Just a moment, a few more weeks, and the Georgian season will begin! Now, there is still snow on the mountain passes, the ski lifts are still operating, but plants in the Batumi botanical garden are slowly coming to life, the Black Sea is increasingly reflecting the blue sky, and the vines in the wine-flowing Kakheti are starting to turn green timidly. So maybe it's worth starting to plan trips to Georgia – a country the size of two Polish provinces, where in one day you can move from the warm sea to the foothills of five-thousand-meter peaks covered in eternal snow, where music, dance and wine go straight to your head, and ancient history still lives on in blackened frescoes dating back to the first centuries of our era?

We invite you to read the first part of the Georgian alphabet. The second part will be published soon – soon enough for you to make a decision without rushing. travel to Georgia, which we will be happy to tailor for you! 

Anatori – Atsunta Pass (3431 m above sea level); Chechnya begins right behind it

A ა 

Akhaltsikhe

The capital of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region in southwestern Georgia is famous for one thing – the mighty Rabati fortress. The name of the city, which dates back to the early Middle Ages, simply means New Castle, and comes from the late 2011th century, when it began to grow around the fortified fortress. Conquered in the late XNUMXth century by the Ottoman Empire, it was famous for its ethnic and religious diversity – and to this day you will find Armenian, Orthodox, Catholic churches, a synagogue and a mosque functioning side by side here. Until recently, the Rabati fortress was in ruins, and its shape could only be guessed at, but in XNUMX, funds were finally found for its renovation, or rather its complete reconstruction. The fortress looks as if it had been built from scratch, which bothers some and delights others. Discussions and considerations whether Rabati has completely lost its historic character or has gained a chance for a second life still inflame Georgians. Undoubtedly, the building makes a very pleasant impression, the beautifully carved balcony balustrades and the golden dome of the mosque attract the eye, and the impressive illumination makes it simply fantastic at blue hour.

Akhaltsikhe – part of the fortress houses the most luxurious hotel in the city

Alphabet

Some say it looks like scattered pasta. Supposedly, the monk Mesrop Mashtots, who did not like Georgians, the creator of the Armenian alphabet, threw out a long pasta from his bowl, which formed fantastic shapes, and decreed that this is what the Georgian alphabet would look like. That is what those who mock say. Others claim that the alphabet was created by Queen Tamar, who scattered it with her beautiful, curly hair, and that is why it is so graceful, unique and reminiscent of intricate embroidery. That is what those who admire say. And what is the truth? Who knows! Scholars are still arguing about the origins and age of the Georgian alphabet, presenting various theories: that it was created 8 thousand years ago, or that it was created 430 thousand years ago. years ago and is one of the oldest alphabets of humanity, and that it was composed by King Parnavaz I, who ruled the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia in the XNUMXth century BC and from his time comes the oldest Georgian inscription, and that the first monument of Georgian writing is an inscription from XNUMX. There is no point in counting on a resolution, so let's stick to the version with Queen Tamar - after all, the beauty of this alphabet leaves no doubt!

But also Nino 

Walking along the Batumi boulevard, you will definitely notice the original monument – ​​the openwork silhouettes of a woman and a man, rotating around their own axis, approaching each other, almost (but always only almost) merging into one whole. Ali and Nino are the Georgian Romeo and Juliet, the heroes of a book about the impossible love between a poor Muslim from Azerbaijan and a Christian woman from the Georgian nobility. The action of the novel takes place before World War I, and although the love story is in the foreground, the book is not just a romance. Cultural and religious differences, issues of approach to social roles, Europeanization, faith or principles – there are definitely more levels in this book. A must-read before traveling to Georgia!

Ali and Nino on the Batumi promenade

B ბ 

Borjomi

If you want to remember what Krynica Górska looked like twenty years ago (at least), go to Borjomi! The health resort, known since ancient times and then rediscovered by Russian soldiers, experienced its heyday in Soviet times. What attracted countless spa guests here was the mineral water, which has a healing effect on the bile ducts and the digestive tract. Theoretically, the health resort is being modernized, but in practice, traces of the Soviet era can be seen at every step. One of them is a charmingly old-fashioned, single-carriage train, which takes you to the top of the hill rising in the spa park. The car has supposedly not been changed since the 50s, so a ride on it is a great way to raise your adrenaline level!

