There is also an elevator which brings you to Mole’s dome. The entrance price depends on what you want: museum, dome, or both. You can check out the best option here: http://www.museocinema.it/orari.php?l=en.
The second awesome interactive museum we have visited was Museum of Cars. Of course, Torino is famous for its Egyptology: the collection of its Egyptian Museum is second largest after Cairo Museum, but still, after riding a motorbike in cradle of FIAT, attending the Museum of Cars was a very logical step. Please be aware of the fact that its opening hours differ from the other museums (http://www.museoauto.it/website/en/opening-times-and-ticket-prices)!
You know, I liked the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart very much, but this one was even better. From ambitious Da Vinci projects to latest Ferrari models, ad videos about cars from 20s to modern times – three floors of exciting things + very good music in every hall. It appeared that not every object can be touched - we discovered it after sitting in Ferrari, but the museum keeper was lucky to see us just touching the handle of the car :D
There was another museum, some superstitions, some more food, and local craft beer, and one mysterious place where the drink from hell is being served, and some other important and beautiful places, but I think it’s quite enough for one post. Even though it’s about Torino. Here are a couple of pictures, and the part 2 is coming soon! Stay tuned, it will be interesting!
By the way, Cavour also liked this place, but we decided not to eat there: prices were also at the level Cavour could have afforded :D
Italy: Perks of Having Local Friends. Part 1: Roma
Hi everyone! I’m writing this in a very friendly and polite manner, but in my head I am yelling «CIAO PAZZI!» and wave a piece of pizza in my hand. After one week long business trip to Berlin, which feels like home since a long time, I finally managed to fulfill my childhood dream and traveled to Italy.
The trip was brief, sketchy, but very beautiful and intense at the same time. Three days in Rome and two in Turin just increased my interest to the country, and I swear: next time I will make local friends before the trip, because my Roman holidays were super touristic because I didn’t know anyone there.
That’s why this post will discover something new just for those who have never heard or read anything about Rome. But please don’t close your browser now! There will be beautiful pictures and also some “do”-s and “don’t”-s! :))
Let’s go. I choose easyjet to fly from Berlin to Rome and back, and the low-cost airline was really low-cost: a return ticket costed around 100 something euro. In Fiumicino airport you might be attacked by the taxi drivers - not that aggressively as in Tbilisi or Kyiv, but they can really confuse you. Be resistant! You can purchase a shuttle bus ticket to Termini station for 3.9 - 5 euro one way, and for 8 euro return. From Termini it will be much easier to reach your hotel or whatever you choose.
My friend from university and me coincided in Rome accidentally, and both of us have decided to live exactly near Termini. There are plenty of accomodation units, but here comes the first “don’t”: don’t stay at Walter’s hostels or “Alta Villa” hotel - they are fighting for the customers not with quality.
If you are not choosing a bus tour option, you can easily reach all the sightseeing points with subway or city buses. A ticket for 100 minutes costs 1.50 euro, daily ticket - 7, and you can also rent a bicycle (from 4 euro/hour).
I should also warn you, that on your way you might see not just beautiful historic ruins, magnificent Baroque facades, flowers covered balconies and insanely beautiful orange trees, but also impertinent sellers of selfie-sticks and “skip-the-line”-vouchers. Sometimes it seems like that there are no locals in the city - just tourists. Hehe, I don’t sound like a person who works in tourism, right? But such a mass tourism is really too much.
“Magic hole” place at Aventino Hill is also crowded after it became featured in every “unknown Rome” guide. If you want to see kinda three states at the same time, go find that keyhole in the door of Villa del Priorato di Malta (it’s next to Egyptian Embassy and orange garden) and peek at the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica (it is Vatican), bushes inside (Malta) and all the rest (Italy). Don’t go there, if you are tired: you will curse the one who recommended this damned hole as the sightseeing point.
The cemetery for famous foreigners located near Piramide is not that overcrowded. There is a cat shelter there: according to the shield on its doors, you can visit the cats from 4 to 5 pm. Meanwhile cats visit John Keats, the son of Goethe and other celebrities, licking and scratching themselves on their graves.
Continuing the pack-running topic: famous Trevi fountain is under reconstruction now, but still there are queues of people willing to throw a coin to the water free basin! In St. Peter’s Basilica you will hear snapshots more often than prayers, Collosseo is barely seen behind selfie-sticks, Jupiter damn them; and there are lines for “skip the line”!
