Gorgeous Georgia

March-April 2017

It seemed like a correct time this spring, to explore a new country with our two boys! We decided on Georgia mainly because of its proximity to the UAE and the ease of visa-on –arrival for UAE residents.And with this trip to gorgeous Georgia, my younger son, Abhiir made his debut on my travel blog!!!

25^th March

4.30pm

Abu Dhabi to DWC Airport

It was raining heavily that whole week in Abu Dhabi! These days every year it rains between Januarys to March in the UAE. We had hurriedly finished packing and napping, not forgetting all the warm clothes that were needed in the next week. I was a tad worried about the negative temperatures in the mountains, according to our research about the country.

We reached by evening, ready for the flight. The boys refused to wear warm clothes and hence fellow passengers had already started raising eyebrows about how we were going to survive in the cold destination! We reached at 2.30 am to Tbilisi and the outside temperature was announced as 5 degrees!

Out came our jackets, mufflers and gloves finally!

26^th March

2.30 am

Tbilisi

We had pre-booked Andro, a Georgian taxi guy, through a travel website, for airport pick-up and drop-off, from Tbilisi to the mountains and for a few day trips from Tbilisi.

He dropped us to our hotel, our home for the next few days,that silently lit dawn hour. Hotel Riverside was conveniently located within a walkable radius from the city center. Honestly, Kris and I had finalized that particular hotel for its antique interiors which we found to be very cozy and charming.

9.30 am

We dozed off immediately and woke up in time for breakfast. It was the usual sausages and eggs. As usual the boys don’t eat well at the breakfast table and I have to pack up fruits, sausages, cheese, biscuits for the multiple bouts of hunger throughout the day.

We were dressed appropriately this time for what seemed to be a pleasant morning so far. We took the stroller for Abhiir, some maps and some snacks to begin with our Tbilisi exploration.

I always got an intuitive feeling on hearing the word ‘Tbilisi’. And now I remember why. There was a colleague from my old office who had mentioned going to Tbilisi many years ago when I did not even know the country Georgia! Suddenly I recalled this incident. Well, that’s why I guessed this trip was meant to be!

We walked past the freedom square with its golden statues and flags. We walked past old classical style buildings and neat branched trees. We saw a nice stone church, juxtaposed against modern buildings. That’s the architectural flavor of Tbilisi – where the elegant ancient merges with the minimalist modern.

Just at this square, we saw a Bollywood film shoot with famous actor Irfan Khan and choreographer Ahmed Khan with a new Pakistani actress. I went and spoke to Irfan Khan and told him how much I liked his kind of films…

Along the cobbled streets, we stopped for fresh fruit juices and ‘churchkela’ – which is a nut filled roll with a coating of dried pomegranate or grape and honey. Churchkela was a common roadside snack to keep munching on.

1.30pm

Tbilisi Altstadt

Next, we stopped for lunch at a nice cozy street café along the old town square of Tbilisi from where one could catch a glimpse of the Narikala fortress and the cable cars sliding back and forth over the lazy Tbilisi sky. We sat down for some local beer and Lobiani(pie filled with bean paste), Kachapuri( pie with cheese and egg) and some chicken soup for the kids. It was a nice sunlit day, not too warm not too cold. Holiday spirit and beer go along very well. Kris had already spotted a ‘Taj Mahal’ Indian restaurant for emergency biryani cravings for later. Abu (Abhiir) and Ra-Ra(Arhaant) were doing well so far. They enjoyed the soup and were now playing with a cute cat by the pavement and running up and down the stairs as usual. We decided to go up to the fortress by cable car after lunch.

3.00 pm

Narikala Fortress

After a big queue at the cable car station, we reached up to the Narikala fortress. It had started to get warmer…in fact hotter! We would have to carry ‘all seasons’ clothing for the upcoming days, I complained! My boots were starting to give me a bite. Oh well, let’s concentrate on the larger picture ;)

We saw the botanical gardens on one side and the red roofscapes of the city on the other side of the fortress. There were these peculiar white flowering trees all over Tbilisi. I was curious to find the name of these native species.The aerial views of the city pointed out some interesting places that were next on our list. There was a beautiful park along the river front adjacent to interesting modern buildings. The Metekhi church stood almost on a cliff along the muddy river. There was a high cliff on one bank of the river and a pedestrian scale promenade on the other bank. There was a lot more to explore…

We went down the cable car again, capturing more roofscapes and aerial views.

5.00pm

Rike Park, Peace Bridge

The Rike Park looked like a very well designed piece of landscape. A wide zig-zag walkway lead towards many interesting functions in the park. There was a skate park with blue extruded boxes of rubberized coating arranged in an interesting rhythm on the hardscape. There was also a running and jumping sculpture for children, in the shape of an asymmetrical rose, coated with red rubberized flooring. This instantly struck a chord with the landscape architect as well as the mother in me. The boys ran and jumped for a long time. The interesting sloped spaces, neat elegant trees, unique play spaces, Chess Park, water feature and lots of seating areas made this the most popular destination in Tbilisi. The selection of artistic park furniture and an exciting mix of natural stone and concrete hardscapes won my heart.