Borjomi – the train ride is an exciting (although a bit depressing due to its condition) experience

Batumi

A history dating back to ancient myths, a black gold rush, one of the most important ports on the Black Sea and a former symbol of luxury and exoticism… And what is Batumi like today? It certainly does not resemble the one that Filipino women sang about in the 60s. Instead of cicadas, you can hear cars here, and the landscape is dominated by skyscrapers, not without reason compared to Dubai's. Although you can still find villas from the times when oil gushed from the ground, contributing to the creation of unimaginable fortunes, the city is definitely focused on modernity.

The Ferris wheel on the University of Technology skyscraper. Although it is impressive in its scope, it has never turned…

At the Batumi Fish Market you can not only stock up on fresh fish, but also gain some interesting social observations!

No matter how long your stay in Batumi, you absolutely must stroll along the seaside boulevard and reflect by the sculpture of Ali and Nino, sit down for a coffee at Europe Square, check if the Ferris wheel at the University of Technology is already turning (in 2021, the fate of the building was still unknown). And if you have more time, take a trip to the century-old Botanical Garden, where you will not only see plants from as many as nine climate zones, but also admire the view of Batumi, located about 10 km away, which looks exceptionally picturesque from here.

View of Batumi from the Botanical Garden, which is about 10 km away.

C წ 

Chacha

Strong, easily accessible and deceptively tasty – chacha is everywhere! The vodka distilled from grape pomace is sold in plastic bottles from various drinks, primarily Coca-Cola. Where can you buy it? For example, straight from the bin at a devotional stall in Mtskheta. Or in the back of an elegant jewellery shop on the main street of Batumi (unfortunately, Batumi's main attraction, the chacha fountain, is no longer operational). It can be well over 50%, but that doesn't stop Georgians from enjoying it at any time. Sometimes you can even hear the opinion that chacha should be enjoyed from the moment you wake up – after all, the body needs to be disinfected after the night and the day should be entered in the right mood! 

Georgia – the wine trail to the foot of the Caucasus

Georgia – the wine trail to the foot of the Caucasus | Tbilisi, Sighnaghi, Kakheti, Stepantsminda
Georgia – a country famous for its beautiful landscapes and friendly people! Set off on a wonderful journey during which you will pamper your senses – you will taste delicious cuisine in Signagi, be enchanted by the mountain landscapes of the Truso Valley and the unique architecture in Tbilisi, and during your stay in the wine region of Kakheti you will taste delicious Georgian wine while enjoying the picturesque scenery. A trip to Georgia with Planet Escape is a ready recipe for an unforgettable adventure.

Chakrulo

Traditional polyphonic songs, sung during the supra and performed at festivals, requiring special vocal skills, deal primarily with love and history. The rich metaphors contained in them mean that in order to properly understand their meaning, one must be well acquainted with Georgian reality. Their significance is so great that in 1977, a recorded song of chakrulo was launched into space by NASA, as part of the Voyager program, to show the diversity of life and cultures on Earth. The recording was intended for people from the future... or extraterrestrial civilizations! In 2008, chakrulo was included on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

D დ

Dagny Juel Przybyszewska

A truly extraordinary figure, a muse of Young Scandinavia and Young Poland, a talented writer and pianist, the beloved of Strindberg and Munch, and finally – the wife of the Sad Satan, the most famous Polish decadent and scandal-fed writer – Stanisław Przybyszewski. What is her connection with Georgia? Literally – the ultimate. In Tiflis (as Tbilisi was then called in Russian), in the Grand Hotel, she was shot by her lover, contributing to the creation of a legend that continues to this day. And although I searched in vain for this very Grand Hotel on the streets of Tbilisi – today it is supposedly an ordinary building – I managed to find at least the grave of a beautiful and unfortunate Norwegian woman, one of the most famous femme fatales of the late 19th century…

Dear

Roads are a river-like topic, as captivating as the current of the streams flowing through them! Winding like the Georgian alphabet, leading between precipitous rocks rising hundreds of meters, narrow and poorly maintained, they are often unprotected from the precipice side, and sometimes the protection lies hundreds of meters below. Drivers drive carelessly with one hand, holding a cigarette or a cell phone in the other, missing each other by a hair on roads as wide as a ribbon. Traffic is on the right, but many used cars are imported from left-hand Japan, which is why you can see cars with the steering wheel on the right, which, combined with cows walking leisurely even on "highways", makes the level of safety somewhat debatable. On the other hand, off-road enthusiasts have a real treat here - just jump into a 4×4 and hit the road!

Tbilisi-Shatila road through the Datwisdzvali pass, passable only from May to September

And the same route, but a day later!

