Gorgeous Georgia- Day 1

Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before – Dalai Lama

This quote inspired me to discover new places, culture, people and adventure. To begin a new adventure, me and my friend booked for a 3 days tour to Georgia.

We arrived in Georgia at 5:40am via Fly Dubai, to my surprise, tourist were given free wine on arrival.

After check in, we went directly to the Freedom Square to meet our tour guide. Since we still have enough time, we decided to walk so we could explore the narrow streets of Tbilisi.

Morning walk in the streets of Tbilisi

Golden Statue of St. George Freedom Square, Tbilisi

Around 9:00 am we started our day tour, we visited the ancient capital and religious center of Mtskheta, a small town 25 km north from Tbilisi.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral “the Living Pillar Cathedral”) is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in the historical town of Mtskheta, Georgia, 20 km (12 mi) northwest of the nation’s capital of Tbilisi.

Jvari Monasetri is UNESCO World Heritage site as well located at the top of the hill. This is the place where the missionary St. Nino erected a cross (“jvari” in Georgian) in the 4th century to mark the coming of Christianity to Georgia.

We continued our way to Uflistsikhe, the oldest cave town in Georgia. It’s amazing how the ancient civilization lived in caves where there were traces of ancient streets, rock carved theatre, pharmacy, temple, granaries etc.

Ancient Pharmacy in Uflistsikhe

Close to Uflistsikhe there is 6th century Ateni Sioni Church, beautifully painted inside, with unique ornaments outside.

Tunnel from top of Uflistsikhe which leads to the river.

Our final destination is the town of Gori, Stalin’s birthplace and one of the oldest towns in Georgia. Josef Stalin (1879 – 1953) was Georgia’s most infamous son; the secretary general of the Communist Party from 1922 until his death, he is said to have been one of the cruelest dictators of modern times, although you might hear a different version in Georgia.

Stalin’s Train

Stalin’s House

We went back to Tbilisi at arounf 5:00pm, considering that we will be having long tours for the next two days, we decided to stroll around Old Tbilisi.

Picturesque View of Old Tbilisi