There is just one option left: to ignore all this madness, walk and let yourself admire this grand beauty. In Rome, everything is grand and beautiful: from building and trees to ice-cream portions :)
Ah yes, the food. There are plenty of options and quite good offers everywhere. We liked Fattoincasa (location: http://tinyurl.com/mqehtaw) and Il Secchio (http://tinyurl.com/kj9723q), and got disappointed by pizza and service quality in L’Arcano (http://tinyurl.com/l4xanp3). As I already complained in the very beginning, I didn’t know anyone in Rome, so we had to choose intuitively. Besides pizzapastabruschettas I also tasted Roman artichokes and Roman cheese. Artichokes tasted very specifically, and the cheese reminded me on Imeretian :))
In between there was also a trip to Turin, but I will write a separate post full of love and adoration about this city. Now, to make this text more or less informative, I gonna tell you that you can find different transport options here: :http://www.rome2rio.com/ru/s/Rome/Turin or here: http://www.vivanoda.co.uk/ticket/rome-it/turin-it_s1872d3888.html.
Though I decided to buy a night bus ticket by Baltour (http://www.baltour.it) and save time and money: a round trip costed 28 euro, but if I would have booked earlier, it could have been 2 (two) euro.
Ok, another couple of pictures from Rome, and let’s proceed to Turin. I am so impatient to share my newly emerged love!
Probably some of you have already heard about successfully implemented one-window-principle in Georgian bureaucracy. Like, whatever you may want to do: from birth registration till marriage, buying land and death registry - all of those services are available in brand new public halls, or Houses of Justice.
As foreign TV-crews come to film it, their favorite trick is to demonstrate, how you can apply for anything while having lunch. The journalist walks in "Just Cafe", orders some food, and fills in some papers while waiting. After delicious lunch the passport (souvenir one) is ready, applause, applause, how smooth it works!
So I decided to use the opportunity and do the same, cause there was a real need to extend my stay in Georgia. Being familiar to the normal procedure, I was curious, hungry, got just one hour lunch break... and my office is exactly in front of House of Justice. A perfect chance to experience the advertised bureaucratic pleasure live!
So, I entered "Just Cafe", and, after ordering a mushroom soup and vegetables, asked if I can submit my application right now. And...
Fail! It appeared that the whole spectrum of services is available for Georgian citizens only! I can do whatever I want except applying for citizenship or residence permit. Eh. I should have had money for a flat or land or something else.
Mushroom soup and vegetables were delicious, though. The following documents sumbission was quite easy, as usual: you take a ticket, go to the space where they deal with your question, and after 5-7 minutes (depends on your papers and linguistic capacities of the operator) pay for the service. That's it.
Eeeh, pity, pity that I could not experience that tasty side of bureaucracy! Maybe next time I should get married or buy a house... Let's see :)
This Sunday I finally managed to try paragliding in Gudauri! Wouldn't say that I was scared (not at all) or overexcited (unfortunately not), but I liked it a lot, and I'd like to try more and to learn myself one day.
Actually you should be attentive while choosing the company...
For example, in my case, I bought a discount at swoop.ge, agreed with Georgian Paragliding Federation (https://www.facebook.com/GeorgianParaglidingFederation) to meet with the instructor on Kudebi Mountain at 12 o'clock, went there, found the guys with paragliding equipment, we flew, it was cool, but finally it appeared that it was the other company (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paragliding-Georgia/506310812805391), and it costed twice so much :D
Anyways, it was a good experience: the pilot knew his thing, explained me what I had to do, showed me some extra maneuvres like spinning, eight, and swinged me a bit. Nothing to regret about :) Next day I also got a Go-Pro video of the flight. But if you do care about how much you should spend, please ask twice, not just "Hey, are you flying at 12 today?", but "Are you _this_ company?". Don't repeat my mistakes. Repeat only this feeling of sitting on the soft back of wind!
P.S.:Another short instagram video with Gudauri view from above is here:
http://websta.me/p/921884391824596350_212997982
So, have fun and feel wind in your sails! Wish you a nice week.
Only those who read this blog carefully can remember that sometimes there pops up a superhero called Saperaviman, strong, energizing and intoxicating, who fights against evil powers, drinks saperavi and never feels hangover.
I mean, of course that's me. And this weekend I decided to fight against sadness in my mum's head, and brought her to Kakheti with help of my friend Levan, who usually organizes more extreme and challenging trips. But who said that fighting against sadness is not challenging? So, we went to Kakheti, Eastern Georgian rural region famous for its wines. The landscapes there is totally different from what you saw in my blog before.
If you got used to high mountains covered with green forest or snow, forget it here. Semi-desert! Red bold stone hills! Vineyards! Lakes with white salty banks!