E ე 

Europe's Modern People

Europe Square is a place that smells of the big world! You can easily imagine that this is not Batumi, but Rome, Paris or Barcelona - the architecture here is of the highest standard, and the mixture of renovated facades of 2007th-century tenement houses and modern buildings looks really beautiful. The Medea monument, erected in XNUMX, reminds us of the mythical connections between Georgia and ancient culture, and the most contemporary culture is connected by a stage, where Georgian and international stars regularly perform, such as Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Bueno Vistas, Enrique Iglesias and many others. So sit down in one of the dozens of atmospheric cafes, whose tables are often set up right on the square, and watch how life goes on in Batumi! 

F ჯ

Fortresses 

Georgia is full of fortresses! Traveling through this small country, at every step you will come across fortresses, strongholds, fortified towers, and fortified castles in various stages of preservation. Some of them are ruins, while others seem to have emerged from oblivion only yesterday. A good example of this is the 900-year-old Rabati citadel in Akhaltsikhe, which seems to have been built from scratch. The fortress, conveniently situated on a hill, played a strategic role due to its proximity to the border with the Ottoman Empire – the border with Turkey is only 20 kilometres away! However, this proximity did not do the city any good: in the XNUMXth century, Akhaltsikhe was taken over by the Turkish Empire, and at the beginning of the XNUMXth century it became part of Russia. It was here that the Russians exiled the participants of the January Uprising, whose descendants still constitute a large community today. The reconstruction of the fortress itself is associated with a lot of controversy - on the one hand, it deprived the place of its authenticity, giving it a polished, almost sugary look, but on the other hand - it is impossible to deny the fortress's charm.

Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe

Ananuri Fortress

In search of authenticity, you can go to Ananuri, a fortress located about 70 km north of Tbilisi, on the waters of the picturesque, turquoise Zhinvali Reservoir. Built in the 12th century, it took on its current shape at the turn of the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. The largest building in the entire complex, the Sheupowari Tower – the invincible one, also comes from this period. If you manage to look into the church, you will see very beautiful, although badly damaged frescoes, and the intricately decorated entrance to the temple definitely attracts attention. Fans of antiquity will definitely like the Gonio fortress, built in the XNUMXst century AD, where the tomb of St. Matthias, one of the XNUMX apostles, is said to be located. The old walls and fragments of the towers have survived to this day, and mosaics dating back to the XNUMXnd century AD have also been discovered here – some of the oldest in Transcaucasia.

Entrance to the church in the Ananuri fortress

G გ 

Georgia (name)

Like almost everything in Georgia, the name of the country has also been engulfed in many myths and interpretations. According to legend, the commonly used name Georgia comes from the highly respected St. George – Gorgi is such a popular name that if you call a group of boys that name, one of them will surely turn around! The Greek name Georgios itself comes from the word for “farmer”, so Georgians attribute the origins of their country’s name to the fact that over the course of history they have become a settled people who cultivate the land. There is also a version according to which the term comes from the Turkish word “gurzy”, the Arabic “gurdży” or the Persian “gordzhi”, meaning “the force fighting Islam”, and in other translations – “the land of wolves”. Georgians themselves, on the other hand, call themselves Kartveli (in memory of the mythical Kartlos, the progenitor of the nation), and their country – Sakartvelo, or the land of Kartli. It is therefore difficult to determine what really lies behind this name, but one thing is certain: Georgians do not like the name Georgia, considering it to be imposed by Russia, and they definitely prefer the word Georgia.

H ჰ

Tea

Today, when we can easily import excellent tea from the furthest corners of the globe, few people remember that for many years it was Georgia, closer to us, that was the real power in its production. Tea seedlings were brought, or rather smuggled from China to Georgia in the mid-19th century by Prince Miha Eristavi. The plant was very well accepted in the warm, coastal climate of western Georgia, and at the beginning of the 20th century, Georgian tea was recognized at an exhibition in Paris as the best in the world! Unfortunately, when Georgia became part of the USSR, the emphasis began on quantity, not quality, which of course caused the taste of tea to deteriorate significantly. In recent years, however, the plantations have been regaining their former glory, and the organically grown plant is said to have numerous health properties. Check it out for yourself: why not taste real Georgian tea during your vacation in Georgia? 

I ი 

Inguri 

The gigantic concrete dam on the Inguri River is one of Georgia's paradoxes. While the dam itself is located in Georgia, the cascade of hydroelectric power plants built on the reservoir belongs to Abkhazia. Measuring 272 meters high, it was the highest arch dam in the world when it was put into operation (in 1988)! Today, it ranks sixth among all structures of this type, and you can sail a motorboat on the artificial lake that spreads in front of it. This is a truly unforgettable adventure - especially since the drivers of these motorboats sometimes miscalculate the amount of gasoline needed and the boat unexpectedly stops in the middle of the reservoir, which is over 20 km long...