The Peace bridge leads one from the rest of the city to the Rike park. The modern structure of steel and glass establishes connection with all the modern buildings dotting the city. A twin funnel-shaped events hall, in glass and steel stood at the end of the park, reflecting the greying sky. We took lots of pictures from every architectural angle and then decided to walk towards the other side of the Peace Bridge to have an evening snack and maybe some Cognac or 'Chacha' the local liqueur ;)

The Bollywood film crew was seen again at this location.

Abhiir was exhausted. By the time we walked to the other side of the bridge, he had dozed off. That was a good time to take a break and enjoy the evening while Abhiir napped.

I tried some ‘Khinkhali’- which is a local Georgian dish similar to momos – mushroom, meat or potatoes filled in a flour dumpling. I liked it. Ary and Kris had pizza. Of course, Georgian Cognac was a must. It was getting quite chilly. After a long hour of getting carried away in the intoxicating air of this new city, we walked back to the hotel. Abhiir was up. Luckily we had packed some food. It had been a long day. We crashed in bed instantly.

27^th March

10.00am

Mtshketa

Our first halt for this fresh blue skied day was at Mtshketa Cathedral up in the mountains. It was a lovely stone building overlooking the town of Mtshketa, nestled in the valley full of old church spires. There were mountains full of grazing cows by the church. These old structures seem to have a calming effect on the soul.

Our next halt was at Jvari Monastery which was a vibrant campus full of tourists. There were souvenir shops and cute little juice shops along the neatly paved plazas. Round stones and bricks were used for walls in a very interesting way. Even the paving patterns showed an unusual mix of sizes which was very appealing to the pedestrian scale. The cathedral itself was huge and had gargoyles. We took turns to go inside. Thereafter, we stopped for lunch at a forest tavern almost in the middle of the woods. Good ol ‘khinkhali’ and cognac for the grown-ups was the tried and tested menu. We also tried stir-fried egg-plant with walnut paste. It was really good. Even Abhiir really liked khinkhali. He kept calling it "patta" (pasta).

4.00 pm

Tbilisi Holy Trinity Cathedral/ Sameba

Andro dropped us to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi that late afternoon. This church is the biggest in Tbilisi and has a huge golden roofscapes. The winds were crazy. Abhiir was napping. We wore all the jackets we had and took refuge in the corridors of the church. The sky was in grey tones. A little further beyond, was the bell tower with a huge bell. It was a dramatic view with the bell tower in stone, juxtaposed against the city skyline and the salt-and-pepper sky.

After the winds calmed down we walked back to the city centre .The Metekhi church stood high on a rock beyond the Metekhi Bridge --- a deep beige-brown stone structure against the soft white blossomed trees. We halted at another cozy tavern for something warm to drink. The chicken soup with veggies was perfect for the weather. Abhiir had warm milk. Kris and I continued to enjoy the Cognac that warmed up our spirit as well! ‘Tbilisi’ literally means ‘warm location’ in old Georgian. Well, we were enjoying the city in the most correct way!

It continued to rain outside while we sat back a relaxed, cuddled up all together. It is moments like these that make you realise that you are on a vacation. These are the ones I relish the most. Because after having children, travel plans take a new turn. Sometimes you cannot complete everything on the itinerary, but you get something more instead --- such empty moments to ponder over life.

28^th March

Kakheti

Early morning, we started off towards Kakheti, along the country roads dotted by white trees. There were farm lands and mountains beyond. Arhaant and I were counting the bird nests in the white trees. There were countless of them! We halted at a Monastery complex on the way. Abhiir was tired and cranky …perhaps hungry too. This was one thing I always needed to take care of! The minute we started out for any expedition, the kids used to be hungry again. Each morning, I used to collect fruits,cakes and cheese at breakfast for such times.

The landscape atop the mountain, in the church complex was beautiful. The use of round river stone and brick side by side for walls was the interesting architectural highlight. The lawns had interesting patterns for stepping stone paths, which particularly caught my attention.

Soon we were on the country roads again along the wine routes. This wasn’t a wine season so the plan was to just halt for lunch at a nice place amidst the fields and mountains. Everyone was hungry again. The winds always lulled Abhiir to sleep in the car. We kept sharing apples and pears that Arhaant fished out from my bag. For me the best part was when all four of us had to share one big apple until we stopped somewhere for lunch! Everyone was so hungry. None complained. It was a scene to remember!!

The lunch place was picturesque with beautiful stone walls and awesome white trees. And then of course, a lovely meal of ‘khinkhali’ again and some wine, soup for the kids and the most favourite eggplant stir fry.

We bought some Georgian red wine from their cellar before we started our ride back to Tbilisi.

The evening winds and greying skies hushed everyone to a quiet calm mood. The winding roads took us to Lake Ilias. The lake side park has a nice boardwalk with a backdrop of the snowy mountain peaks far on the horizon. It was a golden evening hour. The sun was setting. We relaxed in the grass and strolled around on the boardwalk.