Devastation and poverty. Sometimes. Shepherds who will bring their flocks to Tusheti highlands, as spring comes. Wet newborn lambs and huge aggressive dogs near them.
David Gareji, one of the starting points for spreading Christianity in Georgia: an ancient monastery where old channels for gathering water and brand new solar batteries are being used.
Small villages on the main road to Sighnaghi: each of them is locally famous for something. Manavi for churchkhela, Kachreti for meat (people say that mtsvadi / shashlik there is great), Mzisguli for buffalo matsoni. I ate two big churchkhelas, and I could eat more, if I would not need some place for a clay pot of fresh tender matsoni.
Sighnaghi, so called city of love, is cute. I do like the view over Alazani valley and small wineries (as a Saperaviman I paid a visit not just to famous "Pheasant's Tears", but to random ones). But I would stayed overnight there just in case I would be a newlywed person, if you know what I mean. Visiting museum or Ethnographic park, eating a good lunch with wine and chacha, walking a bit and taking a ride to Bodbe monastery can be done in one day.
Next stop was Kvareli and its famous Khareba winery with underground tunnel. Before it was an air-raid shelter. Generally, there are so many ex-military objects in Kakheti, that it makes me sad.
We took a tour + wine probe for 12 lari/person: in this case you get two glasses of wine on your choice + some cheese, fruits, bread and grape pit oil made at the same factory. If you take more expensive variant, you get 4 wines, churchkhela and chacha :) As you might know, wine in Georgia is made in two ways: "European" (in wooden barrels) and "Georgian" (in buried clay pots). We enjoyed some Georgian sorts: saperavi and krakhuna.
This huge iron barrel is my homie: it was made in Ukraine in 60s :)
The park of winery is also nice. Was quite surprised, as I saw Svan tower there, in the heart of Eastern Georgian region. Of course, a very new one, but still :)
Considered to take a surname Rapuntseliani after. Yes, my hair is too short for throwing it down to a candidate, but who said that it must be that easy? :)
On the way home we got some bad news about my hometown: my part of the city has been shelled. Luckily, my family was fine, but it almost vanished my bright impressions about this nice day.
Didn't want to finish it on such a sad note, but life is life. Important is that you have some people who will be on your side.
I hope you have. And I promise: the next post will be not sad at all!
People come to Istanbul for many reasons - some for shopping only, some for culture, some for "check! been! done!", some for chasing opportunities in this rapidly growing metropolis.
Not sure if I have my main reason. Twice I came here for big football (and it was very successful), once for sea and fishbread at Eminönü station only, and this time my main reason was EMITT, a big international tourism fair, where I was representing... Georgia, here you are right.
Actually working on a fair is not a supereasy thing (if compared with sitting on one's butt in the office): it's running around, talking, explaining, answering questions like "Do you really have snow in Georgia?", "Are you Georgian?", "You have 33 letters in the alphabet? Ha, we also have 33 letters, our languages are so similar!"
But I was lucky to have a couple of hours outside of fair building and bus (one way trip from our hotel to fair was around 50 km and took more than 1 hour without traffic jams), and to give in to my favorite things: sea, museums, seafood and drinking tea in small authentic places.
This time I managed to see Dolmabahçe palace: a great example of Ottoman baroque. A short tour through harem part first made me envious, because the Sultan's family lived in a really great conditions, but then I asked the guide about what the wives could do... Well, they had more rights that in earlier times of Ottoman Empire, but just picknicking, learning languages without using them live, being jealous about the Sultan having fun with a more lucky wife didn't sound like perfect life.
In the harem part of the palace also stayed Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He died on one of the beds in one of ex-apartments of sultan, and this bed is covered with the Turkish flag now in his honour.
Clock museum and Crystal palace also look nice, but if you don't like posh rooms and world history of watches and clocks, maybe you shouldn't really go there.
But the palace and area around are really beautiful. And in the fine arts gallery they have more than 20 Aivazovsky paintings! I was so proud. The rest of the painters exhibited there are Turkish, and what has also made an impression on me, is the special school of painters which was army-based. Really, there are a lot of good quality paintings made by soldiers in XIX-XX centuries. That's what comprehensive military education is...
After, I was also impressed by amount of people with sad faces and selfie-sticks.
And then I went on exploring some nice things in Old Istanbul. It is easy even if you've been there already.
It was such a pleasure to feed seagulls with pieces of sesame bread and smell this awkward mixture of salty water and gasoline...
And there was also fish: in some restaurants, and at Eminönü as well. But I strongly recommend to avoid that area on Sunday. Just don't show up there and leave your hope for balik ekmek (fishbread), if you want to keep trust in humanity.