The lake spilling over the Inguri dam

J ძ 

Prometheus Cave 

Prometheus Cave is located in Kumistawi, a small town about 20 km from Kutaisi. Discovered in the early 80s and considered by some to be the most beautiful in the world, it is open to visitors who, along a kilometer-long route, can admire impressively illuminated chambers, stalactites, stalagmites, petrified water curtains and waterfalls, underground rivers and lakes. You can even get married in one of the chambers, called the Hall of Love - so maybe you will use your trip to Georgia for this purpose? And why is it named after Prometheus? Supposedly, it was here that the mythical titan Prometheus was chained to the rocks of the Caucasus, and a vulture pecked out his liver as punishment for giving people fire.

K ქ 

Cows 

Cows are to Georgia what horses are to Iceland and sheep are to New Zealand – there are endless numbers of them here! They go wherever they want, do whatever they want, unattended and unchecked by anyone. It is not strange to see cattle climbing steep rocks in search of tufts of grass or lazily lounging on the roadsides. In the evening, when it is time for milking, they make their way to their stables without fail…

There are cows everywhere!

Kitchen 

O Georgian cuisine everything has probably been written already. Of course, the pleasure does not come from reading about these delicacies, but from their enthusiastic consumption, but before your vacation in Georgia it is good to know what your hospitable hosts will treat you to. One thing is for sure - you will certainly not suffer from hunger! A dish that you will encounter at every step is khachapuri, which comes in various versions, a flatbread resembling a pizza, most often with cheese, sometimes with meat, and in the Ajarian version - with a fried egg. Another equally popular dish is khinkali, dumplings-purses similar to the fruit of a ripe fig, which under no circumstances should be eaten with a knife and fork - you should grab the "tail", bite the khinkali while sucking out the broth (yes, it will definitely leak into your sleeve), and then eat the delicious, meaty filling. Then it might be time for ostri, a spicy beef goulash in tomato sauce, or odżachuri, a hearty stew of pork, onion, pepper and potato. Badridzhiani are also exceptionally tasty – rolls of eggplants cut into narrow strips, filled with nut paste and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. For dessert, we recommend churchkhela – you will definitely notice the “sausages” hanging from stalls or lying in piles at almost all roadside stands. In different shades, with even thickenings – these are nothing more than walnuts (sometimes hazelnuts or almonds) strung on a string, doused with thickened grape juice. When the juice sets and hardens, it becomes incredibly durable – well-prepared churchkhela can last for several years! They are a healthy and high-calorie snack, which is why Georgians traditionally took them with them on long expeditions.

Georgian delicacies are a real paradise for the palate

L ლ 

Fridge

It's hard to imagine - there are about 600 glaciers in Georgia! They cover 0,7% of the country, or 518 km², and the largest number of them are in Svaneti, in the Greater Caucasus ranges. The largest in terms of area is Legziri, which covers 42 km², but two glaciers easily accessible from Mestia - Chaladi and Shkhara - are much more popular. It's up to you which one you choose to hike to: the trails leading to them are not difficult even for less experienced hikers. You can reach the Cheladi glacier descending from Ushba directly from Mestia, although we recommend taking the first section of the trail by car - it's an ordinary road, on which hiking is not a pleasure. The fun begins only after crossing the footbridge hanging over the rushing Mestiakhala River.

To reach the Chaladi glacier, you must first cross a narrow, hanging footbridge over the Mestiachala River.

Initially, the narrow path runs uphill, through the forest, and soon emerges onto a gigantic rubble of boulders covering the slopes of the peaks. From this point, the march towards the glacier should take no more than an hour. How will you know that you have reached your destination? You will see the source of the river, flowing out from under a large block of ice! Outside, gray and indistinguishable from the surroundings, in the place of the crack it enchants with a pure, crystal blue.

The Czaladi Glacier – pure blue hidden under a grey coating

The road to the Shkhara glacier is a bit different. It starts in the exceptionally atmospheric village of Ushguli, located a dozen or so kilometres from Mestia, from where there is a breathtaking view of Shkhara (5193 m above sea level), the highest peak in Georgia. From the centre of the village, it is about 10 km one way, and while hiking along an easy, almost flat gravel and rocky route (only the last 2 km is a narrow path), you can admire picturesque streams and waterfalls and steep slopes. The snow-capped peaks looming in the distance are drawing clouds, so if you manage to hit sunny weather, you can consider yourself really lucky!

The road to the Shkhara glacier runs through the Inguri River valley