A nice dinner at the old town square was the perfect end to the relaxing day out on the Kakheti wine route.

29^th March

Tbilisi to Gudauri

As usual, our ride from Tbilisi to Gudauri started early morning, right after breakfast. We were excited to finally get to see the snow. The first halt was at Zedazeni fortress. It was a beautiful brown stonescape against the calm blue sky. We saw strong, fluffy-footed Georgian horses there. I got a chance to have my dream photo-shoot with a horse! Kris took some really nice shots for my upcoming profile picture ;)

We then drove upslope towards the snowy mountains pausing at road bends for views. The bubbling river flowed through the valley completing the picture. It was getting chilly. We were beginning to see snow on the foothills.

By noon we reached our hotel Marco Polo, almost carved out into the snowy Caucasus Mountains of Gudauri. Our snow play began immediately. It was a lot colder than how I had imagined! Luckily, we had enough warm clothes.

After a lovely warm lunch of Abhiir’s favourite pasta, we continued to play in the snow along the foothills. The sun made the snow look golden! A beautiful church was tucked in the valley far beyond. The skies turned into a deeper blue, and the snow into a silvery hue. Arhaant made a nice smiling snow man. We soaked up the cold snowy spirit and the day silently merged into the night.

The church bells resonated in a rhythm. The lights sparkled against the sleeping snow. It was like a scene out of a fairy tale. We watched from warm wooden steps in our room.

The boys dozed off after a fun-filled snowy trek, followed by fresh hot pizza. We dawdled around, sipping on Georgian wine, which we picked up from the mountain shack earlier that evening. The church lights continued to twinkle as we looked on.

30^th March

Gudauri-Kazbegi

We began our snow exploration a little laid back this morning. The Caucasus is a mountainous area nestled between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, consisting of southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.We went to see the Georgia – Russia Peace Monument panoramic gallery. It was an arcade built on a cliff as a symbol of Georgia-Russia friendship. The structure had galleries overlooking the cliff, down to an emerald lake(Lake Keli) surrounded by snow. It was a pristine landscape, with this colourful monument standing amidst the white background.

It was very very cold. ‘-2 degrees + 2 kids’ was indeed the most exciting experience of this trip.

Our expedition continued through the tunnels in the mountains. The tunnels were lined with melting icicles and filled with Russian trucks. Only one vehicle could pass at a time. It was quite a thrilling drive. There was almost ten such tunnels that took us from sunny bright snow to a dark dripping silence.

Finally we could see the Gergeti church atop Mount Kazbek at a distance. The sun kissed tips of the mountain shone golden and reflected the light onto the stone church. It was a wonderful scene.

By afternoon, we went atop the Caucasus Mountains with the ski lift. I really like the design of these ski lifts. They are so open…in fact a bit too open for kids! You have to catch them at the right time before they turn. That requires a special skill when you have to be on the seat with a child in your arms! But we did it.

It kept getting colder and colder as the ski life went higher and higher upslope. The boys were very excited and almost frozen!

We had nice warm coffee and milk at a mid-mountain café overlooking the white surroundings and then we took the ski lift back downslope to play snow ball fight.

The highlight was the “Abhiir turns two” mood picture that we skillfully clicked in the snowscapes, finally getting it right after lots of trials ;)

“Natasha” I heard a voice from behind. But the guy was calling the woman ahead of me. And Oh, I realized. “Natasha” was the most common name in this region with its proximity to Russia! I understood how Kris feels when we go to Kerala when every second person’s name is Krishna!

The rest of the day was only snow ball fights and an even more accessorized snow man, followed by another awesome dinner of roast chicken in a tavern, a short walk down the hotel street.

Kris and I caught up on our usual wine -n-conversations after the boys go to bed. The church lights twinkled the same way. This was our last night in Gudauri. Tomorrow early morning, we go back to Tbilisi and then back to Abu Dhabi.

31^st March

Gudauri - Tbilisi-Abu-Dhabi

Andro came to pick us up at the hotel at 6.00am. We were ready before time. The hotel had packed breakfast boxes for us for the journey. I had kept a blanket within reachable limits in my bag. As we drove on the dimly lit, sleepy roads that lead to Tbilisi, we cuddled up in that blanket in the car---all four of us, cozy on the back seat. Arhaant and Abhiir slept. I enjoyed and silently documented such sweet moments. The same river, the same trees , the same mountains beckoned us to visit this place again…maybe to see the autumn colours next time, when the white landscapes turn green again!

We gobbled up the packed breakfast just before reaching Tbilisi airport. I kept thinking about how we slept under shared blankets ,how we shared apples for in-between hunger attacks…  how the kids ate even smashed bananas when they were too hungry…

Travel does prepare children to live out of their comfort zone and get adjusted to new routines. It has been a great trip… our first ‘new country exploration’ with both the boys! …first, with a hope for many more to come.

Travel indeed is a strategy to accumulate memories. We returned back with a lot more valuable additions to our memory-lanes, souvenirs, photo albums and of course, my most favorite fridge-magnets collection!