Also managed to run around Sultanahmet Mosque (because there was no time for walking). Even though it's touristic, it's incredibly gorgeous. Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) is a must see place as well, so tour guides don't basically lie. But running around Medusa heads is still pointless. I like those wet lighted corridors much more. There are some event and concerts at this venue from time to time: I wish I could attend one of them...
Photographing cats in Istanbul is inevitable...
Grand Bazaar... Well, it's better to go there, if you know what you need, and if you are still not fed up with HEY EXCUSE ME, WHERE ARE YOU FROM, BUY THIS! Despite of this I managed to buy a nice scarf for my mum, something tasty for me and some friends, and also to drink tea with a Turkish guy who lives in Japan and has a Turkish shop there.
So, here are my touristic basics. If you still haven't been to Istanbul, I might leave you some pieces of advice just here:
1. Doesn't matter to which airport you arrive: to reach the city center, take the Havataş shuttle (paying by the driver 11 or 13 lira to reach Taksim sq. from Atatürk and Sabiha Gökcen airport correspondingly).
2. As you get into taxi, check out if counter is on zero.
3. I stayed in Style Hotel Şişli and Safran Suites. Both are good, but have different concepts.
4. Buy Istanbul Card for using public transport including ferryboats. One way with bus, metro, tram or ferry is 2.15, metrobus is 4 lira. If you are changing transport, you should pay too, but 1.85.
5. Must eat: çiğ köfte, mussels (but please don't buy them near the roads, I beg you), aşure (kinda pudding with dried fruits on it), calamari, olives and if you didn't get my idea yet, BALIK EKMEK :)
And please keep in mind that price on bazaars can be four or five times smaller, all the burberry and armani bags are fake, and just air, sun and good mood is real and for free :) I hope you enjoy all these things right now. Take care! Stay tuned!
Looks like there will be no real winter in Tbilisi: the forecasts show +something till the end of February. Of course, if you will go direction Kojori, Tskhneti or Manglisi, you might reach some snow, as I did last weekend... but not in the city, definitely. Though, it can be quite cold in the evening, and if you still want to have this special winter feeling, go for a walk and warm yourself up with mulled wine / glintwein.
There are plenty of wineries all around Old Tbilisi, but as I decided to go for a short glintwein check, it appeared that not all of them prepare the drink. Nevertheless, after two walking sessions, one of which made me quite drunk in the end, I can offer you a Glintwein Route through the old city.
2. Near Liberty Square there is "Warszawa Bar", which I have also mentioned in my Bar-Hopping Route, offers very strong hot wine for 5 lari. Recently it helped me avoid having sore throat, by the way. Dzieki!
3. If you go down Pushkin street, there will be a wine bar "Konka" (it's a retro tram, but caution: there are two of them down there, so go to that one closer to the river). They offer glintwein for 4 lari, and it tastes very mild.
4. Turn right, pass by Gabriadze Theatre, cross this famous Peace bridge and proceed to Rike Park. There are several kiosks with different stuff like pop-corn, candies, beer (such a winter drink!) and also hot wine. Price: 3 lari. Pluses: park and nice view around, minuses: wine sort is too mainstream.
5. Now, walk a bit! After strolling through the park and crossing the bridge again, you go up to Leselidze / Kote Apkhazi str., and don't miss coffee house and gallery "Tilda". You might call it a Ukrainian lobbyism, I don't care, but the glintwein is really good there: only three famous sorts of wine are used, and spices are also of very high quality. Take pancakes, a piece of pie, and enjoy the atmosphere! Price: 7 lari.
6. Another good place to have a cup of hot wine is "Vinoground" on Erekle II street. I'll tell the whole story of the place one day, but now - just go and try it there. The owner is half-Austrian, so glintwein culture is in his blood :)
7. If you go direction Sioni church, you pass by another "Konka". It's generally a good area to stroll with a cup of glintwein-to-go, so if you were walking without it before, just take it. Price: 4 lari.
8. Chardeni str.14, "Jazz Cafe Aroma": maybe one of the best glintweins in my life, both white and red. The price is also the highest: 12 lari/glass.
9. Further on, on Meidani square, there is "Brasserie Tartine". Also not the cheapest place, but very nice, and hot wine tastes very good there: sweet and spicy.
10. The last recommendation will be wine bar "Khareba" on Gorgasali str. 1: if you head to bath district from Meidani, you'll see it on the right. I like their wines, and I do like it hot too :)
Of course, it's a matter of taste, but in case you'll taste glintwein in one of those places, and like it, feel free to say "Darikos gaumarjos" ("a toast for Dariko")!
